Vampire

Vampire:??the Requiem

City of??Darkness:??Manchester

The Endless Waltz

Episode 2: Drink Deep

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????????????????????????It was a rainy Friday in October, almost two weeks after the events at Club Quicksilver. It was early evening and Dimitri was waiting in the tram station under Piccadilly Train Station, waiting for a tram to Deansgate. On the other side of the station, on the other platform, separated by the concrete barrier between the two tram lines, a woman awaited for the tram to arrive, apparently waiting for someone to arrive on the tram as the Piccadilly station was the last one on this route.

????????????????????????A screech of metal and clattering of wheels signalled the arrival of the next tram, stopping before the woman, blocking Dimitri???s view. Passengers, of which there were only a few, disembarked, and then the tram headed off. Just before the last car left view there was a shriek and scream and Dimitri could see the woman on the floor, the stench of blood in the air, and looming over her was a shadowy figure, a black form, almost 2 dimensional, made of shifting dark colours. Dimitri, shocked by this tried to clamber across the lines but was too late, and was only able to see the figure move away, flickering not unlike a poor quality film. The woman on the ground was covered in blood and her clothes were in tatters. Taking out his camera Dimitri took some photos and made a quick getaway.

????????????????????????The next evening Dimitri, Stella (now going by the shadow name of??Thessaly), and Kane had received messages inviting them to meet at the museum with Chairman David Odans. Meanwhile two other Kindred had also awoken to the night and received the same message.

????????????????????????Verity White, a member of clan Mekhet and also a low ranking Acolyte of the Cult of Hathor awoke at her apartment and discovered the message from Odans, her sire. Suiting up in her typical biking leathers she headed out for the meeting.

????????????????????????Dina, a foul looking Nosferatu of the Carthians, was of course awake in her underground lair, a well maintained sanctum with telephone line taps and a number of computers and servers cobbled together. Dina looked fairly normal, a small woman, but was noticeably different due to the matting of her hair and the way she seemed to glisten with sweat. Checking her emails she knew she could not pass up this chance to make something of herself and gain a better standing within the Carthians.

????????????????????????After some confusion and paranoia and their respective Beast distrusting the situation, the Kindred arrived at the museum, a faux modern gothic construction that extended from the original buildings of the??University??of??Manchester. They were led in through a side door and led upstairs to an office maintained by Odans??? ghouls. Odans??? office was furnished much like a Victorian collector would, and his attire was also old looking. He welcomed the group, offering around cigarettes before lighting one for himself. He proceeded to make pleasantries, acknowledging his dual membership to the Carthians and the Circle of the Crone, he himself being the head of the Cult of Hathor.

????????????????????????Odans then got to the main matter. Just an hour before the police had found a murder in the Northern Quarter. There was a body of a woman, but also a second body, that of a desiccated corpse, or so Odans police contact had informed him. Odans explained that normally the Constable would deal with such matters, but that in this case it was felt that in order to prevent a panic within the Board and the Congress it would be best if the issue was dealt quietly without calling upon the Constable.

????????????????????????Odans then explained that the death was not unlike a similar one the night before, where a woman had been found drained of blood at the Piccadilly train station. Odans feared that both cases could draw the attention of hunters, and that he needed the group to use their skills to remove and destroy evidence while figuring out how these breaches of the Masquerade occurred. Dimitri then piped up and revealed his information, and so Odans then figured that whatever it was that was killing was drawn to the presence of Kindred.

????????????????????????With a plan organised the group got into action. Dina prepared false ID for Dimitri so that he could get into the Coroner???s office and go to the morgue and look at the body of the first victim. Dina, Verity and Kane would then go to the Northern Quarter and look at the crime scene. During this time??Thessaly??was performing a diving ritual, Odans offering what space and ritual tools he could.

????????????????????????In the Northern Quarter Verity an
d Dina sneaked past the police line and took a look in the tent put up over the bodies and the scene. It was clear that there was a bite mark on the woman. But it was also clear that the desiccated corpse was that of a vampire who had been stopped part way through feeding. They then also noted that near the corpse was a broken wine glass with blood stains, and also a grape stalk. Dina also noted that the ring on the finger of the vampire bore the symbol of the chi-rho. The vampire was of the Lancea Sanctum.

????????????????????????On attempting to leave the crime scene things went downhill as Dina was spotted by the police and had to flee, with a number of officers in hot pursuit. Fortunately Verity was able to give chase and whisk Dina away using her preternatural speed.

????????????????????????Meanwhile Kane skulked in an alley and spoke out in the rat tongue, hoping to get the attention of the local vermin. It was not long until a number of the rodents were listening and speaking to him, and soon, in unison, some 4 dozen rats were chanting to him that what had happened to the ???tooth red maw??? and the ???lady lady??? was that they were killed by ???Shadow Death! Shadow Death! SHADOW DEATH!???.

????????????????????????At the Coroners office Dimitri had gotten in and was now looking at the body of the dead woman from the night before. The orderly had left the file for him to read. Apparently, even though she was surrounded by blood, it was impossible for that amount of blood to be lost in such a quick way. Also, as Dimitri could see, her chest had been carved into. The Greek letters, in a circle, recited a verse;

????????????????????????And as I sat, over the light blue hills

????????????????????????There came a noise of revellers: the rills

????????????????????????Dimitri had a quick think and knew he had read that before. It was Keats, from a poem about the god Bacchus. It was at that moment the lights in the morgue dimmed and flickered, and the room dropped in temperature. The orderly in the next room who had waited there while watching TV could now not be heard laughing at the late night quiz show. Instead there was only static. Then Dimitri heard two metallic tinkles, and turned to find on the floor two bronze coins, smeared in oil paint, and a feather.

????????????????????????Back at the museum??Thessaly??awoke from her ritual. She had prepared a ritual circle and drawn her blood and looked on into the bowl of water as her vitae swirled about. In her vision she saw herself sat on a small island, surrounded by endless dark oily seas. Then, on a boat, arrived a figure, which??Thessaly??immediately recognised as Bacchus. Then from the seas between them a hand emerged, clutching a dagger, the hilt made of bone and inscribed with Greek. Then the seas changed and formed the screeching face of and owl, and in her head a voice cawed, ???Where are the Julii????

????????????????????????Thessaly??awoke only to be told by Chamberlain Odans that she had spent the last hour screaming none stop and that he himself had not seen such a violent and spiritually active ritual, for such a simple ritual. He played back the recording he had made. There was obvious EVP.