Abel and the Shield

[KuriousKrow]

Falling into darkness had been as simple as closing his eyes and letting the pain carry him away. Climbing back out of it was far more difficult. He could feel deaths grasp tugging incessantly, trying desperately to pull him back down into the depths. He was fighting to stay aware, to keep his train of thought, he desperately clawed his way toward to flickering light and finally deaths grasp fell away and Abel’s eyes flickered open.

He was in a dark chamber lying on a stone table the room was illuminated by seven flickering black candles. A man in a black robe stood over him muttering words and sprinkling a foul smelling powder. Abel was desperate to rest for a moment but he sensed something was amiss. The spell should be over, he was here awake and aware what was the Necromancer doing? Abel flew to his feet and darted toward the necromancer, only to be hurled backward as he reached the edge of the binding circle. Tumbling to the floor he hissed in fury.

‘Ah, so you are awake’ the man said quietly.

‘I am’ Abel replied, he took a deep breath was nearly overwhelmed by the smell of the powder. ‘What is that vile dust?’

‘Merely a precaution, I’d hate to be the first victim of your bloody campaign’ the necromancer explained. ‘The barrier will weaken over the next three hours, eventually you’ll be able to leave and this way, so will I’

‘You don’t trust me?’ Abel’s smile had the predatory gleam of a crocodile’s grin.

‘I’m afraid I haven’t survived in this business for the past twenty years by trusting anyone Lord Ashbury’

‘I am afraid you’ll have to forget that name’

‘I already have, farewell Abel may the gifts of blood and darkness serve you well, beware the sunlight’ Then he was gone his robe swishing across the stone floor. Abel slowly got to his feet a savage thirst suddenly taking hold of him. The Necromancer was wise to put up a barrier he thought to himself. A pity though, it would have saved time to simply kill the man now. His body roaring for satisfaction Abel sat down to wait out the barrier. Hours passed, his stomach’s complaints growing ever more painful.

Finally the smell began to dissipate and Abel crossed over the line of powder. He made his way through the tunnel and up a winding staircase. He emerged into a mausoleum, the Ashbury family tomb and crossed the chamber. It was still dark outside, but it wouldn’t last much longer and he had to feed. Slipping out into the night Abel took a deep breath filling his nose with the scents of the London. He could feel them all out there. Like glasses of fine wine running about on legs. He left the graveyard and made his way into a poorer district, he had to satisfy his thirst! A woman stood by the mouth of an alley, she was a whore, and smelled of sin. Smiling and offering herself to any man that happened by the world would not miss her, he decided. Abel whistled to her softly, standing just in the shadows across the street from her. She smiled and crossed the street, her hips swaying too much in a manner she must have thought seductive. Repulsed he forced himself to play the part.

‘Need some company m’lord?’ she asked sweetly.

‘I do indeed, I have a hunger’ Abel whispered.

‘Well now wot’ can we do about that I wonder?’ she said taking him by the sleeve and pulling him down the alley. Abel pulled her close and smiled she saw his fangs and tried to scream exposing her throat in the process. Her blood was sweeter than all the wine in the world. He robbed her of her blood, her life and her warmth her precious tingling warmth. He hadn’t even known he was cold until the blood poured down his throat and filled his stomach. It was glorious. When he was done he stroked her hair. She was younger than he thought and under all the grime she was pretty in a commoner’s way. He felt a pang of regret, but pushed it away. His vengeance was more important than she was.

 

[haremfaery]

Zahlena Deswa awoke to sunlight filtered through the lace curtains of her bedroom. She lifted her head from where it was pillowed on the smooth chest of the delightfully amusing young Major she at met Lord Robert's the night before. She sat up and prodded him with her foot.

"It is morning. Time for you to leave. I have things to attend to." She stretched luxuriously and the sheet fell to her waist revealing the creaming mounds of her breasts. She prodded him again.

"What?" He looked over at her and blinked.

Another prod, this time stronger. "You must leave. Get on your clothes and get out."

He frowned. "But--"

"My sweet dear, I do not have time to mollycoddle you this morning. I have appointments."

Still frowning, he got out of bed and searched the room for his clothes. Various articles were strewn about the room like breadcrumbs from the bed to the door. He began dressing.

"May I call on your again, Zahlena? Tonight perhaps?"

Zahlena sighed. "I do not know. I believe I am invited to Lady Marjorie's salon. I suppose you could be my escort." Indeed, she would not mind another night with the Major. He was handsome and stamina. "Come at eight."

He buttoned up his jacket and came back to the bed. He scooped Zahlena up in his arms and gave her a long deep kiss. "You are a very infuriating woman to throw me out like this. Perhaps I shall have to punish you."

Zahlena snorted. "Greater men than you have tried." But she smiled at him and kissed him again. "Until tonight." Then she pushed him away and climbed out of bed. "On your way out, tell James I'll have my breakfast up here."

She walked to her bathroom and shut the door.

----

Zahlena read the morning papers with her breakfast. A strange murder in Whitechapel. A prostitute drained of blood. And in the morning mail a letter from the Chief Inspector. It looked like The Shield would be called in to investigate.

 

[haremfaery]

Ooc Information

Vampires can create other vampires but only through necromantic rituals. As can powerful Necromancers.

They cannot create vampires just by sharing blood, if they do share their blood the resulting creature is 'Ghoul' a semi-feral vampire-like creature bonded to the Vampires will. Ghouls crave blood and unless commanded to do otherwise will pursue their hunger almost mindlessly. However they do not decay and many vampires keep a ghoul as a companion or pet. They may be beautiful, witty or graceful though usually only in the company of their masters. They have only broken bits of memory from their lives.

Older Vampires establish 'covens' or 'broods' and usually have contact with local authorities ruling over vampires in a given area to avoid being hunted singlemindedly.

Vampires are physically superior to humans and at their peak just after feeding. But they're not physically god-like. They perform at the very pinnacle of human ability in all aspects, think of them as being as fast as Olympic sprinters, and able to lift weights equal to the strongest competitive power-lifters. The one expanded aspect of physical ability is jumping I want to be able to leap further than humanly possible .

Vampires all develop one 'gift' similar to the 'wild magic' that some humans possess. It might be extra strength, extra super-senses or limited precognition or what have you.

They are vulnerable to holy symbols as these items weaken the Necromantic magic keeping the vampire alive. Faith in the symbols is besides the point the power comes from the materials, rituals and spells involved in the symbols creation and the ability of these things to disrupt said magic.

Sunlight doesn't kill a vampire instantly, but it weakens them significantly, (think rolling around on the ground in agony) instantly reveals to anyone looking at them what they are and will kill them if left exposed to it for more than an hour or so. The older the vampire the greater the weakness to sunlight.

Materials that Vampires are vulnerable to include: Holy Water, Consecrated Wood (usually Elm soaked in Holy water for Seven years and seven days), Sanctified Silver (but not regular silver) and dried Holly ground into a powder. If there are some you want to include please let me know.

The magic system is one of arcane symbols and elaborate spells. Studying magic is arduous and lengthy and fraught with dancer as spells may backfire, esp for new sorcerers. Chemistry of a sort is involved as well for making potions and physical spell components.

There is also wild magic which is more of an innate ability. Far less powerful, but the magic is easier to put into play. Those with wild magic might have powers of precognition, retrocognition, even something like levitation or psychokinesis. Those with wild magic who study sorcery can become very powerful by combining both methods.

 

[haremfaery]

Ooc: People, Places & Things

This is for other notes for me
Feel free to make your own bucket for your notes.

 

[KuriousKrow]

Abel wrinkled his nose in disgust. He was in the sewers beneath the city hiding from the sunlight, skulking he thought miserably like a rat. This would not do, he decided his first order of business was to find a suitable place to rest during the day. No simple hovel in White Chapel would do. As he stalked quietly through the warren of reeking tunnels beneath the streets he found himself moving steadily away from the East End.
He loathed the rabble that gathered there, the rabble that had spat on him, mocked him and robbed him when he was at his worst. Those mongrels would learn soon enough to fear the very whisper of his name!

Satisfied by the thought he turned down a side passage that he knew led to a more posh part of London. Somewhere he could find a decent place to rest. He came across narrow cleft in the wall of the sewer barely wide enough for a man to walk through turned sideways. This peaked his interest, it had the look of a man made tunnel and yet in this darkness before his change he would have missed the opening entirely. Only his newly empowered eyes had allowed him to catch sight of it.

Abel climbed into the passage and slide through it silently, the ruins of his once fine clothes whispering across the stone. His hand stretched out before him he found that even with his new powers he was groping blindly in the darkness. Then his fingers touched wood, a dead end? Surely not… he mused he gave the blockage a firm push and was rewarded when it gave way opening into a dimly lit chamber. Closing the heavy wooden door behind him he regarded the three plain walls before him. All three were identically non-descript, but there was a purpose to this place. It was an entryway he felt sure. His gazed at the floor looking for some sign of an opening but found nothing. Then he looked up and saw four slender cuts in the ceiling and a plain iron chain hanging high above the floor, far beyond the reach of any man he thought. Then Abel smiled.

A few minutes later he was in the cellar of manor house inspecting the family selection of fine wines. He didn’t approve of the choices, particularly their merlot 1833? Terribly underdeveloped vintage and it looked as though they’d already started on the bottle. How unfortunate, he would have to remedy the situation. He made his way upstairs and found the house was mostly empty, when he questioned a pretty but terrified chambermaid he discovered the Hightower’s were in Sicily on a much needed holiday.

That suited him well enough, as did the chambermaid. He took the time to feed her a little blood before she succumbed to blood loss it would be useful to have someone around to clean up, and he had yet to experiment with a ghoul. Hopefully nobody would miss her, though he very doubted anyone would question a chambermaid moving into the home of her new lord.

 

[haremfaery]

Zahlena finished dressing after breakfast and called James to have the carriage brought around. She would go see Chief Inspector Donal Swanson.

She strode into the offices of the Yard as if she owned the place. "I'm here to see the Chief Inspector."

She was ushered into a dark paneled office. The Chief Inspector stood when she came in. He could never get over what a handsome woman she was. He always felt like a bumbling schoolboy around her. He handed her a folder.

"We don't know much, but it's obvious, this is one for the Shield."

Zahlena looked over the coroner's report and the report from the officer on the scene. It looked like a simple vampire attack. A bit vicious, but nothing too horrid.

"We haven't had anything like since since Lord Byron flushed out that coven years ago. I'll alert the Shield and we will look into the matter. It would not do to have another infestation. Are their photographs?"

"Yes, but, miss, you really do not want to see them."

"Indeed, I do. Do you think, Chief Inspector, that I have become head of the Shield by turning away from harsh realities. Do no think to protect my womanly sensibilities." She held out her hand so she could inspect the photos.

"I am certain this is a vampire, and a lone one. However, it would not take long for him--or her to create a coven." Zahlena handed the pictures back. "I will send someone with a report as soon as we discover anything useful."

She returned to her home to find the Shield's council assembled. They had many helpers, runners, aids, thugs even, to help. She related what she learned from the Chief Inspector.

Plans were made to questions the prostitutes who worked in that area to try and get a description. Many times they spoke more freely to people who were not police officers. Especially when money was liberally used to grease the conversation.

Zahlena handed out vials of holy water and amulets of protection of her own making. "Be careful. Report back to me immediately should you discover anything. I have an engagement tonight, but James knows how to reach me."

The group left. Zahlena spent the next few hours strengthening the protections on her home and reminding the servants of various rules in terms of guests.

She ate a light meal, took a brief nap and then dressed for the party at Lady Marjorie's. She had a taliman tucked into her dress at her left breast and a small pistol loaded with sanctified silver bullets.

Major Bramwell arrived at the appointed time and the two left for the party. She still had not heard anything from her scouts.

((Zahlena's Day Dress. Evening gown, except it will be a deep green to set off her hair.))

 

[KuriousKrow]

Abel had decided to attend a party. The invitation had come early the previous afternoon, it was written in flowery melodramatic prose, needlessly lyrical, it seemed the passing of years had done little to diminish high societies need to overcomplicate. He selected a stylish suit from the wardrobe of the houses absentee master, though he'd since found the deed locked in a safe and arranged for it to be put into his new working name, 'Lord Arthur Ashbury' a distant relative of the late Lord Ashbury, some ten years his junior recently come into his in heiritance and title.

The Necromancer had indeed done his job Abel was confident that he looked too young to possibly be Lord Ashbury, who at this time in his 'life' would be just past 40. The remarkable resemblance was always explainable, distant relative was often a cover for 'bastard son' in the Court though that may have been stretching things a little he had confidence that the thirteen years he'd been withdrawn from public life would have faded most memories.

Dressed for the party and eager to immerse himself in the world Abel strode forth into the night climbing into his newly acquired carriage, the ghoul that was his driver giving him a nod and setting off.

 

[haremfaery]

Zahlena arrived at Lady Marjorie's on Major Bramwell's arm. They were announced and entered the ballroom. Zahlena was not the most beautiful woman in the room but she had a commanding presence. Once she conversed with a person, especially a man, they would discover that she was possibly the most fascinating person in the room. Her travels and varied interests made her a charming conversationalist. That she spoke numerous languages made her coveted at parties with international guests.

She chatted with people as they passed on the way to the dance floor. She adored dancing. It was a passion of hers and the major was an excellent dancer, or else she would have never asked him to be her escort.

Finally, they were on the dance floor. The two moved gracefully together. Some astute observers would surmise they were lovers by the way they rested their hands on each others' bodies.