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Can You Find It in Your Heart?

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  1. Aug 6th, 2019 08:33 AM #1
    T
    Thomas Boyle

    The first word that comes to mind when visiting the Crone Temple in Valencia is 'raw'. Upon arriving through the main entrance, one directly enters the ritual room, as is usual with churches. There are several wooden benches around, and an altar at the far end. The walls are decorated (or 'decorated') by what remains of the graffiti crafted by previous occupants. There are hundreds of etchings on the altar, and upon closer inspection they are revealed to be the names of gods revered across the world.

    If one wishes to breathe, they'd detect a faint smell of incense and sage. There's little light here, provided by several candles placed at just the right distance from one another to make the Beast aware, but not stir it to any violent action.

    But perhaps the most distinct element of the decor is the inscription painted in red, above the altar:

    "THAT IS NOT DEAD WHICH CAN ETERNAL LIE/AND WITH STRANGE AEONS, EVEN DEATH MAY DIE"

    In the back of the room, slightly ajar is a door. Once, it led to the sacristy, but recently it was remodeled as a private meeting room. Lining the walls are bookcases filled with volumes mundane and occult, zines, newspapers and various artifacts one could find at a flea market - clocks, coins, pottery and the like, all old or broken in some way. Around a central table there are couches and chairs to sit on. Thomas sits on one of the chairs, facing the door. Unlike in the main room, the lights here are warmer and electrical - a testament to the solar panels on the roof.

    Slowly turning the pages of Magiae Naturalis, the Ventrue awaits his Nosferatu guest.
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  2. Aug 6th, 2019 09:25 AM #2
    1
    Patience's Avatar

    Presence
    (Blunt)
    Contacts
    (Street)
    Patience

    Nosferatu Curse
    Something is...off about Patience’s face. Or is it her body as a whole, the way she carries herself? Something’s not quite right in any event, though you can never seem to say exactly what that may be. A subtle asymmetry of her features, an odd cock of the eye or twist of the lips? A barely detectable wrongness in the set of her limbs, in the rhythm of her walk? An unlocatable strangeness: it’s all the more disquieting because that ‘something’ can’t be named, tracked down, and assigned a place. In fact, it seems to change moment to moment, depending on where she is in the room and where you are in relation to her.
    -1
    NOS
    2
    PRE

    Patience has read and re-read Thomas's letter since receiving it. A fine piece of work, really: the proof of former cooperation, the tantalizing bits of information concerning her predecessors in the Dark Faith, the expressions of interest in that same Faith, all wrapped up with a warning concerning the Prince's disposition. A warning which might be easily read as a threat: Misbehave and you may end up in the same difficult situation as those previous Bishops, Ms. Patience. There's no doubting it. This Boyle is a clever snake. Patience almost respects it.

    Indeed, she's wary enough of the Hierophant's intellect and intentions that she arrives armed tonight. Beneath her long, gray overcoat—a heavy affair, worn and stained with rough use, frayed at the ends of sleeve and collar—she is strapped with two bowie knives, honed to murderous sharpness. She's also, openly wearing a flak vest over a black t-shirt. Black jeans are tucked into black boots. Her hair is pulled back into a tight bun.

    The Haunt lets herself into the temple and stops to survey the main chamber, as much to assess the space for any immediate threat as to take in the ambience (which she finds distasteful). The candle flames stir the Thing, a skittering sensation inside her skull, like roaches seeking shelter when a light is turned on.

    Satisfied that there is no imminent danger, Patience approaches the altar, her boots scraping across the floor. Long silent moments as she looks over the names inscribed there. Her dead eyes raise to take in the message above the altar itself. She scoffs.

    Burn it all.

    Perhaps another night. There is information she requires. And a threat to measure. Spotting the door at the back of the room, Patience approaches and knocks with heavy hand.

    "Mr Boyle. I am arrived," she calls out, refusing to enter until he has permitted it. Walking into rooms uninvited is a quick way to end up ash.

    Equipment: Reinforced Clothing, Flak Jacket, 2 Bowie Knives, Cell Phone
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  3. Aug 6th, 2019 10:15 AM #3
    T
    Thomas Boyle

    He hears her approaching. Heavy footsteps on the floor, equally heavy knock on the meeting room door. Thomas rises from his chair and opens the way for Patience, taking at once all her visible combat preparedness and the weaker monster, one who should be put in its place.

    "Please, call me Thomas. This is a temple after all, offering refuge from worldly matters like honorifics" It was beneficial to occupy the brain with words. Otherwise, he might feel insulted that the Nosferatu either intends to kill him or expects hostility from the Hierophant.

    A wide gesture is made, inviting the Sanctified to enter the back room and sit.

    "Can I get you something? Tea, perhaps? Or maybe you fancy a game of chess?" Despite Patience's blunt manners and barely hidden disrespect, this Ventrue will remain a proper, civilized host. As he should.

    Thomas will tend to his guest's expressed needs, and only sit when she is seated.
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  4. Aug 6th, 2019 12:12 PM #4
    1
    Patience's Avatar

    Presence
    (Blunt)
    Contacts
    (Street)
    Patience

    Nosferatu Curse
    Something is...off about Patience’s face. Or is it her body as a whole, the way she carries herself? Something’s not quite right in any event, though you can never seem to say exactly what that may be. A subtle asymmetry of her features, an odd cock of the eye or twist of the lips? A barely detectable wrongness in the set of her limbs, in the rhythm of her walk? An unlocatable strangeness: it’s all the more disquieting because that ‘something’ can’t be named, tracked down, and assigned a place. In fact, it seems to change moment to moment, depending on where she is in the room and where you are in relation to her.
    -1
    NOS
    2
    PRE

    If she breathed, Patience would gasp at the sudden appearence of a stronger predator. Luckily, she does not breath.

    Still, it takes a moment before she can reply. There is a swarm of termites in her head, in her guts. Gnawing at her insides. "Thomas, then," she finally manages through gritted teeth.

    Patience moves into the room at his invitation, taking in the general disarray. Something about her presence makes the space seem suddenly wrong. Worse than it had been before.

    "Tea?" The very idea is preposterous. "No." A pause. "Thank you."

    Patience takes a seat and her coat falls further open. The butts of each Bowie knife, sheathed and strapped to either side of her body, come into view. She does not make a move to hide them.

    "I do not know how to play chess."

    Those eyes, excremental brown, stay fixed on her host. She's studying him, unabashedly.

      What's he Feeling? 3 suxx
    Date Action Roll Result
    2019-08-06 12:04:41 Patience rolls 5 to What's he Feeling? Wits2 + Empathy3 (10 Again) 5, 1, 10, 10, 10, 1, 5, 7 3 successes

    "You wrote about forging a relationship," she prompts, leaving it at that.
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  5. Aug 6th, 2019 01:57 PM #5
    T
    Thomas Boyle

    Thomas is like a botanist, studying an unknown, potentially poisonous flower. He is wary, yes, but above all he is curious - studying Patience's features, her movement, words and tone. An impassive glance is given to the knives' hilts, but it shifts quickly. If the Haunt wanted to use them, she would have done that by now.

    "That's a shame. I could teach you, if you want - it's great for staving off the withering of the mind that comes with years" It is worse with Kindred than mortals. A mortal man of senile mind will just sail into oblivion and then die in peace. A vampire will go to sleep, only to watch everything he's built dead and gone.

    But there's business to discuss.

    "I did. You see, I would like to review options with you, of which, it seems to me, you have two. Option A: you kill me right here and now. Apparently you came prepared to do just that. I have tricks up my sleeve and I won't go down easily, but assuming that's what you want... you can kill me, no witnesses, and then spend the next few weeks or months trying to kill Mable, Hanna and Domina, all Crones in good standing in this city, every one of which will be harder to best and hide the deed. Eventually, you will be discovered and either destroyed or chased out - and in our place, more Acolytes will come, whereas the Church... well, third time is a charm, isn't it? I cannot speak for the Prince, but I wouldn't be surprised if she imposed heavy restrictions on it, or even outright ban it. The Dark Faith would never take root in the city, all because of misplaced bloodlust" Quod erat demonstrandum. Thomas' face assumes an almost pained look, as if he'd be genuinely sad to see this state of affairs happen.

    "Option B: we cooperate. You are more than welcome to impose your... 'teachings' on any mortals not claimed by the Circle, as well as proselytize among the undead. You can frown at me in Court and talk smack during Midnight Mass. You let us do the same. At the same time, we share intelligence and trade resources, as well as make sure that people of faith hold as much influence in Sacramento as possible"

    The Lord leans back in his chair, but he is not quite done talking.

    "So, knowing these two options I ask you: do you wish me, the other Circle members, or the property and mortals under its protection any harm?"

    The question is accompanied by a prolonged stare, not unlike the one Thomas himself was subject to a moment ago, as the Malkovian opens his third eye to the ebb and flow of mystical energies surrounding Patience. With any luck, he'll gain deeper understanding of the woman's emotions and just how much truth her words bore.

      3 successes
    Date Action Roll Result
    2019-08-06 13:26:20 Thomas Boyle rolls 9 to Aura Perception (Int + Emp + Auspex + WP - 3 for subtle shifts in the mixtures of colors and patterns) (10 Again, WillPower) 3, 2, 3, 3, 5, 9, 5, 10, 8, 6 3 successes

      3 successes
    Date Action Roll Result
    2019-08-06 13:27:12 Thomas Boyle rolls 10 to Detect lies (Int + Emp + Specialty + Auspex) (10 Again) 10, 8, 2, 7, 7, 7, 3, 1, 7, 8, 6 3 successes


    Aura reading is contested with Res + Comp + BP. The roll to detect lies is contested normally with Comp + Subterfuge
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  6. Aug 6th, 2019 04:04 PM #6
    1
    Patience's Avatar

    Presence
    (Blunt)
    Contacts
    (Street)
    Patience

    Nosferatu Curse
    Something is...off about Patience’s face. Or is it her body as a whole, the way she carries herself? Something’s not quite right in any event, though you can never seem to say exactly what that may be. A subtle asymmetry of her features, an odd cock of the eye or twist of the lips? A barely detectable wrongness in the set of her limbs, in the rhythm of her walk? An unlocatable strangeness: it’s all the more disquieting because that ‘something’ can’t be named, tracked down, and assigned a place. In fact, it seems to change moment to moment, depending on where she is in the room and where you are in relation to her.
    -1
    NOS
    2
    PRE

    Patience catches that glance at her knives. His lack of reaction means this Lord has some grit. She can respect that at least.

    "Too subtle a game for me," she replies. Patience knows herself, knows her strengths. Subtlety is not one of them.

    Thomas, however, is as subtle as they come. The haunt hears him out as he lays out 'her options.' Her only reaction is to grace him with one of her 'smiles' when he mentions his assumption that she's come to murder him.

    "I am not here to kill you, Thomas. I came prepared. For anything." She reaches under her jacket and draws one of her knives. Holds it loosely in her right hand, letting it find its balance. It is a motion that speaks to a profound familiarity.

    "Honestly? You should take it as a compliment. I don't arrive to meetings with idiots armed like this." She raises the blade, touches it to her forehead in a sort of salute.

    "I will not play games." Chess or otherwise. "I do not hold love for your...beliefs. You and your kind are heretics. And you actively damage the workings of God's plans for the Damned with your teachings."

    She lays the knife blade across her leg slowly. Takes her hand away. It balances there.

    "But. I do not intend you or your people harm. That would not be wise, given the Faith's current position in Sacramento." And, in the end, Patience believes that the survival of the Church, and her survival as its servant, is more important than crusades. For the moment.

    "So there it is, Thomas. Feel better?" Patience knows the answer is most likely 'No.' She does not particularly care.

      Resist Auspex, 2 suxx
    Date Action Roll Result
    2019-08-06 15:55:27 Patience rolls 8 to Res3+ Comp3 + BP2 (10 Again) 5, 4, 6, 8, 5, 2, 10, 3, 2 2 successes
      Contesting Detect Lies, 2 suxx
    Date Action Roll Result
    2019-08-06 15:59:32 Patience rolls 4 to Comp3 + Subterfuge1 (10 Again) 9, 4, 4, 8 2 successes

    Patience's aura is a swirling mass: dark blue dominates, but is shot through with bright red and gold. From all indications, she is not currently lying.
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  7. Aug 7th, 2019 03:10 AM #7
    T
    Thomas Boyle

    There's that anger again, just like Garcia had. Do all Church members have auras like that? The other two colors pretty much confirm his suspicions - Patience is extremely wary of her surroundings, and is here probably only because she feels a duty to her God and her Church. Very well. The Ventrue can work with that.

    "I stand to gain absolutely nothing from harming you"     He states flatly. Why would he? The reverse of his argument also applies - if Patience disappeared, more Sanctified would follow, and if the deed is ever discovered... no, Thomas has come too far in establishing the Circle as a steady presence here to be thwarted by needless crusades.

    The Lord watches in quiet focus as Patience unsheathes the knife. As if he needed any more proof of her proficiency with weapons. But the notion of damaging the works of God... now, that brings a faint smile to his lips "That is a compliment. An omniscient, omnipotent deity, stopped in its tracks by me" It made him giddy. If he existed, Yehovah would certainly be pissed about cooking all of Thomas' 'family' alive and all the other things he did. Good thing he's just a metaphor "But the truth, as I understand it, is that gods aren't nouns. They're verbs, which implies power far different from what people imagine. And in the end, we're all headed for the same entropy"

    But time for apologetics and arguments will come, for the moment politics need to be conclusively moved out of the way.

    "Like I said, I don't expect you to love me, publicly or otherwise. But we stand to gain from cooperation" He says. His previous attempts at establishing relationships proved fleeting - the Church perished too quickly. Will it be different this time? "You may have noticed the lack of Sheriff, Seneschal or Harpy at the Formal Court. And that the only Dragon who showed up was Dirt Nap, whereas when I came here the Domain was positively swarming with Ordo Dracul members in high esteem. The city is changing, and for the first time the power of the Invictus trembles. I don't know about you, but I'd much prefer Sacramento to be a city of the faithful, not just the rich like it has been" This alliance, if it came to be, would be one of necessity, yes, but there's some overlap too often ignored between the Church and the Circle - they both believe in something greater than them.

    "In fact, as a gesture of good will let me tell you of two properties that might interest you - the Moore House and the Necropolis. The first was apparently Church property, and important enough that they sent an envoy all the way from San Francisco to reclaim it. I'm sorry to say he botched the job" A head is shaken. So much potential, wasted because of a few clumsy words "From what I understand it is located in Florin. Now, until recently that Regency was closed off to non-Dragons, but now that the Order was stripped of it and is in such disarray... an entirely new opportunity presents itself" Opportunity. All Kindred love it, whether it's an opportunity to get rich, gain knowledge or stab your neighbor in the back "I don't know nearly as much about the Necropolis - only that it exists. The Prince refuses to reveal the entrance to non-Nosferatu. It was maintained by an adherent of my faith, and so I ask that you notify me if you ever decide to restore the tunnels"
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  8. Aug 7th, 2019 09:51 PM #8
    1
    Patience's Avatar

    Presence
    (Blunt)
    Contacts
    (Street)
    Patience

    Nosferatu Curse
    Something is...off about Patience’s face. Or is it her body as a whole, the way she carries herself? Something’s not quite right in any event, though you can never seem to say exactly what that may be. A subtle asymmetry of her features, an odd cock of the eye or twist of the lips? A barely detectable wrongness in the set of her limbs, in the rhythm of her walk? An unlocatable strangeness: it’s all the more disquieting because that ‘something’ can’t be named, tracked down, and assigned a place. In fact, it seems to change moment to moment, depending on where she is in the room and where you are in relation to her.
    -1
    NOS
    2
    PRE

    Yes, Patience is angry. Always angry.

    "There is only one God, Thomas. And He is much more than a noun or a verb. For starters, he is jealous. And wrathful."

    Patience does not really believe in something so literal. In fact, her beliefs are quite a bit more complex, even if she could never fully verbalize them. Still, it serves her purposes to present herself as simple. And if she provokes the heretic, all the better.

    The knife is collected from her leg and sheathed in one smooth motion. Thomas's explanation of the state of the city is absorbed without comment.

    However, the news of the Moore House and the Necropolis are another matter. She sniffs in disgust at the mention of the previous efforts to recover the Moore House. Even among the Faith, there are fools. "I was in San Francisco recently. But only briefly. They are too comfortable there." That's all she'll say on the matter. "What happened to these last two Bishops you wrote of? I had heard that Garcia was still in the city. I wrote him a letter. There was no answer."

    But it's the Necropolis that catches her interest. Patience leans forward when it is mentioned. Her head bobbles on her neck, like she's missing some important vertebrae. "Did the Prince give any reason for not sharing its location?" What reason could Her Majesty, the Invictus Savage, have for protecting a former Necropolis?
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  9. Aug 8th, 2019 04:35 PM #9
    T
    Thomas Boyle

    Oh, the Sanctified vampire's comment provoked him all right.

    "... and terribly inefficient" Adds the Ventrue "... if the entire point is to steer mortals back to salvation, and fear was chosen as the most effective tool for doing just that - why vampires? Why create something that needs time to spread, can 'actively oppose' you or be ended by a clever hunter with a blowtorch?" Then again, maybe Jahveh was just a petty, vicious cunt "If there's only one way to worship God, what about all those mortals who never had the chance to know him? Wouldn't it be easier to just reveal yourself all at once to every being on Earth?" It would be, unless you treat the world as your personal terrarium, in which you keep all the ants that oh so amusingly cry for your help all the time.

    The Bishops? The Bishops!

    "They were both banished to the Barrens" Thomas does not sound happy admitting that fact, he kind of liked Exlibrist and Garcia. Still, nothing to cry over - they brought this on themselves "Apparently Adam Exlibrist, an envoy from San Francisco was very insistent on gaining access to the Moore House. The Prince didn't like it and exiled him. It didn't exactly help matters that he managed to insult the Seneschal just before" It brings the shadow of a smile to the Lord's lips. The story was so outlandish, it was almost funny "Garcia, my cousin, challenged our Whip to Monomacy over trading Prestation in his name. He couldn't have chosen worse timing though - in the middle of Formal Court, just as the Prince was about to choose her Keeper of Elysium?" A snicker is given. Again, no malice against Garcia - just that, in retrospect, it seemed so... unreal "He was banished to the Barrens, his Acknowledgement revoked. It was a really crazy night, I can tell you all about it if you want" Of course, it had very little to do with Patience's mission of reestablishing the Church - but that was the point. Assess the Haunt's natural curiosity, her... scope of vision "In any case, I haven't seen either of them in a while. I assume they either perished or have fled the city" Who knows? Maybe their desiccated corpses still lie, torpid, in some forgotten basement, only to rise one, ten or twenty years from now?

    Thomas doesn't flinch when Patience leans forward. His eyes narrow a bit, to focus better on her face. The visage still seems wrong, but if he wanted to study only pretty things, he'd become a gemmologist "I am not a Nosferatu" He says with an apologetic smile "Like most Necropoli, the one in Sacramento was largely inaccessible to those not of your clan. Apparently, the Prince's friendship with its previous custodian is strong enough that she holds on the secret, even if said custodian is no longer here, and the corridors only rot" Such a waste of potential! The number of possibilities a maze of tunnels all over the city presents is mind-boggling.
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  10. Aug 13th, 2019 08:44 PM #10
    1
    Patience's Avatar

    Presence
    (Blunt)
    Contacts
    (Street)
    Patience

    Nosferatu Curse
    Something is...off about Patience’s face. Or is it her body as a whole, the way she carries herself? Something’s not quite right in any event, though you can never seem to say exactly what that may be. A subtle asymmetry of her features, an odd cock of the eye or twist of the lips? A barely detectable wrongness in the set of her limbs, in the rhythm of her walk? An unlocatable strangeness: it’s all the more disquieting because that ‘something’ can’t be named, tracked down, and assigned a place. In fact, it seems to change moment to moment, depending on where she is in the room and where you are in relation to her.
    -1
    NOS
    2
    PRE

    "You would ask efficiency from God?" The Haunt almost looks amused. Except those shit-brown eyes are unblinking and deadly serious. "Not particularly wise, Hierophant," she chides. What can any of them know about Divine Efficiency? It would break the mind to behold. Even to consider.

    "I am but a servant, I cannot say what the Lord thinks or plans. Not my place. But my own dead heart?" She raises her fist and thumps her chest. It sounds hollow, like a drum. It is a bad sound. "That tells me 'salvation' is not high on the agenda." She gives her head a terse little shake and her jaw cracks. Thomas can see it come unhinged for a moment under her flesh. "Judgement. Punishment. Now that's another story."

    Her hand drops again to her leg. After that, she remains motionless, leaning forward, save for her lips. "Why vampires? I don't know. We are not in Hell. And we both should be. Praise God. So, we bring hell here. For those others. The living. Whether they've known the lord or not." Finally, a blink. Thomas can almost hear the eyelids scraping against her paper-dry eyeballs. "The Lord gave this mission to the Centurion. But even if he hadn't, his Will appears clear enough to me."

    The story of the Bishops does not elicit an immediate response from Patience. Has she not heard? But then: "Overreach and Pride." A pause: "Judgement and punishment."

    The middle finger on her left hand twitches. It looks like a worm. "I am not prideful. I am cursed twice. Like you, I am Damned. But I am not of your Blood. I am something very different. I have learned I cannot give space to pride." These are facts to Patience. Indeed, the basic facts of her existence. And she states them as such.

    As to how she will handle things differently? She does not say.

    Instead, she continues to stare at him. Her eyes bulge. Is something moving in her brown hair? A bug?

    "No. You are not Nosferatu. What must it be like to have your Blood." Is that a question? Is she trying to be empathetic or simply saying she wants his Vitae? Hard to tell. Patience is sorely tempted to give this Heretic Lord The Face, but the first time is always so special. Seeing what it does to another. She does not want to use it just yet on Thomas.

    "Do you think, if I asked Her Majesty for its location, as Nosferatu, that she would tell me?"
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