Tale Weaver's Vampire: The Masquerade Game Board

[ladyphoenix]

Tony nods at Clover as if he already knew what she was going to say "I would expect such a response from those of Ventrue blood. Let's face it Angelica, or should I say "Clover", you assume a leadership role over your two friends here. You may even pity them at times even though in the end you are all in the same boat. Right now I'm here to tell you that you are sailing in dangerous waters."

"You all look at me now with human eyes which are naive at best. When you live for centuries your view of the world changes. Some get paranoid, trying to hold onto their own little piece of eternity. I myself simply try to enjoy the little pleasures in life. Isn't that Right Candi?" He turns to the girl next to him who giggles. He turns back to the group "Now, my lifestyle is not important right now, what's important is that I'm willing to offer you help, are you in or out?"

Ruby was very still when Tony examined her face. She was a little scared and knew that it was better to remain calm. Suddenly Koln threw back his chair and began yelling at Tony in her defense and she gasped. She was then afraid that Tony would hurt him because of her. Tony commanded him to sit which confirmed Ruby's fears about his authority and power. He asked them all what their purpose and wishes were. Ruby thought very hard on this, seeing that this whole time she was mearly trying to survive.
Clover also grew angry at Tony, but what shocked her more was revealing about her attempts at suicide. Ruby's eyes widened in horror at the first time hearing this. "Clover..." she said silently. She lowered her head in pain. She wanted to weep for her misery in her past life. She felt such sorrow for her. Soon after regaining her composure, she looked back at Tony once more.
"All I want is to find peace with myself and others in this world in virtue. I want to explore the beauties of this world and see what I have to offer..." she lowered her head a little again. "Also.. perhaps find others like me as well.."

She looked at the others when Tony asked if they are in. "If we need to survive, I think we should at least take the advice into consideration.."

 

[Tale_Weaver]

The 24th Diocese

Ruby was very still when Tony examined her face. She was a little scared and knew that it was better to remain calm. Suddenly Koln threw back his chair and began yelling at Tony in her defense and she gasped. She was then afraid that Tony would hurt him because of her. Tony commanded him to sit which confirmed Ruby's fears about his authority and power. He asked them all what their purpose and wishes were. Ruby thought very hard on this, seeing that this whole time she was mearly trying to survive.
Clover also grew angry at Tony, but what shocked her more was revealing about her attempts at suicide. Ruby's eyes widened in horror at the first time hearing this. "Clover..." she said silently. She lowered her head in pain. She wanted to weep for her misery in her past life. She felt such sorrow for her. Soon after regaining her composure, she looked back at Tony once more.
"All I want is to find peace with myself and others in this world in virtue. I want to explore the beauties of this world and see what I have to offer..." she lowered her head a little again. "Also.. perhaps find others like me as well.."

She looked at the others when Tony asked if they are in. "If we need to survive, I think we should at least take the advice into consideration.."

Tony tells the two girls to excuse them "I would like to talk to our friends here alone please. I'll catch up with you later." He kisses Candi on the cheek and the two girls get up and leave you all alone with Tony.

He grins and nods at Ruby "A wise choice indeed. There is no beauty in this world for kindred, only survival. That's what I'm going to teach you, how to survive. Kindred by the way is our word for vampire. As you've all realized you need blood to survive. One thing to keep in mind is that blood has a vintage. Blood from an animal or a homeless bum is not going to be as good as blood from a well-bred human. I myself only feed off of my more-than-willing staff here at the 24th Diocese."

"Now about your abilities, all kindred have these basic abilities that set them right above humans. You get sharper senses, a much stronger body that can regenerate damage and you can even boost your strength, agility, and overall stamina by using blood. I've seen vampires who can toss objects as heavy as cars using this ability!" He continues "In addition to all that kindred are all divided into different bloodlines depending on their sire. What interests me the most is that only one of you holds Prestor's bloodline" Tony looks over at Ruby when he says this. "It appears that Prestor found a way to create children that are different bloodlines from his own, utterly amazing!." "You might have discovered some of these special abilities, called disciplines, already. Disciplines will come to you naturally so just concentrate and you'll figure it out."

"Now I know what you're thinking, you're thinking that now that you're all powerful you can do whatever the hell you want. Well guess what? You can't! There are groups of kindred out there who make a tidy business enforcing the "laws" of what is known as The Masquerade. All you need to know for now is to keep a low profile and don't let humans know that you're a vampire. Otherwise that's the number one way to get some real powerful angry vampires all over your ass! You can still be destroyed and I'm sure you know the basics: fire and sunlight will kill you and hurt a lot while doing it. A stake through the heart is not fatal like in the movies but you will be paralyzed. You can also starve to death. Given a choice between starving and fire, I would choose fire. There is one thing worse than starving, drinking the blood of another kindred three times binds you to them as though they are the only thing that matters in your life."

Tony takes a deep breath "And there you have it, Vampire 101. Now if you'll excuse me I'll be taking my leave. Of course if you have any other questions about being a I'll answer them here and now." Tony sits before you looking like he's all ears.

 

[Strider_Koln]

Tony takes a deep breath "And there you have it, Vampire 101. Now if you'll excuse me I'll be taking my leave. Of course if you have any other questions about being a I'll answer them here and now." Tony sits before you looking like he's all ears.

As Tony speaks, Koln reaches into his coat pocket for his handgun, wanting to shoot the Vampire from under the table, but sighs, remembering he is unarmed. He just sits quielty, listening to the remainder of his lecture... Indeed, being a vampire does have its "benefits" but it's all an insanely terrible joke.

Koln thinks for a moment, severely tempted to lunge at Tony, dig in his fingers, and brutally seperate his head from his neck with his own hands, but decides agaisnt it. It would only endanger Clover and Ruby, plus totally blow their cover... need to remain rational, and keep up the Masquerade.

"So, 'survival' is the chief beauty? I find it hard to consider that which mere cockroaches excel at to be even remotely beautiful. The truly beautiful is that which is virtuous, and that which is virtuous to 'kindred' is the same exact thing as the virtue of insects? I would be more than happy to properly lecture you about true Beauty and the ultimate Good, but this is a club, hardly a place for philosophic debate. Although, you might be right, the virtue of cockroaches may be the same as 'kindred' provided you grant me that vampires are merely another kind of bottom-feeding insect."

"And I do have one last question..." Koln says, raising his hand and leaning in, "Maybe it won't be anytime soon, but eventually perhaps in a couple centuries, when you get bored of your 'little pleasures,' and realize you are ultimately alone, lower than on God's Chain of Being, and frankly, a mockery of all that is truly beautiful, could you send me a letter before you decide to take a walk into the burning sunlight? It doesn't have to be too long, a simple "Vous aviez raison" or "You were right" will do. Oh, and sign it of course, 'Sincerely, Tony' will be fine, so I know who it's from, no need to worry about looking me up, I am very certain I will see you again."

Koln sighs, thinking for a moment that perhaps he is being a jerk. Tony is being kind enough to give them advice, he did not have to do this. It is not his fault that he failed, so he shouldn't take it out on him. He crosses his arms and looks away, "I'm sorry... but my question still stands."

 

[izillama]

Clover had been fixated on Koln's face during the entirety of his cockroach speech. She liked it. Maybe she should remember it. ^.^
But when Koln flipped Tony off like that, she turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Koln had finished speaking, and Tony looked like he could probably walk away any time now.
Quickly, she raised her hand to about face level, "Whoa. Hold up. Time out."
At this point, it had been a long time since Tony had addressed her. She had been mulling over it in her mind until now. Still paying attention, mind you, but also letting her thoughts wander.

"I would expect such a response from those of Ventrue blood. Let's face it Angelica, or should I say "Clover", you assume a leadership role over your two friends here. You may even pity them at times even though in the end you are all in the same boat. Right now I'm here to tell you that you are sailing in dangerous waters."

After Koln had crossed his arms and looked away, Clover leaned in. She tried not to seem too interested, but perhaps her voice held a little too much scholarly curiosoty than she would have like, "You said it before, Tony. Now I have a question. What's a Ventrue? Is that like that Gangrel thing that Ruby keeps calling herself? If so, then what does that make Koln? Because I can clearly see that he is worlds apart from either of us."

 

[Tale_Weaver]

The 24th Diocese

"And I do have one last question..." Koln says, raising his hand and leaning in, "Maybe it won't be anytime soon, but eventually perhaps in a couple centuries, when you get bored of your 'little pleasures,' and realize you are ultimately alone, lower than on God's Chain of Being, and frankly, a mockery of all that is truly beautiful, could you send me a letter before you decide to take a walk into the burning sunlight? It doesn't have to be too long, a simple "Vous aviez raison" or "You were right" will do. Oh, and sign it of course, 'Sincerely, Tony' will be fine, so I know who it's from, no need to worry about looking me up, I am very certain I will see you again."

Koln sighs, thinking for a moment that perhaps he is being a jerk. Tony is being kind enough to give them advice, he did not have to do this. It is not his fault that he failed, so he shouldn't take it out on him. He crosses his arms and looks away, "I'm sorry... but my question still stands."

And you wonder why I don't give you a weapon

Tony merely smiles at Koln "I've lived long enough to realize that the best thing you can do for yourself is accept who you are. As a pawn of the church for so many years you have no identity, you pretend to be in control but you are really not. We share the same madness and I know you see things you don't fully understand. We are Malkavians and we are both blessed and cursed with insight that no one but us can see. You know that the time will come when you have to choose between the life you've led and the friends you now keep and you know what you must do."

 

[Tale_Weaver]

The 24th Diocese

Clover had been fixated on Koln's face during the entirety of his cockroach speech. She liked it. Maybe she should remember it. ^.^
But when Koln flipped Tony off like that, she turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Koln had finished speaking, and Tony looked like he could probably walk away any time now.
Quickly, she raised her hand to about face level, "Whoa. Hold up. Time out."
At this point, it had been a long time since Tony had addressed her. She had been mulling over it in her mind until now. Still paying attention, mind you, but also letting her thoughts wander.

After Koln had crossed his arms and looked away, Clover leaned in. She tried not to seem too interested, but perhaps her voice held a little too much scholarly curiosoty than she would have like, "You said it before, Tony. Now I have a question. What's a Ventrue? Is that like that Gangrel thing that Ruby keeps calling herself? If so, then what does that make Koln? Because I can clearly see that he is worlds apart from either of us."

Tony looks at Clover now leaned over, she can feel his eyes shift to her open shirt and then back to her face "Looks like you are becoming quite the little seductress, or did you simply use your commands to lure that boy outside?"

"To answer your question, Ventrue, Gangrel, and Malkavian are all what we kindred call "clans". A clan is a bloodline passed down from sire to child. Ruby over there got her Gangrel bloodline directly from Prestor. You and Koln on the other hand carry different bloodlines that I can only assume are the result of the serums that Prestor was said to create. Your clan determines what abilites you naturally posess and can evemn effect your demeanor."

Looking back at the whole group, "If you all are fixed on looking for this little girl perhaps I can lend a hand. I have no idea of her whereabouts but I can see if anyone has seen her. More importantly though, there is a hierarchy among kindred here in Denver and I myself don't bother with politics. I can tell you however that the majority of them don't take kindly to new kindred. If you see another vampire, leave quickly. Don't try to be a hero and "slay" them because the whole lot of them will be on you like flies on . While I ask about this little girl whose name you have not told me, I'll try to find out where you three fit in with their little circle."

I don't remember if Suzy is what you're talking about Mike.

 

[izillama]

Embarrassed, Clover straightened up and re-buttoned her shirt, knotting her necktie into a neat little bow.
Ventrue.
This seemed all too typical to Clover, these "clans." When you're at the top of the social ladder, you tend to see the world through different eyes. In New York City, there had been all types of people: the weirdo bums on the street, the thugs, the artists, the clubbers, and the ones at the top, the CEOs, etc. Clover had never really considered that there might be more than one type of vampire, just like people. She had assumed that all vampires collectively slept in coffins and were invisible in mirrors.
What Tony was talking about was actually kind of intriguing.
She politely stared into Tony's eyes. This man seemed like a flamboyant idiot (hell, it now seemed that Tony and Koln were one in the same, but at least Koln didn't make Clover want to pop him one in the face every waking moment!) but perhaps he could be useful. She nodded, "The little girl's name was Suzy. Her mother was named Mavis. She was last seen at the police station."
She hesitated, then decided that Tony seemed trustworthy enough. Either that, or he was bored and looking for a thrill, and a band of new vampires was just his cup of tea, "We were at the station last night looking for her, actually. We tracked her down into the sewer, then lost her scent."
She then sat up straight and allowed a grateful smile to pass her lips, "And really, Tony, we would be glad for any kind of help that you could offer us."

 

[Tale_Weaver]

The 24th Diocese

Embarrassed, Clover straightened up and re-buttoned her shirt, knotting her necktie into a neat little bow.
Ventrue.
This seemed all too typical to Clover, these "clans." When you're at the top of the social ladder, you tend to see the world through different eyes. In New York City, there had been all types of people: the weirdo bums on the street, the thugs, the artists, the clubbers, and the ones at the top, the CEOs, etc. Clover had never really considered that there might be more than one type of vampire, just like people. She had assumed that all vampires collectively slept in coffins and were invisible in mirrors.
What Tony was talking about was actually kind of intriguing.
She politely stared into Tony's eyes. This man seemed like a flamboyant idiot (hell, it now seemed that Tony and Koln were one in the same, but at least Koln didn't make Clover want to pop him one in the face every waking moment!) but perhaps he could be useful. She nodded, "The little girl's name was Suzy. Her mother was named Mavis. She was last seen at the police station."
She hesitated, then decided that Tony seemed trustworthy enough. Either that, or he was bored and looking for a thrill, and a band of new vampires was just his cup of tea, "We were at the station last night looking for her, actually. We tracked her down into the sewer, then lost her scent."
She then sat up straight and allowed a grateful smile to pass her lips, "And really, Tony, we would be glad for any kind of help that you could offer us."

Tony nods at Clover "I'll see what I can do. Check back with me in a few days. You can always find me here at the 24th Diocese, or rather maybe I'll find you." Tony laughs to himself. "Just so you know, this club is my territory and you won't have to worry about running into any other vampires here." Tony winks and vanishes from sight before you can say anything else.

 

[Strider_Koln]

As Tony vanishes, Koln's fists clench and shake. He knows that he has a point in that he has to choose, his life of virtue, or his friends. He was hoping he could somehow have both, but he knows deep inside it is not to be. Clover and Ruby are cursed with vampirism and will remain so no matter how many monsters he slays nor how many times he tortures himself in intense prayer. As they talked Koln, to his expected dismay, saw a flicker of 'happiness' from Ruby and Clover in having the curse. It is a curse, make no mistake about it! It is hardly a blessing, you are limited from walking in daylight and are untouched forever by Grace. Granted, a vampire gets some 'perks' but most of those are for the sake of making their prey, humans, easier to catch. A 'blessing' for increased ability to cause destruction, death, and pain is hardly a blessing at all, just a diabolical joke that will slowly lose its charm as the centuries drag by.

"I look forward to your letter Tony..."

Koln slowly stands, feeling weak, not so much from hunger (although that is becoming an issue) but from his increasingly aching head. Their entire time at the club, Koln has been straining to suppress is Malkavian insanity, and behave as he used to, but the voices... the more Koln tries to silent them, the louder they become, the more they shout, especially now as Koln thinks about it. He shuts his eyes, clenching his lids together tightly, as if mentally 'swallowing' the scurge in his brain, pushing it down once again for an uncertain amount of time.

He turns to Clover, gently laying a hand on her shoulder and smiles. "Clover, I know what happened. You are still not a killer... A new vampire and you have gone this long without killing a human, indeed God has blessed you immensely. Make no mistake though... you will kill, more than likely it's a matter of days, and when that happens I will not hold it against you. I now have too many sins to properly reprimand other's for their faults."

"Now, if we're done clubbing, where to now, 'fearless leader'?" Koln smirks, noticing how Clover has taken a much more assertive role as guided by her Ventrue line.

 

[izillama]

Clover thought for a moment. Really, she felt a bit smug about Koln's "fearless leader" comment. But she didn't want to act cocky. That was exactly the kind of thing that Tony had basically said would get them annihilated.
She spoke carefully, "Well, firstly, I don't think that we should push our luck. Tony obviously has more connections in this town than we do. If anyone could find some solid leads on Suzie's whereabouts, I'm sure it's him. Therefore, it would seem a bit reckless and fruitless on our part to go out looking for her again. As Tony said, they probably don't take too kindly to new vampires. That was probably part of Ugly's problem last night."
Clover smirked a little, remembering the vampire in the sewer. Then she composed herself, looking from Koln to Ruby, "So maybe let's go a different route here. Rather than running into danger, let's keep as far from it as possible. You said it before, Ruby. Let's just take a moment to think: What would make our time as vampires a bit easier? Perhaps we could focus on getting supplies, tools, clothes, whatever it takes to survive and blend in. Right?"
'Personally, I need to get to a computer and do something about tomorrow's biology test, damnit!'