Lost Vampires IC Thread

[wadledo]

You run through the halls of your house, all the others of your family arrayed in their doorways, watching you with contempt as the voice inside your head screams to run, run, run.

This is how it's supposed to be.

You burst into the front hall, your former friends and companions silently closing the space behind you, your dead blood rushing through your veins like never before.

Terror.

For the first time since your transformation, you feel terror, the eyes of your fellows watching you with contempt and pity.

Terror.

Smashing through the ornate double doors of the front hall, you run into the night, this scene replaying in many of homes nearby.

Terror.

Your vision tightens as this new sensation takes an even greater hold, forcing you to move, and move fast.

Terror.

Others like you appear, and you move near them for comfort.

Pain.

A vast mass of gibbering darkness moves behind you, tearing into your ranks and pulling one of you out.

Pain.

That one lost, the others continuing to run deeper into the woods.
You, on the other hand, regain consciousness as her pitiful cries for help and a savior reach a fevered pitch, the mass pulling one of her legs off, sucking the blood from it like a child with a candy cane.

Life is different, and so very much the same.

[browng-08]

Arlecchio D'Comdia
How could they have caught on so quickly?
There was no question on the matter; the whole affair had been a ruse. He was never trusted with anything, why should Arlecchio think for a second that he would have been truseted with his family's Culling? As soon as he made his move to Arch Mage Vassilly's coffin, desecrated stake held high above his head, ready to strike through the lid and end the foul tyrant's unlife, the crypt doors crashed open. Two of his brothers, well armed and clearly expecting Arlecchio advanced on him, and only after wounding one and evadeing the other had he managed to escape the room, and the mansion. He never looked back once, despite his surprise at what followed him. Other vampires, but from different families, and not giving chase, but fleeing as well. He had not noticed the chaotic mess following them, though, pulling numbers from their unorganized ranks. He noticed only that his family had not bothered to even leave the safety of their own mansion.

[Suzuro]

Samael Beau Pre

Terror flooded his body. All he could think of now was to save his un-life by running. As he busted outside, he saw others like himself. Running. He barely even recognized them, though, and his mind couldn't think of anything except for evading capture and surviving longer...





-Suzuro

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn Iorstig

So, they were fools after all. I told them, I have Illiakan under control! A wave of derisiveness not his own washed over him. Shut up!!!! He continued to flee. Why can't they see the power, all the power I have...I could have helped them, made them stronger than they ever imagined. If only they had listened! The being, the ancient inside of him made a brief contact before sinking back into his subconscious: Your idiocy impresses me. They wouldn't understand real power if it was drinking their blood. You fool... SHUT UP!!!!! but there is no more from the ancient, from Illiakan. But Gestarn would show them. He would show them all...

[Elector]

Konstantine von Röthenburg

Half-naked and slightly groggy from being roused so quickly, Konstant wielded his horse carefully as the others approached. He had only caught fleeting images of what had attacked him. He thanked the Goddess that Isabella had been wise and remained home on this journey.

"At least one of us is safe," he mumbles under his breath.

He instinctively checks his side, and finds his sword: His horse had his lance at least, but not his armour; but luck cannot grant you everything, he assumed to himself. The dying screams fall hard on his heart, but he cannot save them all, nor was he meant to. He tries to catch his breath, but realises that it would do him no good. He closes his lips over his eye-teeth and watches as the others approach him. He remains vigilant, but doubts that any poses a threat to him. He slows his horse to a trot, and then turns to make sure what ever was chasing him was still a good distance behind him.

Need to get some armour, quick, he thinks to himself.

[wadledo]

The shadowy mass cleans the leg of flesh and drops it to the ground, pulling off another of the woman's legs as she screams in horror and pain, the limb coming off with a slight pop.
It seems to be nothing more than a hunched mass of congealed darkness as it uses one of its several tentacles to run the leg over the space where a mouth would be, the bones coming away clean.
The captive vampire, completely entangled in its tentacles, continues to scream, her bloody stumps oozing the purple fluid of your kind onto the ground, rigid from pain and continued terror.
Her eyes rolls into the back of her head as she lapses into a pain free stupor, the creature moving its tentacle back to pull one of her arms from its socket.
It ignores you entirely, completely engrossed in the feast at hand.

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"Very glad she decided to stay home..." Konstantin says quietly to himself.

"Gentlemen, I strongly suggest that we moved away from this beast with haste... unless you care to see any more of the specticle." Without waiting for a responce he begins to back away carefully, trying not to attract attention to himself. "Courage does not mean dying needlessly," he reminds himself with his sub-conscious chatter with himself. He had picked up the habit on long trips away from his Isabella, reminding himself of his own sanity since his turning on the battlefields.

[Dorizzit]

"I am forced to agree. We should go. Now." Gestarn's face and limbs warp, crack and pop, flailing wildly before settling in the form of a lean gray wolf. He bounds off after Konstantin, easily keeping pace with his loping strides.

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg


Ride check to pick up Samael Beau Pre (1d20 + 14=34) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1525298/) Heh heh, love them nat 20's :smallamused: The idea is that I am trying to maneuver the horse while only helping him up... so keeping control of the horse takes presidence.


"Stop gawking and get on" Konstantin says forcibly. He turns around and helps the fellow get onto the back of his horse. He turns to the remaining Vampire and with a strong glance and a flick of his head says "Get moving, I cannot carry everyone."

For everone:

Heroism (Ex): At 4th level, the knight and his allies within 60 ft. are immune to fear. In addition, whenever any such character would have to normally make save against fear, he instead gains +2 morale bonus to Strength for 1 minute.


A quick spur and the horse is moving. "Damned," he says loud enough to be heard, but still to himself , "Sunrise is soon, and I haven't fed in a while." He turns to check on his passenger, and confirming his continued presence on the back of the horse, turns back around.

[browng-08]

Arleccio D'Comdia
Arlecchio had been plnning to take Samael with him for protection. Now that the unarmoured knight had stole away his target, he had little reason to stay here. He managed a quick response to the two before picturing his hometown in his mind and activating his boots of teleportation. "I'll meet you in Konigston. I'd suggest you invest in a faster means of transportation, though. I don't plan on waiting forever. If you make it in time, search for me in the D'Comdia musoleum. I'll save a few spots." And with a wink, he was off.((Teleporting himself to some nearby town, hereby named Konigston, waiting out theo coming dawn in the cover of his family mausoleum/crypt. The town should be 'familiar', I assume you want to roll for the spell. Tell me if you have a different destination in mind.:smallwink: ))

[wadledo]

Arleccio is transported to Konigston, a town 34 miles away from the Houses, and about 26 miles to the South-East of where you are now.
When he gets there, he sees a varied group of were-creatures coming from the north, along the road that would lead to the his and the other's Houses.
They carry the head of a vampire that on a pike, its look of pain and terror almost sickening you.

Gestarn, Konstantin, and Samael all move away from the creature as it continues its meal.

[You ran from the East to the West for about 15 miles, the ocean is another 20 or so miles West, town (where Arleccio is now) is the only other town within 100 miles (the Houses are just the main home/base of the vampire portion of the 520), and large mountains ring around the East and North. The South is mostly woods until you reach the plains 90 miles down the coast.
3 and a half hours until sunrise.]

[browng-08]

Arlecchio D'Comdia
Arlecchio ducks into the nearest allyway and looks for a good place to hide. He remains there, listening for the approach of the were-creatures. Should he realize they're onto him, he jumps out and attacks, weilding his Profane Longsword.
Search- [roll0]
Hide- [roll1]
Listen- [roll2]

[wadledo]

Arlecchio moves into the shadowy ally, becoming immersed in shadow.
The were-creature don't notice him, being to busy saying how much fun it was to hunt the crazy vampires.
They move south at a steady pace, the towns people keeping their eyes cast down so as to not anger the Were's.

[Dorizzit]

Once the group has gotten a bit farther on, Gestarn heads off the horse before returning to his human form with a sickening series of snaps, krackles, and pops. "This is pointless. If we continue to run aimlessly, eventually dawn will come. I have a pair of boots allowing teleportation, thrice each night. I believe that I can take us to the town, where at least we can find shelter. Would this be an acceptable course of action?"

[Suzuro]

Samael Beau Pre


Well, whatever we do, we need to do it fast. If we keep running like this, we'll all be dead...again. If you've got an idea, then do it!

Samael jumped off of the horse, and paced around, obviously nervous and scared.



-Suzuro

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn looks at Sammael. "Very well then, if you're ready, I'll take you." He looks at Konstantin. "Don't move far. I'll be right back." He looks again at Sammael. "Take my hand." (The next section assumes Sammael takes the proffered hand) Gestarn grips Sammael and murmurs under his breath before they both vanish briefly. (for the purposes of rolling, I'd put it down to seen casually; Gestarn likely would have seen it at least once since it's the only village in a hundred miles) Dropping Sammael off, he returns and (Barring any mishaps) goes through the process once more with Konstantin.

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"Damned," he said holding his head and leading his horse on foot. He had never been too fond of magic, trusting only his sword when things needed to get done. He was glad he couldn't feel cold,a few years ago, he'd probably be having issues right now. He extentds a bare hand to the two fellows with him, "Sir Konstantine von Röthenburg, knight of the Order of the Dragon. Son in death of Lord Valentin von Röthenburg."

[wadledo]

Samael and Gestarn see Arlecchio hidden in an ally, a troop of Were's moving south and the townspeople of Konigston not looking you in the eye as they go about their nightly business.

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn gently pushes Sammael towards the Alley. He then retrieves Konstantin, trying to teleport back into the Alley directly.

[Suzuro]

Samael Beau Pre


Samael had been amazed. In an instant he had be...transferred, for lack of a better word to this city in an instant. It was weird, but Samael had never truly experienced magic. Seen it, sure, but never experienced it on himself. He stood in disbelief when he first appeared, dumbfounded, until he felt a rough shove from his side. He was shoved into the alleyway and he finally noticed Arlecchio in the same alleyways.

Wondering what was going on, he began to look around, and noticed the werecreatures stalking the street. He plugged up against the wall as tight as his slightly large frame would allow him to. With luck, they wouldn't notice any of them in the alleyway.




-Suzuro

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"Well, a fine spot," he says to himself, holding and aching head and wondering why he had bothered with a horse just to be teleported around. He mutters a short prayer to Evening Glory, to anyone close enough, it sounds like a love letter to Isabella.

"What is our next step?" he asks quietly to those surrounding him. "This isn't the best place for us to be loitering around."

[wadledo]

The Were's are a ways away now, and only you and the towns people remain in sight.
The town of Konigston is mostly just a feeding station for the local vampire populace, nothing more than about 20 houses in a ring around the central fountain, along with a pub, a smithy, a general store and a Very high class brothel.
Everything outside the ring is either the fields that support the town or woods, which begin about a mile away.

[browng-08]

Arlecchio D'Comdia
"I don't know about you guys, but I think now that we've got back together, it's about time we cleared out the rabble from this town." Arlecchio says with a snarl. He only gained a glimpse of the severed head, but he culd recognise his sister anywhere.

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"Agreed... I still have no idea what that thing was... gah... but I never want to see anything like it again." He shutters at the memory.

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn looks cautious. "Perhaps it would be best to lay low for a time. Rest and recuperate, then figure out what to do from there. I don't fancy our odds against that raiding party, and the light draws near. It's annoying to them. It's fatal to us."

[Suzuro]

Aye, I'd have to agree...if we can't find shelter soon, it won't matter what we clear out, we'll all be going with it.

Spot: [roll0]
Looking for a place that seems to be abandoned and would be able to stop sun.


-Suzuro

[wadledo]

All the nearby houses are occupied, and there is another 2:30 hours until morning.

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn looks at Arlecchio. "D'Comdia! Didn't you reference a mausoleum?"

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"Anyone have ins with the owner? I hope for our sake he isn't dead."

[browng-08]

Arlecchio D'Comdia
"Yes, the family mausoleum. We'll have to take the road where those mange-ridden bastards came down from, so keep your eye out for stragglers. I just hope they weren't already in there."

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn thinks. "We can mist ourselves and go around them, through the forest."

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"That sounds decent enough."

[Suzuro]

...uh, I'd have to agree. Let's go. We'll follow you, and hope for the best.

He twitched around slightly at the thought of going mist. He didn't like to do it, it felt too much like running away, but, as they say, desperate times call for the tough to get going....or maybe that was when the going gets tough, the desperate measures start....he couldn't remember.



-Suzuro

[Elector]

So we mist out of the village to a safer locaton

[wadledo]

You mist and follow Arlecchio to the north, traveling through the fields and a ways into the tree's before reaching a dilapidated ornate stone box.
Moving inside the mausoleum, they find a large room with numerous empty stone coffins, most empty and covered with dust, though some are still intact.
Four doorways lead deeper into the ground, each in one of the cardinal points.

Make spot checks.

[browng-08]

Arlecchio D'Comdia
"Safety at last," whispered words, with a glimmer of distrust. Arlecchio's keen eyes sift through the dusty darkness. Where had those filthy mongrels been? Had they defiled his sanctuary?
Spot-[roll0]

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

Spot check (1d20 + 11=28) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1536564/)

"Well, here we are," Konstantin says aloud. He looks around taking in the scenery. "Nice arctecture," he says in a muttered note to himself.

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn looks around at the mausoleum. "When was the last time you were here?" he asks, casting an inquisitive gaze over the crypt.

[roll0]

[Suzuro]

Ah...so this is where you spend the time, eh? Not bad, not exactly in my...tastes, however.....


Samael was always paranoid in new places and liked to take searches of each and every corridor, but, since this was a friend's, a quick glance was all that could be expected.

Spot: [roll0]


-Suzuro

[wadledo]

Both Samael and Gestarn notice something odd about the coffin in the North east corner, Samael seeing that it seems to shift slightly every few seconds, almost undulating. The faux-coffin doesn't appear to notice or care about the group, and the rest of the room seems normal.

[browng-08]

OOC: What's a 'fax-coffin'? is a like a fax machine, or is there a typo (eg. 'faux coffin') or is it something else? I'm a bit confused by that post.
EDIT: Oh! It's a mimic, isn't it!
Arlequinne Fauxes
To Gestarn: "This is my home away from home. I use it whenever dawn comes too soon, and I find myself not wanting company."

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"Any thing that will block the sun and those beasts is a welcome relief in my book," Konstantin says with a slight bow to his impromptu host. "Now, if I can be pointed into the direction of a place to sleep, I would be eternally grateful."

[browng-08]

Arleccio D'Comdia
"There are spare coffins down those stairs. Make yourselves comfortable. I'll secure the door." Arlecchio turns to the heavy stone doors, already closed, and sets an ancient iron bar through the handles, effectively sealing the crypts from the inside, as is custom for any vampire-inhabited mausoleum.

[Elector]

Konstantin von Röthenburg

"Sounds good, 'Wiedersehen." Konstantin says his adieus for the night at turns and heads toward the stairs.

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn walks after him casting one last glance at the odd coffin.

[wadledo]

[OOC: I'm just going to assume you're going into the North or East doors, because I want you to fight something.:smalltongue: ]

As Konstantin and Gestarn pass near the coffin, it's cover slides off and reveals a metal skeleton, which jerkily rises from it's artificial slumber.

Roll initiative, knowledge, etc.
I'll figure out a map in a bit.

[Dorizzit]

Gestarn jerks away from the coffin, fumbling with his odd blade as he does so. "Home away from home, eh? Then why is that there????"

[roll0]

[browng-08]

Arlecchio D'Comdia
Arlecchio turns from the door, wheeling on his heels at the souind of Gestarn's voice. His eyes take in the sight of this strange, clockwork frame rising fromunder a shifting sarcophagus lid.
Initiative-[roll0]
Knowledge (Arcana)-[roll1]
Knowledge (History)-[roll2]

[Elector]

Initiative (1d20 + 6=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1540987/)

Grmbl, grmbl

[Suzuro]

Samael jumps at the coffin...he hadn't really expected too much from it...


[roll0]


-Suzuro

[wadledo]

Initiative order:
Arlecchio
Samael
Golem
Gestarn
Konstantin

Know:Arlecchio knows that this thing looks very similar to some of the Golems made by some higher powered Lichs around 300 years ago, and that most of them were scraped because they found the magic that animated them made the internal bindings too brittle.

No map, so:
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