[VtR][Mature] Born into Darkness: Arc 1

[Graf]

Biggs stares at the cow's savaged throat. At the urging of the indian man, he takes hold of annother bovine, and sinks his fangs into it's neck, though not before asking: "How do i know how much to take?"

OOC: Biggs will take 2 blood each from his 2nd and 3rd cows. Assuming he knows when to stop without killing them.

"How do i know how much to take?"

Ideally you take only so much as will not significantly harm the creature.
It requires some practice. If you like I will tap you when you have taken a safe amount.

Raghunandan taps Biggs after a relatively short period of time. Biggs finds his beast seems to be sated, allowing him to stop feeding without more than grumbling protests.

Lick the wound, yes, like that. Biggs finds that the wounds opened by his fangs seal shut after he licks them.

Ultimately it requires four more cows before Biggs finds himself satiated. By the third cow he has a rough idea of how much to take; anticipating Raghunandan's vigorous tapping before it begins.

[sblock=OOC -- Feeding with Raghunandan]
Raghunandan stops you after drawing one blood point from each cow.

Mechanically each blood point drawn from the cow inflicts two lethal wounds.

In general I'd say that 2 lethal wounds (through blood lose of course not "damage") is about the largest amount you can take from a normal creature without starting to seriously hurt impair them.

Everyone is able to avail themselves of Raghunandan's assistance. Or roll. Or do whatever seems appropriate.
[/sblock]

 

[OnlytheStrong]

[sblock=ooc]

Diego will ask him for alittle guidance. I imagine the feeling he got feeding the first time scared him. He's not the type to enjoy not being in control. He's one of those guys who has to know what is going on and how to deal with it.

[/sblock]

 

[Bloodweaver1]

Cole Braddock

“Well one has to do what one has to do in order to survive." Says Cole. IThough in my experiences there is nothing like the taste of a refined red head or brunette. It’s like a well aged wine. And with that he turns and walks through the herd of cattle moving from one animal to another, drinking in as much as he can until his body can hold no more.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Ah appreciate the spirit of that Gums. But youh bonded an' youh mind's bound tah be a bit funny when youh get around that harridan what embraced youh.
Ah been there mahself an' ah appreciate the peculiarities of youh situation.
As a matta o' fact ah'm tell'n youh that ah want youh ta be particularly f______ mindful of any mental f______ s___ that's going on in youh head.

Archer was dumbfounded by the accuracy of LB's statement. He nodded dumbly, in vague comprehension. So others had experienced what he was going through? 'Bonding', was it? LB had apparently been in the same situation, so doubtlessly he would have some idea of what to expect from Archer.

At that moment, Archer was... confused. He was barely able to follow the conversation while his mind raced over the implications of what LB had said. It was only by the time he got back to his cell that Archer realized he should have asked LB more about it. He needed to learn about this 'bonding' so he could understand the exact nature of the effect it was having on him.

With his head full of thoughts concerning what was going on, what he had to do, and what he didn't know, there was no room left in his head to be worried about his cell and he actually slept alright.

Loss of control is nothing to be ashamed of.
The little Indian man is standing nearby.
In time a degree of control is possible. Until then it is best to feed carefully. Select situations where you are not hungry, or else when your companions will be able to intervene to save your vessel should you lose control.

Perhaps you might try again? You will find it easier to control yourself.
And lick the wound once you are done to seal it.

The presence of animals was something Archer had always enjoyed, and despite their discomfort at a vampire without Animalism, he endeavoured in trying to befriend them but without success. Archer listened attentively to what Raghunandan had to say. Watching the others feed, small explosions of savagery, set his will to maintaining control but to no avail (willpower point spent). He twitched a few times as he tried to resist, stood dead still for a moment, then fell upon the nearest animal with reckless abandon.

After the deed was done he hid his displeasure with himself and the others, caused by a combination of lack of control and the resulting deaths of the animals. Raghunandan's assurances that there was no shame in loss of control did nothing to change Archer's mind on the matter, and he cursed quietly as he looked at the blood on his hands and shirt. It used to be a nice suit, the symbol of a professional. Now he was draining livestock of their lifesblood while not cowering in an artificial cave.

Learning from the experiences of himself and others, he decided to wait until Raghunandan was free to assist him so that he didn't end up killing any more of the poor bovines. When the older vampire approached however Archer spoke to him quietly for a period before he went about further feeding under Raghunandan's guidance. Raghunandan had explained a few things to him in the past, so perhaps he could help Archer with another explanation.

"Raghunandan, I need your help with something before I feed any more," Archer sat by the dead cow, and tried to wipe the blood on his hands off onto the grass, "What does it mean to be 'bonded'? What is its effect?"

 

[Graf]

Raghunandan gamely assists Diego. The creature feels no pain, the Kiss insures it. Bite lightly, drinking slowly can help you maintain control. Move at your own pace. Yes. Diego releases the first cow, released from his grip it trundles off You see. The creature lives on, unharmed.

Cole moves among the cows, perhaps it's his greater experiences but for whatever reason he fights off Wassil.

"Raghunandan, I need your help with something before I feed any more,What does it mean to be 'bonded'? What is its effect?

Archer feels the dead eyes of the cow staring at him as he finds a relatively clean patch of grass to try to rub the blood off.
Of course. You refer to the Vinculum I presume? It is a property of the blood, affecting mortals and the damned alike. The blood of vampires is addictive, but, it has a different additional property as well. Should one drink the blood of the same damned on three different nights they are afflicted with a powerful supernatural effect, an almost irresistible sensation of love the drinker feels for one they have drunk from.

The drinker is called the Thrall, resisting the will of the Regnant, the one they have drunk from, is difficult, frequently impossible.

This property, has, naturally, many uses. One of the most prevalent, was to bind the progeny of a vampire to that vampire, insuring eternal, unwavering loyalty. In the days of yore it was common among all covenants and clans. In modern nights the right of the sire to dominate their progeny is most commonly advocated among the Invictus.

My order has spent centuries studying this Vinculum, called the Blood bond, or among the Invictus the Blood Oath, and we are well acquainted with it's peculiarities.
Raghunandan reaches out and gently rests his hand on Archer's shoulder.
Once a blood bond has been inflicted the only sure way to insure that is broken is through the death of the Regnant.

[sblock=Talking with Raghunandan]I'm going to post to keep things moving along, feel free to keep posting (ideally in spoiler blocks with the title Talking to Raghunandan) as the scene moves along.
[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

A Cow Pasture -- A few km from Blackcoat's Mansion

The cows have largely dispersed. Blackcoat waves for the group to approach. She and Nice are standing near the parked cars having an animated, whispered conversation. Or at least Nice is whispering animatedly to her.
[sblock=Auspex -- Archer & Beth | Perception -- Diego]Both Archer and Beth manage to pick out the gist of the conversation.
not such a good idea.... he won't know any of them.... he sees them he's gonna....
Diego, lurking casually nearby hears the same thing.[/sblock]
With a snarl and a hiss Blackcoat cuts him off.

Nice turns toward the group.
OK. Everyone did well, feed..." he looks back at the mangled corpses of the cows, "OK. Well. They were going to be hamburger anyway. So, ah, no problem. Just, you know, try to stay full on blood, you don't get hungry, no frenzy."

So, ah, given how helpful you've been so far, the Prince decided to give you broad latitude to attack the problem, so to speak. Some of you were investigators, or hunted kindred before, or what have you, so basically the same. Except with all the blood in your systems you can take a gunshot or two without it being a big deal.
Others of you, maybe ought to just hang back and, you know, avoid getting in trouble.

So you should think about what you're going to do and make a smart...
Merchant. Blackcoat cuts him off.
Yeah, ah, well Merchant, this old gangrel that came back to the city and didn't announce himself, I was going to take care of him tonight but.... He glances over at Blackcoat. We're busy tonight, so...

And remember, Rule Number One: The first tradition. I've talked to all of you about it extensively. I'm sure you remember and I don't need to repeat but no vampire type stuff in front of the humans. Try to, you know, look human when you're around humans, and stuff like that.

If you concentrate you can actually make yourselves look more human, Nice's skin looks less gray, taking on a more human cast, Body warms up, heart beat, all that. The Nosferatu offers out a hand, the abnormally long, bony fingers have taken on a pinkish shade. The extra joint in his fingers give it a vaguely arachnid quality.

Nice regards his own hand for a minute, and then pulls it back and sticks it under his poncho. It'll work better for you lot anyway.

OK. So that's it. Nice goes heads over to one of the cars pulls open the door and begins the process of pulling out the driver. The man struggles feebly, clutching first at the wheel, then the doorframe and finally the door handle before being wrenched free.
Drive. Out of position. I drive! The man sits in the middle of a patch of cow poop, complaining bitterly at Nice.
Nice hands him a toy steering wheel from a nearby duffle bag.
It's ok. Here you go. See. Just like a car. Nice presses the little yellow steering wheel into the man's hands.

Back by Dawn. Blackcoat asserts.
Right. You should definitely come back to the mansion. By dawn.
or we dust you. The woman finishes her sentece.

Blackcoat apparently having finished what she intended to say turns around and walks away. A she walks her form begins to stutter and shift, in a moment she's something else, inky black and winged she takes to the air.

Nice shrugs, and goes over to the other car. The driver follows his approach his face a mask of horror and loathing, but the skinny kindred just gets into the back seat of the car. Raghunandan follows him.
I thought the lady was joining us?
She is. Just not a car person, she'll..., Nice responds, he pulls the car door shut, preventing anyone from hearing the rest of the conversation.

 

[Graf]

The Car

The car is virtually identical to the car the group road in the other day. (To the point that it's impossible to easily tell whether its the same car or not).

[sblock=Car Features]
The keys sit in the ignition, it has a full tank of gas, seats two (or three if you squeeze) in front and five relatively comfortably in back (three facing forward and two back).
There is a partition between the front and back that can be raised and lowered.
It has a fancy sound system but no TV.
Inspection reveals a perfectly mundane mini bar stocked with premium whiskey (only whiskey no other drinks -- no beer, no water, just whiskey) and ice.[/sblock]

[sblock=Riding in Cars]In general when the group is moving around by vehicle I need to know who is driving. Most everyone can "drive" a vehicle (except maybe Beth -- I'm used to state where the driving age is 18 but is it lower in the midwest?).
But if you haven't got the skill you're going to, obviously, have a problem doing anything fancy.

If you don't post otherwise I'll assume that your character is in the back seat.[/sblock]

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Diego rushs for the passenger side door, "Shotgun!" He tosses the door open and hops in, then realizes he has no idea where they are going. "What's first on our list of things to kill?"

 

[Festy_Dog]

[sblock=Talking with Raghunandan]

Of course. You refer to the Vinculum I presume? It is a property of the blood, affecting mortals and the damned alike. The blood of vampires is addictive, but, it has a different additional property as well. Should one drink the blood of the same damned on three different nights they are afflicted with a powerful supernatural effect, an almost irresistible sensation of love the drinker feels for one they have drunk from.

The drinker is called the Thrall, resisting the will of the Regnant, the one they have drunk from, is difficult, frequently impossible.

This property, has, naturally, many uses. One of the most prevalent, was to bind the progeny of a vampire to that vampire, insuring eternal, unwavering loyalty. In the days of yore it was common among all covenants and clans. In modern nights the right of the sire to dominate their progeny is most commonly advocated among the Invictus.

My order has spent centuries studying this Vinculum, called the Blood bond, or among the Invictus the Blood Oath, and we are well acquainted with it's peculiarities.
Raghunandan reaches out and gently rests his hand on Archer's shoulder.
Once a blood bond has been inflicted the only sure way to insure that is broken is through the death of the Regnant.

"...Thankyou."

And now he knew. Archer was capable of looking upon his own situation objectively, as much as it may have pained him to do so. Coming into personal contact with Celeste would be foolish in the extreme, but he was sure there was more at play than he was aware of and he wanted to know the whole truth concerning his embrace before he felt sure about her death.

A number of options were available, there was no shortage of places where information could be sought, but the closer Archer got in chasing Celeste the sooner she would be killed. It had to be done, but the Vinculum's grip made the truth of the situation all the more agonizing, and yet it wasn't quite as bad because in the back of his mind he knew that his feelings were not his own. It had been forced upon him while he knew no better.

"Knowing that makes what has to be done a little easier to deal with," Archer's voice became a gurgle and he smiled sadly as he cleared his throat and wiped blood from around his mouth, "This is turning out to be a... stressful transition."[/sblock]

Diego rushs for the passenger side door, "Shotgun!" He tosses the door open and hops in, then realizes he has no idea where they are going. "What's first on our list of things to kill?"

"Well, it's not terribly killing related but I'd like to swing by my sire's apartment as our first destination. I think a lot of my stuff is there, including a change of clothes and some fresh bandages, which I'll need if I want to be presentable to the living," a shower didn't seem out of the question either, but Archer couldn't help but feel it was somewhat odd to have a corpse worry about personal hygiene, "I doubt my sire will be there, if anyone was worried about that, but hopefully there could be some clue as to where she's gone."

Or why this was all happening.

"Is anyone eager to get theirs out of the way first? Or having any good ideas on where to start in fnding your sire?"

 

[WarShrike]

"What's first on our list of things to kill?"

"How about some decent weapons, or were you planning on killing your sire with that pocket knife? How about it Braddock? I know you've been out of the game for a while, but would you, as a once upon a time smuggler, have any idea where we could get some arms?"