How Deep does the Snake-Pit Go?

[Lesingnon]

He had not been back to this area since Horizon had fallen. It was almost ironic; that den of intense light, fire, and who knew how many other Vampiric weaknesses had been the site of one of the Mekhet Priscus's greatest triumphs. At times it still amazed him that only one Kindred had fallen in that frantic battle. Though if that trap they had set off had killed Vampires as opposed to simply inciting frenzy that fight could have easily been much more deadly.

But it was not Horizon that brought him here today. It was what they had encountered before entering that complex. The Brood, the self-styled usurper and his den. They had obviously cleared out of it in a hurry, even so much as leaving a woman behind. Hopefully there were other clues that could be found, with or without the Spirit's Touch. He did not know what other leads to chase at the moment.

And for now, he awaited Thomas's arrival. Once his Whip was filled in the two of them could proceed.

[Thomas Connor]

Experience had taught Thomas that having your gear ready to go was important. Both the nights of the Bypass fight and the Blood Hunt had seemingly come out of nowhere and having equipment in his car had saved his unlife on both of those nights. He slips on the battered but still functional leather jacket and struggles to put the car into drive. He is finally able on the third try and silently thanks the God his Jesuit education had trained him to believe in for automatic transmissions.

Arriving at the intersection he grabs what he'll need. The machete had been lost at the Bypass when his hand was taken and been replaced by a Bowie Knife, a fair trade. The Colt .45 was still with him, Martha the Keeper had been so kind to assist him with cleaning it and Thomas wondered what kind of favor she'd ask for in return. He slipped the two weapons into his jacket and left the car to find the Shadow Priscus.

Vitae Pool 10/11

Base 3 + 3 Hunting ( communal, Mekhet, Carthian ) + 1 Location + 1 Herd + 3 (temp rack rights) - 1 no Jan feeding mood ( Bad GB, Bad )

[Lesingnon]

Wilhelm looked up as he felt the approaching beast, and soon enough locates the figure of his whip. "Welcome, I am glad you could make it." And, not wasting any time, he indicates a nearby manhole cover after checking one last time to make sure there was no one out this late to overhear them. "Through there, we can get down into a lower lair of the sewers that most have forgotten about. We used it a while back when I led an assault on a nearby complex. We also briefly encountered the Brood down there, and moved through what seemed to be their first base of operations in the city. They abandoned it after that night, but were not particularly thorough in taking everything with them. I am hoping we can find some useful information down there with closer examination."

[Thomas Connor]

Thomas listens quietly to the Priscus' explanation and wonders about Sewers, he had figured that the Brood had been using them to move around the city and travel with their kidnapped victims. He thought about asking the Priscus if he wanted him to make a few calls and see if he could find out about any strange disappearances lately but when he hears that the mission is simply an investigation into the tunnels he decides to keep that offer until later and to see what they found down there first.

"Alright. What do we know about their former base?" He says as he walked towards the manhole "I'm assuming that they figured that we'd find the place eventually and probably left some nasty surprises in place."

[Lesingnon]

Wilhelm glances about to make sure the coast is clear, then slides the manhole cover aside and begins to make his way down into the sewers again. "Not much. But they kept people down there and left in a hurry. We passed through it once, and did not set off or see any traps. I would not be overly worried about them, but prudence is always wise. The few Brood I have encountered invariably had some tricks up their sleeve, even if they were just to allow one to run away."

Activating Heightened Senses (Sight) and spending 1 Vitae to activate Vigor...just in case.

[Thomas Connor]

Thomas pushes the stolen vitae into his body to increase his strength and stamina, makes sure that his senses are tuned and follows Wilhelm. He hooks his right arm against one of the rungs of the ladder and uses his one hand to pull the cover back over the manhole. After climbing down along side the Priscus he almost comments that they were like the Germans but stops himself at the last second. Still they were always great at delaying tactics, so great that after a few French towns 1LT. Thomas O'Connor had come up with the idea of having a Sherman with their 76mm main cannon just blow away the town's church bell tower before sending troops into the town. Overkill yes but still the only way to be sure.

"That's what they tried during the Blood Hunt, a blond female tried to cover Mac's escape attempt."

1 vitae spent for Vigor, 1 vitae spent for resilience ( a round after of course ), Heightened Senses Activated

[Lesingnon]

"I heard about that, her name was Jessi. She slept with Regent Culler for quite some time before her allegiances were revealed. Given how she acted around the Brood leader, Set, I would not be surprised if he enjoyed her company in a similar manner." he lets his voice drop as he speaks, so as to prevent it from echoing through the tunnels.

And he sets off towards the Brood lair as well, every sense on high alert as he does. Whatever happened, he was determined not to stumble into a trap or ambush. And he draws no small amount of comfort from the familiar weight of his obfuscated gear.

[Thomas Connor]

Thomas nods as the Priscus describes the actions of the woman and it seems to fit with the rage displayed by the Regent during the fight in the Sewers. As they get closer to the tunnels the Brood once claimed he draws the Bowie knife, not with any malice but to merely have the weapon ready in case something jumps out of the shadows. After the fight at the Bypass he'd learned to plan for the worst and expects things to go further down from there.

[West]

As the pair slog through the filth and waste that clogs the sewer, it almost seems worse than Wilhelm remembers. Of course, this time Wilhelm isn't marching off to glory and purpose.

He stirring up shit. Literally.

It doesn't take long for them to reach the junction where Set and Lars appeared. If there's any doubt that it's the same one, the claw marks scratching Brood sigils into the walls dispel it.

They have arrived without incident at the entrance to the serpent's pit.

[Lesingnon]

One would think a sewer couldn't become any less appealing a place...and apparently be wrong. At least he probably would not have to take a dip this time.

A few seconds are spent examining the sewer junction, ensuring that this was indeed the right place. Not that it could really be mistaken for some place else. Then he moved to the entrance of the lair, pausing at the threshold as he checked for wires or any other telltale signs of a trap. Just because he did not think they would be there did not mean he was not about to be cautious.

Want some manner of trap-checking roll?