Friday, March 18, 2016

[Vampire: The Requiem] The Neonate - "Entry 1: Predator Politics"

((In Character (IC) Document:

Venue: Chronicles of Darkness - Vampire: The Requiem (The Strix Chronicle)
Character: Christopher "\/00|>00" Langer
Post by Jerad Sayler))



6 November 2009 “Predator Politics”

I figure I should keep my thoughts straight on what is going to happen from this point on.  I’ve taken the plunge.  After sneaking around this city for about a month and a half and being forced to dodge the large numbers of my kind in the city it’s time to face the music.  Without being recognized by the rulers of Colorado Springs I face death at the hands of anyone strong and smart enough to corner me.  So I stretched out with my electronic hands to make contact on my own terms.

There’s a man whose of course not a man, Ethan Hawthorne.  He’s a reputable business man downtown, seems greedy and power hungry.  I’ve looked for the signs and I know he’s Kindred, so a few nights ago I sent a message directly to official email, laced with cryptic ideas.  He answered back quickly and directed me to meet with the Priscus of the Mehket clan, a Donovan Asim.

I met with Asim briefly before the court, he was gracious enough to want to smooth things over with the city politic and see that despite my hedge-existence up until now I would be absorbed politely into the Danse Macabre.  I am grateful that he has offered the protection of the Mehket clan for the time being but demands I join a covenant within the next few months.  As the night wore on and I clung to him like a lost puppy I felt like a nuisance and that he would not make a suitable mentor.
Outside under the streetlights, I spoke quietly with the members of my clan in attendance.  Donovan is a member of the Ordo Dracul and this night he runs off to perform some sort of nefarious errand to the Nosferatu’s Undercity for his Covenant, sounds dangerous, and I’ve already made friends with a troublemaker.  Ethan Hawthorne is a very official looking Mehket and the Primogeon of the Invictus, he is young for one is such a position and is quite helpful in his attempts to recruit me into the First Estate. Ulrich Havelock VonReichstad, Master of Elysium, and a member of the Circle of the Crone is also there.  He wears dated clothing and carries a wicked dragon cane which later I see turn into a bladed weapon along the hilt.  Lastly, there is Mycroft Valentine, another man with a goatee and cane, Primogeon of the Ordo Dracul and Grand Wyrm.  Neither of these elders cast a shadow and many times that night I heard to them referred to as “Hollow,” not even their voices echo on the walls.

In my wanderings from various penthouse rooms of the Broadmoor Hotel I ran into the prince himself, Johnathan Berrings of the Carthian Movement.  I answered so simple questions about myself and he almost gave into anger at the prospect of me sneaking around his city for so long, feeding where I wanted, and without being able to recite the traditions!  I was whisked away by Mr. Hawthrone and confronted by Mr. Asim in an empty room.  Asked me a lot of questions about my previous nomadic lifestyle in North Dakota and why my wicked sire Cailyph had not given me proper instruction on the way of things.  I soon found myself in the Prince’s office offering a formal apology and explanation for my behavior.   He accepted with grace and was going to formally recognize me in court in a few hours, I would be granted Citizenship and access to feed at the Rack (downtown).  He did, however, demand that I join a Covenant within a month and a half (the same duration I stuck around).

I continued to go from room to room, mostly feeling unwanted by the Kindred contained within.  I was confronted by the Hound, a brutish dragon by the name of Orcus, who wanted to stake me for making him look bad and slipping through his nets for so long.  Once the fear and predator’s taint faded I feel a certain sense of satisfaction for pissing them off.  These Kindred of polite society aren’t so tough, and this won’t be the first time I will impress them. 

While waiting for the court to start I spoke with Dr. Sirius of the Circle of the Crone and a few other members as well.  This bald imposing man in the black trench coat has a reputation for being wicked, powerful, and is jokingly referred to as “the monster under the bed” and later “the monster in the bed” as he appears to like to sleep around.  He is known for having dozens of Childer spread throughout the country and even told me that he had once slept with a werewolf.  He was intriguing, and as the night wore on his religious discussions impressed me greatly as be bantered easily with the Sanctified.  He doesn’t seem to worship the Crone herself but embraces mythology, his blood powers, and the tenants of the Acoytles with an easy grace.

One room I walked into their apparently had been a fight.  A terrifyingly brute of a gangrel sat in a chair with an unconscious “breather” on the floor.  He was Maddox, Irish Sheriff of the city and Bishop of the Lance.  He was crass and mean, at first, I was afraid he might attack me, but once we got past the pleasantries he seemed to warm up to me as much as I can imagine was possible for him.  Apparently an unliked Ventrue had possessed this street-retainer and sent him to do something wicked tonight.  Orcus had cut him with his sword on the leg (the sword must have been cloaked) and Maddox had planted his ham-sized fist in the guy’s head knocking him right out.  As things heated up over the course of the evening they tied him up and locked him in a closet.  They wouldn’t give me any more details and I don’t know what became of the guy.  No one trusts me and everyone is so secretive!  I started to resort to my superior Cloak of Night to glean secrets though apparently at Elysium this is very frowned upon, I’ll be careful not to get caught.  There is a great deal of discussions in one room about the breeding of humans and ghoul families, I can barely control my disdain for such slavery.

Later the evening was gripped in chaos.  An Acolyte with cuts all over his face, Mr. Asim covered in slime and refuse, Three very pissed off Nosferatu, one covered in blood… and Maddox almost starts a fight with the Nosferatu Priscus.  I turn invisible and dart into a corner in the face of this madness.  Orcus later tells that is frowned upon at Elysium, but I panicked in my neonate-hood.  The court is canceled! But the Prince tells me that I am allowed to feed at the Rack and his Domain for the time being.  No one would tell me what was going on or what happened, a lot of people go into his office…

I meet Jack Sands, the Harpy.  He wears shades and looks like he’s ready to go for a night on the town.  He’s a typical harpy and is very fun to talk to, when he’s not pissing off the Nosferatu Priscus, with all that’s gone on tonight her patience is growing thin.  He rallies his Sanctified with true leadership; apparently they are involved with the affairs tonight and get their heads in the game as they have a private meeting on a balcony.  

The most significant event of the night was being approached by Reverend Mary Jane.  She’s a short punk rocker with an easy fang smile.  She’s full of energy and wastes no time introducing herself.  Upon hearing about being so new (5 years embraced) and unaligned she takes me under her wing and we have a series of private conversations.  We talk about my past, I think she worked so Majesty on me, and I admit to running away from Cailyph and somehow working against my blood bond to him.  I tell her my worries regarding the life I ran away from and how my Sire might target my family to draw me out.  She tells me to forget about my human life and accept my instincts (as a vampire), I know these are tenants of her faith.  She wanted to show me the ropes and before the next court get me squared away, I give her my email and we make plans to meet and talk more.  The last thing she does is leave me with a notebook of handwritten stick figures… it’s a Testament of Longinus. 

The undead predators disperse for the night and I make my way home invisible and on foot, the free blood they offered staving off the hunger at least for the weekend.  What Covenant should I join?  In the order or the estate, I would be nothing but a peon for decades to come… the Crone has its hierophant and no one else, a faith without faith, but power through blood sorcery.  The active Carthians consist of the Prince and one other not in attendance tonight, how does he hold power?  The Lance is full of energy and life, they burn with faith which is both attractive and repulsive to me.  I don’t believe in anything anymore…


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