In the dim light of the warm study, Cochrane turned round to the figure standing in the shadows. The Sabbat official lit up a cigar. He got no pleasure from the smoke, but felt it added character to his appearance. Breathing deeply, he drew in the hot smoke. He couldn't feel it passing into his lungs (all feeling in his organs had long faded) but soon saw the thick substance rising again from his mouth. Staring at the hidden figure, he spoke up: "Well, he should be home by now," Michael Cochrane said in his gravelly voice. "I hope you know what you're doing." "I do," came the soft tones of the Kindred in the shadows - Cray his name was. "Don't worry, the Sabbat won't come to any harm." "But Fredrick Frost is unpredictable," Cochrane warned for the umpteenth time. He wasn't sure at all of this plan. "I can take care of Frost." By his voice, Cray was obviously smiling, though Cochrane couldn't see his face. "I've done it before." Again, Michael Cochrane resigned himself to the plan. Those above him in the Sabbat had told him to respect Cray's wishes, and that's what he'd do. You didn't disobey the Sabbat, that's for sure. "Why?" he asked then. "Why New Chelsea?" It may have been a trick of the firelight, but Cray appeared to softly glow red for a moment, before quietly responding, "That's not for you to worry about." Cochrane shook his head. He didn't think he liked this. Not a bit. When he looked back at Cray, the man was gone. Damn obfuscation, Cochrane muttered, and he sat back, letting the cigar burn down to his flesh. - End of post. Michael Cochrane, Sabbat. Posted by Leick. In the guise of a destitute old woman, Lilith walked into New Chelsea pretty much unnoticed. Another mortal city, her idea of fast food. However, there was a Kindred community here... opportunities to reap and answers to be found. Lilith noticed the abundance of life and activity in the City Center. She shrouded her appearance into that of a young woman in her early thirties, wearing a nice evening gown and strolled down the busy streets. Wandering moodily through the dark night, Lilith found herself passing a place called the "Red Scorpion" and recalls an old superstition. If you kill a scorpion, don't burn it. If you do, it will attract Vampires from miles around. This watering hole seemed interesting enough and Lilith entered. - End of post. Lilith, Nosferatu. To Harajj Thanks for you help in transportation to get me here, I'm yet to communicate to another Gangrel though. I am weak, I must admit, but I refuse to feed until I have completed my first mission. I have read the Silver Stone can regain my strength temporarily until I have made contact, but I don't know where to go. If you have any information please write me, you know where you can contact me. I will notify you immediately if our contact changes. If you come across any Gangrels, show them the amulet; my Sire gave me it as you well know, and he told me no harm can come to you of any Gangrel Vampire as long as you wear it. Tell them where I am if they prove to be of my clan, but please hurry for my weakness will kill me unless I have the stone. Until next time, please keep out of trouble, disciple! Tigristique. - End Of Post. Tigristique, Gangrel. Frost looked down at Victoria Treagard's theater. He was standing on the same roof as he had during his previous attempt to destroy the theater. This time he had not come to destroy it, he was only casing it. He had made a special order for the weapons he needed to do the job the fun way. The night air was cold and crisp. Frost breathed in the air; he still felt the cold sharply in his lungs. The sky above was clear and the stars shone like a million diamonds against the blackness around them. The night was almost the same as the fateful evening when he had been Embraced. London, England November 12, 1865 Fredrick Frost walked along the cold London street. The street smelled strongly of coal. Frost came to his house. He was the son on a wealthy factory owner and therefore his home was quite large. He pulled out his key and slowly pushed the door open. It was late and he did not wish to awaken his wife or his three-month-old son. He slipped in the door silently, putting down the heavy briefcase he had been carrying. Without making a single sound he crept slowly up the stair, careful not to step where he knew the stairs would creak. He pushed the door of his bedroom open and sleekly slipped inside. As he entered, he saw a figure perched over where his wife was. He could see his wife's head at the man's wrist. He moved towards the man. The man's head turned swiftly as he approached and he pulled his hand away from woman roughly. She collapsed back, her body starting to jerk violently. Before Frost could react, the man had knocked him down. Frost threw him off, but in a moment the man recovered and, grabbing Frost by the neck, he sank his teeth in. He drank from Frost until he was nearly dead. Then he stopped, throwing Frost's still body to the floor. Frost could not feel anything in his body; his vision was blurring and, slowly, he could feel himself dying. He looked up hazily and vaguely made out his wife standing over the crib, her mouth firmly attached to the infant's neck. As his eyes began to close for the final time he thought he saw a figure standing outside the window. The next sensation Frost felt was a salty liquid being poured down his throat. He began to suck on something. Slowly his vision began to return - as it did he sucked harder. Then the object was pulled away from him. His senses began to return. He sat up and looked around. Beside him stood a man who looked quite young, even younger than him. "Who are you?" Frost asked, his voice still shaky. "I am the man who saved your life from the Vampire who sought to kill you and steal your wife." Frost thought he heard the man sigh. "My greatest error was making that one. But you Fredrick Frost shall be the one to rectify that mistake." As he helped Frost to his feet little did he realize that Frost was in reality his greatest error. As they left the house Frost still did not understand what had happened, but he did know that he would destroy all those like the one who had killed his son. In time, revenge would be his. In time... More then a century had passed since that dark night in London, and still his vow was unfulfilled. He suspected that it never would be. He turned away from the theater. Walking slowly away, he asked himself if his immortal life had been wasted on a futile cause... - End of post. Fredrick Frost, Caitiff. Angelique stared out of the west window of Nicholas' penthouse apartment in uptown Chicago, faintly remembering the vista of former sunsets. Of her mortal life, the beautiful colors displayed by the setting sun were the part of her previous life that she missed most. A warm breeze passed across her bare shoulders as a single, lonely blood-tear fell upon her cheek. "I shouldn't be so sad," she thought to herself. "I have so much to look forward to now. I have all the time in the world to see the wonders of the world I've always wanted to visit. And, thanks to Nicholas, I have a job that I love, getting to teach others about the things I love..." "...So much," Nicholas said as he walked across the plush crimson carpeting towards her. "And you'll probably love where we're moving to, after you finish the remodeling designs, of course." "New Chelsea, right?" she sighed. "I've heard so much about the architecture. Maybe we could go tonight so that I can get some ideas for our new home?" Nicholas wrapped his long arms around her waist, kissed her gently on her bare shoulders, and said, "You know I can only stay intermittently with you there, my Childe, as I have duties here I cannot even consider abandoning." "But you said..." "I know," Nicholas apologised, "but, as I've said before, we each have things we must do, occasional duties to attend to with respect to our rank in the clan." Nicholas let Angelique go and wandered back into the master bathroom. "I am going with you because you are not yet ready to be on your own," he said, over his shoulder. "In time, you won't even want to be around me," he kidded, then scoldingly said, "And, about us going early, you should know better than to even ask. I must present you to the Prince there and obtain permission for you to hunt." Angelique looked back out the window, pouting. Then, there was a knock at the door. Half dressed, Nicholas answered it, accepting a package from the young woman standing in the hall. He closed the door and came back to the bedroom window through which Angelique was still staring. "Maybe this will tide you over until then," Nicholas said before handing her the package, which contained photos of various structures and popular places throughout New Chelsea. After opening her gift, Angelique began to delve into the photographs, which left Nicholas free to finish getting ready for their night on the town. "Tonight," Nicholas thought to himself, "she must feed completely unaided. I must stop coddling her and prepare her to be on her own. If things continue to go badly here in Chicago, I may not be around to protect her much longer. I can only hope she finds an ally in New Chelsea soon after we arrive." Angelique sensed something was wrong and observed her lover's aura. The mixture of gray and silver in his pale aura had overpowered the normal pinkish hue, letting her know something was VERY wrong... The evening went smoothly, but there was little said between the two. The strain of Nicholas' secret weighed heavily on them both. Nicholas informed her that she must find her own prey tonight, without ANY help. Angelique silently obeyed, feeding from a young girl who was otherwise alone in the ladies' room of the restaurant. The young girl left first, woozy and only slightly drained. Unsure of the previous few minutes, she assumed she had merely blacked out and continued on with her evening as if nothing unusual had happened. As sunrise approached, Nicholas and Angelique fell asleep in each others arms, holding onto each other with a sense of desperation, as if they had only a few more nights to be together. - End of post. Angelique, Toreador. The rain fell hard on the cold, dark street. Rutger Leick, Brujah Primogen, stood in the shelter of a large stone building. The Primogen's bulk was lost in the immensity of the coal-stained structure, and he appeared as small as the gargoyle water-spouts that sat, leering, atop the massive building. He hated the rain. Always had. All it was good for was making things grow, and what had that to do with Kindred? Facing the wall of drizzle, Leick's thoughts turned sour. Over the past months he had let the Primogen council seize most of the power from him. Before, it had been Leick who had truly run the city, with the fool Prince sitting on his throne, dozing silently. Now, after his distraction over the Crystal of Darkness, the other Primogen had taken control of their respective clans and the relevant operations associated with them. Leick's greed for power had lost him what little power he had. Rutger resolved to get it back. Idly, he rubbed the stub of his left wrist. His hand was gone. That anarch Frost took it when the Crystals chose to go with him rather than defend Leick from his attack. More than anything else, this physical sign of Leick's loss bothered him. It wasn't the physical handicap that upset him - he could live with that. But every time he reached for something, he was reminded that Frost had bettered him, that Leick had lost the power to someone else. That his situation was degenerating all the time. The rain wasn't going to stop. That was becoming clear now. He'd have to walk through it to get anywhere. The big Cainite shook his head, and stepped out into the torrent. As the cold drops slid off his hair and down his forehead to his nose, Leick formulated a plan of action. Obviously the first thing to do was become strong again. The physical impairment shouldn't stop him. It was time to feed, to build up the Blood Pool strong enough that his power would be obvious to the other Primogen. When he had built up his strength, then it would be time to rebuild his power base. The Brujah's long black coat was slick with the rain now, and his face was dripping, the water pouring off the end of his nose. Passing by a small music club, he sidestepped in, out of the rain. It was dark here. A few blue lights in the ceiling provided ilumination for a single guitar player on stage and several people at a bar. The crude painted sign above the bar proclaimed the name of this place to be "The Dive". Not a very appealing name, Leick thought to himself, as he wandered further in. The guitarist was playing a jazz/blues construction, with a slight Mexican flavor. The mix was a little odd, but satisfying. He leaned over to the mike occasionally to sing some words, but they were few and far between. The dim blue luminescence gave him the impression of an angel, caught somewhere between Heaven and Hell. A very strange situation. Then, on the other side of the room, Leick caught sight of a beautiful young woman. Her black hair glowed in the blue light, and her shadowed face was flawless. She was the one, Leick decided. She would be the first. He didn't even have to say anything. Looking over into her eyes, the Brujah concentrated his Presence. He allowed himself to become like a magnet, directed toward her only. There was no way she could resist him; her will was weak. Caught by the bulky Primogen's Presence, the woman slowly walked towards him. He decided to play with her a bit, allow her to feel in control. Feeding didn't have to be about domination over the weaker beings, it was about pleasure. He subtly altered his Presence. The woman approached him then, and slinked past him, rubbing her hand across his chest teasingly. She continued to walk, entering the ladies' restroom, giving him an inviting look before entering. Leick smiled, and followed her in. His eyes squinted a bit as he entered the brighter-lit bathroom. He was surprised at the (relatively) pleasant smell of the room - only a Kindred could withstand the odor of a gents' restroom. The woman had backed up against the row of sinks, facing away from the mirror. Leick approached her slowly, exuding Presence. He came close to her then, smelling her hair. She clung to him as he let go of the restraints on his Presence, letting loose its full power. She fell into his arms and he kissed her neck lightly. As her head tilted sideways, Leick's fangs extended, and he heard the woman's heartbeat intensify. The smell of the near blood excited him, and he held onto this moment for a few seconds. This was the best part of the Feed, this when you were so close as to almost taste the blood, but yet to sink your teeth in and drink it. Having had enough of the wait, Rutger buried his teeth deep into the woman's neck. Not too much, he warned himself. The Blood Pool will be built slowly. A death here in this cozy hole would attract attention. No, she couldn't die, he would take enough only and then leave. It was agonizingly hard to pull away; her blood was rich and salty. But he did so eventually, and gently licked the marks where his teeth had been, healing up the wound. The woman was limp in his arms, and he laid her softly on the ground. When she awoke, she would not know what had happened. If she remembered him at all, she would not remember his Feed. Maybe she would think she passed out and he ran. Maybe she wouldn't even recall entering the bathroom. Either way, the Masquerade was safe. Leick slowly exited the ladies' room, and headed toward the door. A couple eyes followed him out, but most simply ignored him. When he exited "The Dive", the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Right now he didn't mind the wetness. He could feel his strength increasing, the warm oxygen-rich blood seeping throughout his body. At times like these he couldn't understand the Karoush tendencies of the Prince and his like - how could one feed on an animal when Kine provided so much more? The warmth filled him as he wandered on down the street. I wonder, he thought to himself, who will be my next victim? - End of post. Rutger Leick, Brujah Primogen. Alain Roche walked the streets of New Chelsea in the early evening, searhing for his Kindred in this new and strange place. A place where he was unknown. The quest for knowledge was deep within him. "Power is futile if one does not know its limitations or implications". "To love", another limit. "Why does he still respect some mortals?" He mused. "Maybe because I am so young, their vitality, their eagerness." He turned to watch a couple in a doorway, so young, so desirable. Blood-lust surged through him. He must fight it. Maybe there is a blood-bank nearby? he thought. "How I hate my self imposed morality - I am still too human." Alain knows that it is only a matter of time before he loses all morality; only self-discipline will remain. Walking on through the streets, he searched for a mentor, someone who could teach him some more. Someone with discipline, with courage and self-control. Only those with self control will rise to the top of the debris - with eternal liberty comes eternal vigilance. He searches.... - End of post. Alain Roche, Tremere. The pain! It was agonizing. It tore at every fibre of her body. Brooke could feel the pieces of her falling apart, as though her essence were decaying. It was Hunger. Not Hunger as she had known it before. There was no feeling in her stomach that cried out for food. No craving for solids, or the fulfillment of a hot meal. This was a Hunger that infested every particle that made her up. It was a longing for blood. She knew it instinctively. It wasn't a conscious thought, something she had deduced from her knowledge of Vampires. It was a gut reaction; the Vampire part of her called out for the only substance that could hold it together, to keep it animated. She needed blood. It was so hard to focus. Several nights now since her Embrace, Brooke Stills was still recovering from the torture. The blood that kept her brain alive was corrupting it. Neurons scattering, misfiring. Her mind wandered, and concepts that had been familiar before the Becoming were now alien and impossible to understand. Conversely, she felt as though the very universe were making itself known, in a way only she could understand. Is this madness? Unable to stay with one thought, the former Kindred killer found herself wandering in the woods. Why am I here? she wondered suddenly. How did I get here? She looked up past the trees, to the moon shining in the cloudless sky. It was full and bulbous, glimmering wanly like the sun's ill sister. It reminded Brooke that this was her life now - no longer a life in the sun, but a sickly imitation of a life. A poor copy that could never stand up to the real thing. Was it even worth holding onto? The Blood cried out Yes! Holding her head. Brooke stumbled into a clearing. There, in front of her, was a large gray wolf. Brooke stood perfectly still. She knew wolves were not prone to attacking people, but she wasn't exactly a person any more. Would the creature sniff her and think her carrion, to be devoured without a second thought? She was terrified, but stood her ground, steady. Then, the Malkavian Childe noticed the wolf's eyes. Those glittery, violet eyes. In them was the mark of human intelligence. This was no mere beast, that much Brooke could see. What was it? She had heard tales of Vampires becoming wolves, but wasn't that a myth? Brooke wished her Sire had not left her alone. Perhaps she should search him out, to learn of her new identity. No! These filthy Beasts were anathema. They were evil and deserved to be killed, not respected, not befriended. How could she sit and learn from the demon which had made her like him and not act out some violent form of retribution? It couldn't happen. Even now that she was one of them (especially now, she corrected), Brooke hated them. The wolf took a step forward. Fear of the unknown rampaged through the young Cainite, and she turned to run. Her flight took her behind a thick copse of firs. Kayla Jade sniffed the ground. It was her, the Kindred killer those Malkavians had Embraced. So she had survived the Becoming. Kayla hadn't been sure the girl wouldn't destroy herself before turning into one of them. Some people were like that. The Kindred padded after Brooke, her tail swishing the air behind her. The Childe had passed behind this copse, Kayla was sure of that. But what was this? She was gone! Kayle sniffed the ground. No scent. I guess her Obfuscation skills are kicking in, Kayla realised. I wonder how much longer before she'll have to take Blood. Recognising that the trail was cold, Kayla Jade loped off into the woods to continue her hunt. Plenty of time before sunrise. - End of post. Brooke Stills, Malkavian Childe. Posted by Rutger Leick. Alain Roche pounded the streets. Moving through streets and alleys. Slowly, unconsciously, to the "rabble quarter" of the city. Most avoided his presence, sensing that he may not be the type to "tangle with". One poor fool attempted to "have a go". He now was on the way to hospital, sure to be DOA. Alain did not use his powers, he did not need to. The fool was an amateur, and there had been Japan; Nikko, she... had taught him well. That was the problem with so many Westerners and the New generations, they had no discipline. Onwards he walked he needed to find the head of his clan, to have permission to hunt. He would not disobey, even to his bloodlust. Better he should go hungry than dishonor himself thus. A scream shattered his solitude, a young human scream. The sense of fear and urgency attracted him. Maybe the result of another of his kind. With all his powers and speed he hunted the sound. Then he saw: Three men and one women. Disappointment welled within him; their auras told him nothing that he wanted to know. Then cold anger took him, or at least he allowed it to take him. Two of the men turned to face him. The stocky one sneered, "Get lost, you don't want to know!" Alain smiled. When human he always used to smile, when he was about to attack. The other man, smaller, presented a handgun. Alain un-tensed his shoulder, relaxing muscles, allowing them to not resist a sudden movement. Slowly Alain Roche approached, smiling. The woman held by the third man stopped struggling. All the forces centred on a critical time, a time when action could only go in one of two ways. The man with the gun, alarmed at the coolness of Alain, started to shake slightly, nervously. Pointing the pistol at Alain's face he shouted, "Back off!" Alain smiled. "It's simple. Let the woman go and you'll live." This statement was unexpected. The certainty, the matter-of-fact statement had its effect. The stocky man moved in closer, to intimidate, narrowing the distance between himself and Alain. "Listen you...." was all that issued from his lips. A gun went off. No cries of pain. Death had been instantaneous, efficient, controlled, and disciplined. Alain stood now in front of the woman, the third man holding her. Alain smiled. "Still want to bother her? Still want to live?" The man took off down the alley. Alain looked at the woman, young. Blood in her veins. "Can I walk you safely home?" he asked. He would make sure that she would be safe. He would not feed upon her. He had no permission to do so. Furthermore, she might be worth cultivating as a friend. The future is always uncertain and after all it was a "human" world, no matter how much his Kindred might delude themselves. Yes, we have the power, but they have the number and some of their kind fear neither the day or the night. Maybe she could be one of those. Life, power, required a long sight and planning. - End of post. Alain Roche, Tremere. As Rutger Leick walked into the Council Hall, he saw that the rest of the Primogen were already seated. At the sound of his entrance, they looked up impatiently, obviously anxious to get started. To be honest, Leick was as well. Usually he didn't think much of these meetings (he usually attended, then went away and ignored whatever they had decided) but this had been called specially. Marcus Grogan had sent the message out early this evening, and the Brujah had rushed over here to the Bezoar complex as quickly as he could. Obviously others were quicker. Silently, Leick eased himself into his traditional seat - a large one near the head of the table. He noticed idly that the Prince was not in on this meeting. He was sure Laplace had been informed, but the hedonist was probably otherwise engaged. It seemed as though it should be so easy to overthrow that one, but his powers were strong, and his mind more shrewd than it often seemed. No, Leick would continue to follow his path, the strengthening of Blood, and regain his position as leader of the city from the shadows. All in good time... All eyes were now on the Hispanic Tremere, who had called this meeting. No-one spoke, waiting for him to initiate proceedings. He said nothing. A minute passed, and some of the Primogen began to fidget (Dia Knight most noticeably - those Malkavians didn't have much of an attention span sometimes) but eventually Grogan cleared his throat. Remaining seated, he said: "I suppose you're all wondering why I have convened this meeting of the Primogen." A murmur of acknowledgment swept across the table. Talk about stating the obvious. "It has been brought to my attention that a body has been found." Rutger sighed. Another speech about protection of the Masquerade. These were always tiresome. But something in Grogan's eyes said that this was a little more serious. Leick listened. "The body," the Tremere continued, "is not human. It is one of us, a Cainite." Some small disturbance in mood, but this was nothing really new. Kindred died, it happened. So what? "His blood has been drained, apparently by one of us." That got everyone's attention. Diablerie was the most disgusting of crimes to the Camarilla. It must always be taken seriously. Leick shifted nervously in his seat. While he knew others in this room had toyed with Diablerie on occasion, Leick had done so quite recently. After losing his hand he had killed one of the last Brujah in the city and taken her blood to replace what he had lost. But that couldn't be the body found. Rutger had placed it very carefully in the path of where the sun would rise, and her dried husk of a body had surely burned up at sunrise. No, it couldn't have been her. So someone else was committing Diablerie in this town. Leick wondered who. Marcus Grogan went on to describe where and when the body of the young Cainite (a Gangrel) was found, and how it was clear that Diablerie was the cause of Final Death. He closed with this: "We must all go and seek the perpetrator of this crime. Not only does it violate the precepts of our Traditions, but is a disgusting and heinous act. The criminal must be found and brought to justice. When his identity is known, we will convince the Prince to call the Lextalionis on him. All in favor?" What could they say? Even if they ordinarily wouldn't care, Grogan had brought it to their attention in a formal setting and basically said that if they did not agree with him, they would be violating the Traditions. And they could not do that without suffering the consequences - the least of which would be losing their place on the council. One by one, each of the Primogen raised their hands, supporting the action proposed by the Tremere. Grudgingly, Leick raised his own hand, the good one. He just hoped in all this that his own crime would not come to light. Satisfied with the response, Grogan sat back without smiling. He glanced around at everyone else, inquiring with his eyes if there were any other items for discussion. When no-one responded, he said: "Meeting adjourned." The loud screeching as the Primogen shoved their chairs back echoed in the large chamber, bouncing back and forth across the high rafters. Leick was the last Primogen to file out. As he did so, the thought crossed his mind: Perhaps Frost's murder of my Brujah will be brought to light. One could only hope... - End of post. Rutger Leick, Brujah Primogen.