Vampire

Vampire:??the Requiem

Manchester: the Endless Waltz

Episode 2: Drink Deep ??? Part 3

The spirit before Thessaly and Kane taunted them, before unleashing it's power upon them. Flies were buzzing all around, and the bird flapped it's wings. Then it lashed out, it's alien mind burrowing into that of Thessaly, shattering her control for a moment. The Crone Acolyte gripped her dagger tighter and continued to chant, try to force the spirit from this world.
The spirt cackled and shimmered for a second and soon there were 3 more all about them. Kane had opened his eyes to see the horror, alerted by Thessaly's screaming. The spirit owls then ascended and dived forward, all four burrowing into Kane, feather falling all around. His body hit the floor and convulsed. Thessaly examined him and could see his normal brown eyes had now become glimmering yellow, the same eyes as the Strix. She stepped back. Dawn was approaching. She plunched her dagger in the chalice of water and began to chant again, trying to exorcise the spirit from Kane. But still nothing changed, and Kane stood up. His hands had become black talons like that of a vulture, his teeth were protruding and he snarled and laughed, mocking Thessaly for wasting her power. This new beast struck out out Thessaly, trying to grab her, but to no avail, and instead lunged out with tearing claws and slashed her arm. Thesssaly once more cried out in pain and her chanting became more desperate.
Kane's body slumped to the floor. The spirit had gone and soon Thessaly was also overcome with sleep as the sun broke the horizon outside.

Meanwhile that evening Verity had gone to the apartment of the previous victim to try and find more clues. She had learnt that Brain Mathews, a missing person, was in fact a painter. She was hoping that there may be some sort of clue there, maybe a painting that Brain had created. Searching the apartment turned up nothing, just a number of paintings on the wall, none by Brian. Desperate Verity called out to the woman. "I'm trying to help. Give me a clue. I know you don't rest." At that the lights in the flat flickered, the radio buzzed on an the TV switched on to white noise. A moment later and the TV showed the room in which Verity stood. But of course the was no CCTV in the room. THen on the TV she could see the dead woman stood behind her. Looking around Verity saw no one. On the TV the figure was now right behind Verity, whispering into her ear. Then there was darkness and the painting on the wall where Verity was looking began to shudder. THe paint became wet, pealing like skin, flies buzzing from the moulding flesh, rats scratching behind it. Verity held her nerve and then the light were back on and the painting was back to normal. Verity pulled the painting down, took her knife from her boot and tore open the back of the painting and found the name of the painter and now knew from where it had come from. A small gallery in Castlefield called the Fitzpatrick Gallery of Modern Art.

Also during this time Dimitri had gone off somewhere, apparently back to his flat, shaken by the ordeal of the night.

The next day Verity reported her finding to the Chamberlain before going to the gallery. Meanwhile that evening Thessaly and Kane awoke and were found by the ghouls who were left in charge of watching the site. Thessaly and Kane headed to see the Chamberlain . Dimitri informed them by phone that Brain Mathews body had been found by the police and so Kane headed to the morgue while Thessaly then went back to Salford to see out her sire, the Magus Gregor, head of the Cult of Cernnunos of the Circle of the Crone.

At the morgue Kane easily gained access with his false ID and also having been a paramedic he knew how to look the part. Wainting for the right chance he snuck into the main autopsy room and looked at the report on the body of Brain Mathews. The man had been killed before dumped in the water. His throat was slit, his tongue removed, his mouth filled with pomegranite seeds and grape seeds, and two coins under the eyelids.

Meanwhile Thessaly was at a block of run down flats in Salford. Taking the stairs down she arrived at a door, the paint peeling, and knocked. A man answered, one of Gregor's students. Thessaly was let in. The flat was dank and dark, lit by candles. The walls were stained with filth and had red and gold celtic runes painted on them. THe kitchen was not much better. The flies were buzzing over a sink filled with a dark red viscous liquid, cardboard boxes with soaked with filth, rats and animals whine from inside cages that stank of shit and piss. She made her way to the living room where a few wooden benches were sat and a wooden chair decorate to look like a throne. Behind it was a hole in the wall that had been smashed open so that the next flat could be accessed. In the shadows beyond shadows could been seen to move. The student went through the hole and then returned, asking for Thessaly to sit. The student went to the kitchen while from the other flat Gregor emerged. His lipless smile, his skin grey and mottled, his head bald except for a few whisps of black hair, and his body almost emaciated and naked save for the green robe that he wore. The student returned, have killed a cat, with a chipped Disney mug, filled with blood.
Thessaly explained the situation, asking if a Cult of Bacchus operated in teh city. She also asked about the Strix. The magus could answer a little on both subjects. He knew of no cult and that the Strix were a fear creature in the time of Rome, but had not been seen in many centuries. But he was aware that their appearance was a sign of trouble. He gave her a pendant of knuckle bones to act as protection and then sent her away with the orders to return with what she could from the people who had been summoning the Strix and this ghost.

AT the art gallery Verity met the owner, and they talked some time about Brian Mathews, and the owner explained that he had not seen Brain in some time and that they had only sold a few pieces of his work. However, Verity was able to listen in, using her vampire ears, on a private conversation between the gallery owner and a man called Oliver. It seemed Oliver was watching Brain Mathews girl friend and that she had been causing them problems, apparently she had evidence that Brain had been last seen at the gallery. THe woman was to dealt with.

Verity got the detail for Brian's girlfriend and drove off on her bike. Arriving at the apartment she explained to the girlfriend that she was in trouble and that Verity knew from who. Verity got in and checked the apartment. Then she spotted that across the road on the roof of another block was a man. Verity called for the girl friend to get down, but then it became clear that this wasn't going to be her death. Verity looked on as the man was knocked off the roof by a shadowy figure. Oliver fell to his death, hitting the pavement.
Verity, knowing this flat wasn't secure, g
rabbed the girl friend and made their escape, heading to Verity's haven.