Seneschal's Meeting

[Kenneth Gilroy]

To say Gilroy was surprised to here where he was tonight would be an understatement. The Haunt never expected to be head of anything. Not of his Clan, not of his Covenant, not even of the university science department. It just wasn't something he had even considered to be in the cards. And even if it had been he would have thought it would takes years and years to build up the resources to be comfortable taking the position. Even after Angel had told him about the instability of the Domain. Even after the Reeve had given the history lesson and named off a dozen names. It just seemed inconceivable even with all that. But then Angel had to leave for reasons dealing with her Sire. Then a 'family emergency' had come up for Sergei. Which meant now Kenneth, of all people, was head of the Clan. It had crossed his mind to send someone else to the Seneschal's meeting but had eventually concluded that would be a bad idea. They were too new, and too unknown.

So now Kenneth was now entering a private room in the Nox wondering how he could feel this nervous without an adrenal gland. The instincts screaming in his mind weren't helping. He was wearing something he'd had to throw together quickly. Which was probably a good thing or he might have tried to style his hair again. As things stood, the quick combing had probably made him look less disheveled than normal. Grey dress shirt and black tie with an over coat. And new shoes. Kenneth still had bad luck in keeping his footwear in good condition. Gilroy normally didn't Blush as a matter of habit but tonight it was a very deliberate choice. Even without quickening the Blood he could almost feel the phantom sensation of his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Gilroy almost fled as fast as he could when the other monsters came into sight. For a second the Beast mind nearly won as both the primitive and logical minds aligned. He shouldn't be here. This was where the elite and the leaders of the Domain belonged. Not him. Tabitha's voice was yelling at him in the back his mind along with the hissing of the Kindred lizard brain.

Kenneth shoved it all away. The insults of his Sire, the yowling of the Beast, the cold arguments of logic. None of them mattered now. He was here now. None of them know your true power. He reminded himself. They can't see the weakness of your Blood. They only see the Curse. But even that has uses. They will underestimate you. They will try to use you and you can let them while gaining advantage. You can gain information. Knowledge is power and this is the central location for information.

Kenneth didn't take a breath to steady himself. He couldn't let them know. He took a mental pause.

"Good evening, Seneschal Harding and Reeve Wooding," Kenneth greeted the hosts of the event with a bow "I apologize if this is unexpected, but I'm afraid Angel Ducard has had to leave the Domain on family business. I have been named Nosferatu Priscus following her absence." Calm, stay calm. Just imagine you're watching a vivisection The worm of a Haunt met the eyes of his betters one by one before nodding. You're equal to them. Remember that. The glance to Josephine was slightly apologetic. He hadn't had time to inform her of the change in status. He trusted her to roll with the information though.

"Priscus Sterling; Priscus Roth; Priscus Regan; Priscus Cordoba." He named them in order of how well he knew each. Still odd that the Daeva came last in that list.

Kenneth took his seat, legs and arms folding like an insect's. A leech among peers.

[Josephine Sterling]

"If I may?" Josephine inquired, a sable brow rising with the question. In effect, the query was essentially rhetorical, seeing as how she was the first to speak to the Seneschals open invitation, but there was something to be said for propriety.

"First, allow me to thank you all for the kind greetings," she continued. "Secondly, there are two matters which I would like to share. The first is the most simple. One member of my clan, Gerald Baker, has been stripped of his feeding rights outside of the Barrens for the time being, so if you see him feeding anywhere but there, please report him to the Reeve. Secondly, and more importantly, there is a strange being, which goes by the name of Nefertiti Khan, that has set up an organization and infrastructure in Sacramento. She is interested in being the ruler of the city, though she is unaware of the Domain. Currently she is focused upon fighting a rival organization, the Society of Penelope, lead by a rival being, Ehtar. Khan is based out of the Merchant Bank of Ptah and Cole, so I highly recommend that you avoid it. As for her and her organization, they are being observed for the moment, but if you happen to run into any of their dealings, or the Society's, then please call the Reeve as well as myself.

"That is all that comes to mind," Josephine concluded, "aside from the belated congratulations to you, Seneschal Harding, and the invitation to converse privately, at your convenience."

[Konrad Roth]

Konrad nods to Chris and Juan. It seems like a while since he's seen the former. "Priscus Cordoba. Reeve Wooding."

The surprise of the hour shows up as Kenneth appears, bringing with him a vermin-like atmosphere that earns a sneer from the Savage. He rights his face as the Haunt offers an explanation. "That's rather sudden, but I guess it can't be helped. Good on you to step up to the plate," he remarks to Kenneth, changing his expression into a smirk.

Damn, must have been very short notice. It hadn't been that long ago since Konrad had seen the classy lady.

With everyone in attendance, Konrad finally takes his seat, listening to Katya and Josephine begin presenting the agenda. It's the first time he's heard anything regarding this Nefertiti Khan.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on Baker. And thanks for the warning. Are there any plans on the table as for what's to be done about this Ehtar and Khan? Negotiations or a call to arms maybe? I'd be happy to help the Reeve or yourself out if you need the support," he says addressing Josephine. Konrad makes a gun cocking gesture accompanied by a, "Cha-chunk."

His hands return to the table top and he glances over at Juan, resisting the anxious urge to drum his fingers.

[Chris Wooding]

Chris is both surprised and a bit disappointed at Gilroy's replacement of Angel Ducard. She was a good woman, a nice Nosferatu leader figure. But change will always come, so he just accepts things as they are. 'Good evening then, Priscus Gilroy.'

Then as Katya Harding starts the meeting he feels no need to add anything. And since his concerns are not really pressing he leans back and waits. It is hardly a surprise that Josephine speaks up first. But, as always, she knows how to shake things up.

The Prefect restricted to feeding in the Barrens, isn't that just classic Sacramento? And hi-la-rious.

'Good to know, Priscus Sterling. But may I ask why exactly? And if it's not a public matter, you can tell me later. I shall also inform Kindred patrolling the Domain.' He's not sure why he wasn't notified earlier, but it is a serious matter. Also, not quite so easy to enforce.

As for discussing the next step in the story of Nefertiti Khan, the Reeve is glad everyone is here. 'Thanks for bringing that up, and thank you both taking major responsibilities in this whole matter.' He says that to both David and Josephine. Then he turns to the others, 'To keep everyone up-to-date: some Kindred have met with Neferiti Khan and her entourage at the Crone Farm. She knows of our existence, she thinks I'm the leader of a group of vampires that have now chosen her side. So far, that has bought us some time. But we should keep the number of Kindred she knows as little as possible. Without her seeing us as a direct threat, this plot can be set in motion.' Back to the Shadow and the Lord, 'We should meet soon to see what our next steps are. Meanwhile I have taken care of some smaller Domain matters, but now I have more time on my hands again.'

Together with Vivian, Josephine and he had some plans already. Quite some time has passed however. Still, this is not a meeting for Khan, but for all Domain business.

'Those smaller matters also relate to some things I wish to discuss here, but I'll keep that for later.'

[Kenneth Gilroy]

"Thank you," Kenneth replied inclining his head to Katya, Konrad, and Chris as they offered him their condolences and welcomes

Gilroy took out a pen and pad of paper. His last visit with the Reeve had taught him something, after all. He didn't have much to add on the subject of Khan since this was the first he was hearing of it. Unfortunately he couldn't just stay quiet the entire time. Gilroy needed to play catch up and try to contribute. Still, he stayed silent as they all talk, until he could think of what he could say. It was actually Josephine's talk of Gerald's 'banishment' that brought back a memory of sitting in a car reeking of death. Hopefully any information he had wasn't out of date. When a pause in the conversation allowed, he finally spoke up.

"Before she left Priscus Ducard mentioned a homeless family of a mother, father, and son, and two men; possible bodyguards. This was in connection with Jacqui Cotouri and Rahyna, two Kindred trying to restore Tobias Straiphen to Princehood. As far as I know, no further investigations were done but it was thought that they were in the Barrens." He glanced over to Josephine. "To be honest I don't have much more information than that. Priscus Ducard spoke of sources but did not name them. It would be a hard task to track them down given their probable location and lack of information. However, if you feel it appropriate," it was her clan after all "Baker could be offered redemption if he investigates the lead to your satisfaction. He will be spending a lot of time in the Barrens anyway and it would give him something to do. I'm sure the chance to regain feeding rights would be very motivating to a search." He cracked a knuckle.

"Just a suggestion to consider," the worm added.

Addressing the the group. "As a tangential point to Priscus Ducard having to leave and giving me this partial information, I have a concern about the Domain. For the past several months I have been seeking out information on the Nosferatu Clan and Domain history in general for some time. My original intention was to search out the lost Necropolis. However, I am now convinced that it is well and truly lost and would take years to find." He gave a nod to the Reeve. The acolyte had been right after all.

"It is my belief that we are losing a great deal of knowledge because of the fluidity of the Domain's Kindred population. Now, there's not much that can be done about that but every time someone leaves we are losing history and expertise that could be useful later. Not just among the Nosferatu Clan but across all families and covenants. That can be at least partially remedied. I hope to construct a new Necropolis to hold information I have gathered so far. And unlike previous incarnations I would be willing to allow access to the annals and public spaces to Kindred in good standing. If you know any who would be able to contribute knowledge, I would be most appreciate if you would send them my way." Kenneth squirmed slightly, causing the bones in his back to grind against one another. The feeling he had had at Mass, of lecturing and treading on dangerous ground; it was back now with abandon. Steady Gilroy. This is what you intended from the start. It's just now you have to say the words instead of Angel.