A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The embarrassment of her undignified fall in the mud riled the beast within her though Vezina remained very much in control of her actions. Her destruction of this usurper would far out cancel any minor sins she might incur this night. For she was no longer a mere mortal but a powerful Tzimisce Scion destined to lord over her subjects and to punish them should they overstep their bounds.

Her hand grasping the Tremere's outstretched hand as he again began to conjure a new mystical attack. For the merest of moments they locked gazes as any doubts caused by the ritual passed from her mind to his. She could feel the beast within practically gloat as the light of hope faded from his eyes, the yellow bile crushed his will into the earth.

He tried to weakly shove Vezina away only managing enough to take a step back for a moment as his doubts prevailed on his mind. He barely reacted as Vezina's dagger bit down harshly into his collar bone and was retracted for another strike.

Spoiler

10/14 BP, 4/4 WP, [/][][][][][][]. I really need to remember that Vezina is on the road of kings, this could be a rather defining moment.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

Vezina reveled in the feel of her dagger biting into the dead flesh of the bearded warlock's collarbone. She retracted it and brought it down again, this time punching it into his chest. Her face drew down next to the man with a cruel sneer.

"I am thine Second Death, usurper. By right of clan and blood, and in defense of Lord Mithras' realm, I relinquish thee of Caine's stolen gift! Speak! Where is your master? For if thou art Abetorius, I shall be gravely disappointed!"

She growled at him, twisting the blade to evoke pain and to encourage words to spill from the man's lips.

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

Her dagger punched through the bearded warlocks chest causing a grimace of pain to pass over the melancholic eyes of the usurper on his knees before her. The wind still blew and in the distance Vezina heard the sounds of her allies battling against the ghostly soldiers, Aethelwulf's commanding voice ringing out as he joined that fray with his soldiers.

The Tremere looked up into Vezina's face as she spoke to him barely managing to look uncowed by the words of the Tzimisce before him. A look of pained annoyance crossed his face as he heard her words and he spoke in clear though accented English. "Abetorius! Meerlinda's traitorous worm is not my master."

He spit on the ground at Abetorius name and then slowly reached down to touch the earth with his hands. A few mumbled words of power and the Tremere suddenly seemed to grow stronger in appearance as though he was taking power from the earth or perhaps the grove itself. A grim smile crossed his face as he forced himself to one knee despite the doubts that played across his face.

Spoiler

10/14 BP, 4/4 WP, [/][][][][][][].

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The arrival of Aethulwulf bolstered Vezina's resolve. He would bring with him the ghoul soldiers and his own animal servitors and the ghostly beings would be overwhelmed.

It was only this one foe that she need concern herself with, but he was not giving up so easily. This was good, she would revel in his defeat at her hands. The blood of Caine quickened inside of her, filling her flesh with undead might.

"Then take heart, for I will cull all the usurping worms from this world!" Vezina growled, then slashed again, this time intending to open up his throat and spray his vitae across the earth. Her singing blade would give him no mercy. She wanted to cripple him, make him squeal his secrets to her, and then finish him. But if he proved to be difficult to question, then she would not hesitate to kill him. She had no intention of letting him be captured and brought back to the Court of Avalon, where her political enemies might argue for him to be spared. Her dagger fell once again upon her enemy.

Spoiler

Vezina will spend another two BP to raise her strength, which should be making her quite strong by this point. Then she'll slash him again.

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

Her already powerful frame was strengthened more as Vezina called on the power of the vitae flowing through her veins once more. Even mighty Scorylo would tremble beneath one of her blows at this point. Her dagger slashed across the air in a blur towards the usurpers throat as he charged at her spraying a satisfying bit of gore as it slashed his throat wide.

Any mortal would have been laid low by the blow and even some Cainite's would have fallen. The usurper however seemed strengthened beyond the normal means as he kept the charge going and crashed into Vezina sending them both to the mud. He seemed surprised by his success however and hesitated before making an attempt to wrestle the dagger away from her. The open wound of his throat only inches away from her own face.

Spoiler

8/14 BP, 4/4 WP, [/][][][][][][].

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

Vezina grunted as her foe charged into her, taking them both down onto the muddy earth. He was on top of her, strengthened by some magic that had no doubt triggered in that moment when he had touched the earth. On its own, it was a fascinating display, that he should be able to draw strength from a source beyond simply the blood of Caine - but it also went to show the dangerous roots that this usurper had grown from. He was not a Cainite, merely an unworthy witch that had stolen the mantle of the night's majesty. His blood was not his own.

Now the gaping wound in his neck lay only inches from her face, dripping his vitae onto her chin and breastbone. Her fangs slid out to full extension. If he intended to wrest her dagger from her, then she would simply take the opening that his hesitation had given her, and sink her predatory fangs into his neck, drinking away his blood, the source of his power and taking it for her own.

Spoiler

Bite him, or grapple then bite if necessary.

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The usurper seemed unsure of himself in physical combat and Vezina silently thanked Lysandra for the ritual's use as it likely kept him from bringing his full magical powers to bear. He desperately struggled to gain the dagger from her hands but soon found himself hopelessly grappled by the Tzimisce beneath him.

The scent of the vitae was almost enough for the beast to wrest control away and to revel in the drinking as it dripped from the wound. Still Vezina managed to wrestle the beast back as her fangs shot forward and buried themselves in his neck. A momentary sound of bliss escaped from his mouth but it soon faded as he fought to remove himself from the state of the kiss. Even as Vezina greedily took the blood that had been stolen from her own clan back.

Struggle as he might he seemed to be little match for her and he began to grow weaker as she lapped at his vitae. She had heard tales and read in Gyulu's book of the amaranth or diablerie. A heinous act for their kind but one that could be justified in certain situations. Could she do it herself though could she drink the usurpers soul and make it her own.

Spoiler

He's not completely drained yet but he will be by next post so if your going to try it let me know.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The Other within her wanted the usurper's blood for itself, but Vezina would not allow it. If she was to have this blood, she would do so under control, taking it for herself with clear, righteous determination. She would not give into the beast.

And yet the beast's desire and her own were the same. This usurper's vitae, stolen power of her clan, must be returned. The injured party had met his second death, and so the responsibility of reclamation fell to all Tzimisce. The teachings of her master had told her of the heinous crime of amaranth, a sin against the edicts of Caine and the Eldest and the Voivodate. But these Tremere were not Cainites - no sane and objective kindred could accept that they were. They were a growing danger and if not checked, their power would spread. It was her honor and her duty to take back what was her clan's by right.

The vitae flowed into her mouth, coating her tongue and throat. Her neck muscles contracted as she swallowed gulp after gulp of the creature's unlife. She could feel the man's soul hovering within the blood, hers for the taking, just as his forebears had taken a Tzimisce's soul to become party to the most heinous act she could possibly imagine.

Gyulu forgive me, she thought. This crime cannot stand. These usurpers must die and their power returned to us. For the honor of my Clan, and as a warning to all the unworthy who would take Caine's gift for their own.

The sorcerer grew weaker and weaker, and still she drank, pulling him down on to her, as if he were a lover.

Spoiler

She'll attempt the amaranth

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The fight around the two entangled Cainites continued on with neither the wiser to what was happening. The bearded Tremere continued his losing struggle for unlife, only realizing the mistake he had committed as his final death approached on swift wings of doom.

Vezina drank and drank until she was filled to bursting with the vitae that belonged to her clan once upon a time. She would take it back and more one day when all of the usurpers had payed for their heinous crime. She knew there was still more she had destroyed the usurper but she now had to drink the heart's blood of the Cainite now teetering on final death.

Bending her entire will and body to the act of doing so Vezina could feel how vulnerable she was. She would not be able to defend herself from an attack and she only had one chance to accomplish her task as she bent her mind to it.

Spoiler

14/14 BP, 4/4 WP, [/][][][][][][]. Assuming you don't give up for any reason you will eventually succeed after the amount your strength has been boosted. So just feel free to describe what might be the only thing that feels better than normal feeding.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The usurper had met his final death at her fangs, of this Vezina was certain. His blood was rich, thick, and sweet, but something more remained within him. His heart's blood. Within it lay this warlock's very soul, entertwined with the beast inside of him. In drinking it, she would take on the power of his stolen gift, and the burden of breaking the greatest law of Caine.

But these were not Caine's children, she told herself. These were witches that had murdered one and through unnatural and unintended means had mimicked the blood. It could only belong in the veins of a true Cainite. A true Tzimisce.

She drank on and exalted in her work. This was the first usurper she would punish. His penance for his crime would be nothing short of his soul. So too would all witches suffer, until they were wiped from existence. The power she took from this heart's blood would be used to destroy all Tremere, to tear them from the earth, wherever their black roots attempted to grow.

The blood flowed across her tongue, so rich and concentrated with power that it was pure black, and the taste...

Vezina's eyes rolled up into her skull as the ecstasy flowed through her. Gyulu had warned her against this, but he had never told her that it would taste this good. How could he? He had never tasted this. It was indescribable. Her senses were on fire, her whole being on edge. It was primal, electrifying, and sundering. It was like bottling a force like the tides and taking them inside of her. She trembled with the strength of the vitae passing down her throat. In her mind, visions of this foe's essence, his personality, perhaps his life, flashed one after the other, becoming one with her.

His power was hers, his soul was hers. Sacred darkness, the stuff of sin, trickled through her veins and into her own heart, the seat of her soul and that of her Beast as well. Both she and the Other inside of her reveled in this great reward.

The last of her unnamed victim's blood left his body, which began to wither in her arms. Vezina's fangs retracted, and with a moan she leaned back, her head on the ground, her brown, wild hair splayed haphazardly on the earth beneath her.

She sighed, even though she didn't need to. She had never felt something as good as this and she feared that she would never do so again. The thought was a depressing one.

At last she looked around her, trying to survey what was happening with the ghostly figures and her companions.

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The deed had been completed though Vezina had little idea of how long she had strived to devour the very essence of the usurper. She lay there with the remnants of bone and flesh that remained from the creature in her hands savoring the lingering bits of euphoria from the amaranth. She wanted more, for the first time she truly felt as though she was the dark goddess of night that she knew herself to be.

Now she understood why it was such a heinous act to the eldest of Cainites. It was such a wholly addicting feeling that it would be the doom of all kindred should it happen unchecked. So delicious was the feeling and yet so abhorent at the same time for it could happen to anyone even herself.

Finally she stirred and sat up the remnants of the usurper falling from her clothes and hands as she looked around at the ancient circle. The ghostly figures were gone but her companions remained. Richard knelt near the bruised and bloodied body of Lysandra. She had not met her final death but she appeared to have come close to the act under assault from the spirits. One of the ghouls lay broken beneath a stone plinth as though some force had simply threw him against the stone. Aethelwulf stood looking at Vezina as she sat, a look of curiosity etched across his face as he studied her.

Vezina felt more powerful than ever as she stood, strange memories of things she had never known in her mind. She was stronger than before, she had grown closer to Caine and in some ways was now an equal to Gyulu himself.

Spoiler

15/15 BP, 4/4 WP, [/][][][][][][]. Vezina is now 8th generation, the main changes being she can spend 3 BP's per turn and he pool is now 15. He wasn't that powerful or old so that's about it and I'll have to look up how long her aura remains stained by diablerie.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

The Tzimsice doubted she would ever forget this feeling and the dark knowledge that accompanied it. Diablerie unchecked would set Cainite against Cainite, destroying order and tradition entirely. She understood the wisdom in banning it. But at the same time, having tasted of this forbidden fruit and finding it to be sweet, Vezina recognized the power she could obtain by finding a way to do it again. She could claw her way closer and closer to Caine himself. And then who would oppose her?

She blinked away the dangerous thought, noting the curious look that Aethulwulf was giving her. She was a fool if she thought she would get away with rampant diablerie. She would be destroyed and rightfully so. But only if she committed amaranth against true Cainites. These Tremere, as far as she was concerned, were fair game for a Tzimisce. The stolen power had been taken from her clan and so it would need to be reclaimed. If that power should come to her, so much the better.

She knelt next to the rapidly decaying corpse of her enemy and searched his robes for anything of use to her. There were more Tremere here. This was neither Abetorius nor his apprentice, meaning that there were at least two more usurpers in London. And then there was this Meerlinda. Abetorius' sire? She would need to re-consult Pallas' translations. How far did these warlocks black roots extend?
'
After searching the body she would return to Lysandra.

"She is hurt, she must feed." She looked to Richard and Aethulwulf. "From an animal perhaps. It will taste foul but it will serve to revive her strength."

If Lysandra was in such a bad state as to be close to frenzy, Vezina would offer her own newly enriched blood to the Lamia, though she would take care to cut her wrist and let the vitae fall into the wounded colleague's mouth rather than to let her bite her and possibly deal with the repercussions of the bloodline's curse.

Whether an animal or her own blood was used, she would speak to the Sheriff and the Warmaster while Lysandra fed.

"This was not the eldest of our prey. From what he said, it appears the usurpers are infighting among themselves, and this was an enemy of the one who I am tracking. I think now I know why the servant of Abetorius so readily gave this location away to us. We have done Abetorius a favor by eliminating a rival. This does not trouble me though. We will find him still. All of them must be exposed."

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

Within the coarsely woven robes of the now dead usurper, Vezina found little of obvious use in her hunt to destroy the Tremere. A few strange charms and fetishes made of natural materials such as bone, wood, feather, and grass. None of particular interest to her as she remembered the pagans of her homeland using similar tools in their worship.

She did find an unusual pendant that had once been around the neck of the usurper. The same symbol that had been on the pages of the diary, the symbol of mars with a square of earth in between. It felt strange in her hands as though it contained some power in it's own right. She still had the ancient burrow to check as well she reminded herself as she moved to check Lysandra.

Richard nodded and took one of the rats that seemed to crawl about him and gave it's blood to Lysandra. He looked curiously at Vezina as well as though he knew what she had done but how could he. "I think she will be fine after some care and rest. The ghosts seemed to favor attacking her to the others for some reason, perhaps her clans ties with death. They stopped their assault just as you finished your own." He leaned in closely for a second with a furtive glance over his shoulder and whispered so very softly. "Be careful of the Warmaster. A Gangrel he might be but a political one who likes to take credit for others."

Aethelwulf had been seeing to his ghouled warriors, the one of which was beyond hope so broken was he. He turned and listened as Vezina spoke and nodded in agreement with her assessment before saying. "We have little time to search these woods more on this night. I will transport Lysandra back to the inn while she is still in this state, perhaps better sustenance can be found within. The court will be quite pleased with our minor conquest I am sure."

The remaining ghoul gathered up the torpored body of Lysandra with ease and so the pair began their trek back to the inn. Leaving Vezina to finish her search of the circle and the ancient cairn with Richard and his rats. The sheriff was currently nosing about the remains of the usurper while he spoke in soft tones to his companions.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

She pocketed the strange amulet with the insignia of Mars and of earth. It would be something for her and Gyulu to study in the privacy of the limestone caves.

Vezina gave the barest of nods to Richard, acknowledging his warning about the Warmaster. In her own mind of course, she trusted no one. This was the Court of Mithras and everyone who wanted to maintain a place of rank within it must be a political creature of some sort. All would claim victory here, and while it was shared, the trinket that she took from the usurper's neck was proof of her own role in the conquest.

"I shall meet thee back at the inn then," Vezina told the Warmaster before he left, then turned her attention to the barrow. She used her heightened eyesight to peer within for wards or snares. Once she was satisfied that it was safe to proceed, she would search through the darkness, looking for more evidence or leads into the Tremere incursion.

When she was alone with Richard, she chose to speak with him more.

"You and the Warmaster appear to have your differences. Both of you are of the low clans, and yet you each hold positions of martial power within the realm. Doubtless, each of you would like to claim credit for this victory, but determining which of you benefits most from this is not my concern. Only the end result, the extermination of these impostors, matters. I remind you of what Pallas' translation of the Tremere journal revealed: the gargoyles are created from your clan and Aethulwulf's, as well as my own. Even if the other primogen clamor for patience or clemency, it is not their clans who are under threat. So long as the strength of arms in this land lies with you and the Warmaster, it is only practical that we continue to hunt these warlocks with lethal intent and all the strength that we can muster. That they cower in secret, kidnapping Cainites for their own wretched designs, is proof enough of their ill intent. They deserve destruction, all of them."

She continued her search in the mean time, but kept her ears open and enhanced for any approach behind her. She was alone with the Nosferatu, and willing to talk with him as a potential ally, but the knowing, curious look had shown her had given her pause for concern. There was always the danger of betrayal. The possibility that the Sheriff would seek to eliminate her. She would not lower her defenses.

Once he spoke to her again, if he chose to, she would lower her auditory senses again to make listening to him manageable. If she found something in the barrow, she would attempt to keep it hidden from Richard, placing it in her satchel for further perusal. When she was done with her search, using her senses to perceive hidden caches, she would exit the barrow, pick up her bow, and begin the journey back to the inn. There was much for her to do. Tomorrow night, she would sow the seeds of her future rule over the mortals and push on with her investigation of the Tremere.

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

"Familiarity breeds contempt faster than even the most prolific rivalries. Aethelwulf and I are so similar that we are in many ways the same person. True we are different clans but can you think of two clans who carry the same stigma of being outcasts as much as my own and the Gangrel, not to mention the often unwholesome appearance of both. The only thing more unwholesome in appearance would be the sole Tzimisce I had met before you. I may be hideous but at least I didn't choose to be as such." Richard responded as he slowly followed behind Vezina into the barrow. He made little attempt to hide his appearance or even his presence perhaps as a means of setting her at ease.

The barrow itself was free of traps as far as Vezina could see from the entrance. The immediate entrance was narrow and tight but any wards or traps that had existed were gone. Eventually the entrance opened up into a much larger room than Vezina expected from the outer appearance. More natural fetishes lined the walls and in the center of the room was a sarcophagus of stone upon which sat a number of scrolls made from wood bark. At the far end of the room sat an altar upon which a handful of skulls from both animal and man sat.

Ulrich moved to the altar and as he looked it over he added. "Of course I do not mean to imply that you are hideous, only that many of your clan are. I assure you that despite our differences that we both yearn to see those even lower than us destroyed. Though I must say it is rather interesting to no longer be the lowest of the low."

Vezina was able to procure the scrolls before her companion entered and they now sat safely within her satchel. A quick perusal of the room led to no further discoveries but wait. Vezina's gaze returned to the sarcophagus it did not fit within this chamber. The writing on the lid was far to different from the pagan druidic symbols that predominated the chamber. It was as though someone had transported and then secreted the coffin here of all places.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

"I see," Vezina said, listening to what Richard said about his rival. "Despite your warning against him, you seem to respect Aethelwulf, even sympathize with him. As for mine own clan..." She paused and laughed lightly.

"There is a wide variance in how we approach the purpose of our endless night within the clan of shapers. Most of my kin believe that we must shape our bodies with the art of vicissitude, separating ourselves from the Cainite condition in the same way that the Embrace distances us all from mortality. I do not begrudge my clanmates who believe in this philosophy, but I do question some of them for their choice in appearance. I intend to keep my own face for the time being."

She needn't go into all the details of the Old Clan and its differences with the majority of Shapers. This was not something that an outsider need concern themselves with. Still, she might as well give him some reason as to why she did not use the discipline of Vicissitude - which her own sire had told her was a distraction at best to a koldun. At worst, it was a disease that was destroying the tradition of her clan.

She moved to the sarcophagus and examined it.

"Let us remove the lid. Great pain has been taken to transport this here. Perhaps the usurper used this to rest during the day."

Spoiler

Reminder, Ulrich isn't here. It's Richard who's with her.

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

"I do respect him and even sympathize with him but he does tend to hog the credit for anything that goes right. Of course my own reasons for warning you are a bit selfish in that I thought I would receive more credit from you than from he. He is rather convinced my methods are those of a coward, while I simply think of them as smarter." Richard said as he made his way over to the sarcophagus.

"The one I met didn't really have a face so to speak, he made me look absolutely stunning." Richard added as he flashed a smile showing his own hideous appearance.

"You...have... an excellent point...though. Best not to...judge the clans...by the first member you meet." The lid of the sarcophagus finally lifted after less than a minute of strain by the potent Nosferatu. He slid the lid so that it sat on the rest of the stone coffin sideways.

Within sat the remains of a mummified corpse, it was in remarkably good condition but most definitely dead. A simple crown of bronze sat on his head along with an ancient bronze sword and what once must have been a fine linen tunic. There seemed to be nothing of any other interest except for a small note saying the sarcophagus was supposed to be delivered to a Prince Baastian of Antwerp.

Spoiler

Whoops, darn crazy vampire is getting into everything these days.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

"One night, you shall have to tell me how you came to meet my charming clanmate," Vezina said while watching Richard shift his weight and put his considerable strength into removing the lid of the sarcophagus. When he had revealed the mummy beneath, Vezina was mildly disappointed. Perhaps a Cappadocian would have appreciated the contents more than she.

"A corpse. Perhaps of some king or tribal chief. And what have we here?"

She plucked up the note, trying to see what sort of hand might have written the words and with what sort of ink. She sniffed at it then read it.

"Prince Baastian of Antwerp. That is in the lowlands is it not? I am not overly familiar with the court there. Is this the name of a Cainite or a mortal?"

 

[dmronny]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

"Perhaps one night when there are fewer usurpers kidnapping and stealing blood from our kind. I always enjoy hearing news and stories from the continent myself." Richard said after looking with a rather disappointed glance at the ancient corpse within while Vezina read the note.

He looked thoughtful for a moment after the next question before having a sudden realization and said. "Prince Baastian Vercruysse I assume. Ventrue if my memory is correct and something of an arse, even by their standards. Odd that it would be here of all places though. Might be worth looking into for a boon if you wish."

Spoiler

Hehehehe, name variations are fun. 15/15 BP, 4/4 WP, [/][][][][][][].

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Game of Cat and Mouse (Vezina)

She nodded and put the note back inside the sarcophagus.

"If this corpse has some use to the Ventrue Prince of Antwerp, we could perhaps see to it that it is delivered to him. I do not like the thought of a prince dealing with these Tremere, however. This may bear further investigation."

Vezina gave the corpse one last look over, searching underneath it and within the old linens before letting Richard push the lid back into place.

"Let us head back to the inn. Dawn will not hold back forever, and Lysandra must be tended to."

The Tzimisce gathered her possessions, old and new, and walked with Richard back to the inn.