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The Shields of Solomon met the Nosferatu, Moussa ibn-Yacoub in the shadows at the edge of the plazza outside the Grand Umayad mosque.
Beneath the starlit sky the night time streets of Damascus were still busy. Bazaars thronged away from the looming mosque, but that was not the direction the direction that Ibn-Yacoub would lead them in.
Instead they headed into the densely packed slums of the infamous Haddad Quarter. The winding dirt streets were narrow there, overcrowded with the poor and the homeless. Eyes seemed to watch them from every shadow and a fetid odour hung heavy in the air.
Eventually they came to the hashish den of Al-Habib, a lamp-lit smoke filled basement that the Jewish Nosferatu assured them housed one of the many access points to the hidden Baali tunnels.
The proprietor, an overweight mustachioed Arab man, stood in the corner by the door to the back room. Moussa explained that his usual method of entry there was by stealth, but as that was not an option for the group he suggested that either force or supernatural persuasion would have to be used. Opting for the latter Diego and Lorenzo approached Habbib and the Iberian Lasombra attempted to dominate him. The Baali servant however proved to have a stronger will than expected and threw off the discipline's influence, drawing a knife on then in response. Lorenzo quickly stepped in using the madness of Malkav to addle the man's mind before they bundled him into the back.
Beneath the hashish den a narrow staircase stretched down into darkness beyond a rusty iron trapdoor. Taking an oil lamp with him Ulrich went first as the rest of the Shields followed him. The tunnel was cold and narrow and they walked single file by the light of the solitary lamp. Eventually, as the tunnel descended the crude brick-lined walls gave way to wider, rougher, passages that looked as if they had been clawed out of the earth by hand.
The Nosferatu led them deeper as the temperature began to increase and the snaking passage became wider still, this time walled with large even blocks of stone.
As they came to an ancient looking pillared arch flanked bearded statues Moussa Ibn-Yacoub signaled that he would go no further, and after some last words of advice disappeared back into the darkness of the passage behind them.
They moved carefully onward, passing freezes and symbols carved deep into the stone walls as a foul stench began to noticeably permeate the air. It was then that Pi Tsering began to see a faint white light coming from the far distance in the darkness, and though the strange glow was not visible to the rest of the group the open third eye on her forehead was now plain for all to see.
Lorenzo and Diego decided to scout ahead, stopping only upon reaching a fork in the tunnel. Lorenzo pressed on down the larger passage while Diego returned to fetch the others.
As Ulrich, Pi, and Diego began to catch up the Malkavian passed another great carved stone archway and began to see the flickering glow of torch light ahead, accompanied by the crescendoing howl of tortured screams.
Shrouding himself with obfuscate Lorenzo crept forward, peering out through the mouth of the tunnel. What he saw was a scene from hell.
A large circular chamber stretched out ahead of him. In its centre yawned the mouth of a deep round pit, loomed over by an ancient looking bearded horned statue. The smell of putrid offal was overpowering.
Still obfuscated Lorenzo entered the chamber and saw three filthy bloodied figures. One stood, seemingly chanting, by the edge of the pit, casting in what seemed to be fresh human organs. The other two were nearby, one of them recumbent and screaming on a wooden table while the third gleefully sliced at his chest with a curved blade.
Hoping the others were not far behind him Lorenzo decided that it was time to act. Rushing forward he shoved the first cultist into the organ pit only to see him absorbed by the slowly writhing bloody mass it held. Turning around now his obfuscate was broken he saw both the torturer and the tortured advancing to meet him with weapons in hand.
Two other figures, wrapped in course black robes emerged from the the darkened archways that surrounded the chamber.
Seeing the angry green fire dancing on their fingertips Lorenzo broke and ran for the way he had entered.
As he passed through the tunnel mouth and back into darkness he found himself confronted by a smiling figure - himself. The dark Lorenzo smiled still wider, bearing extended fangs, and lunged at his horrified twin.
Ulrich, Pi, and Diego had passed the fork in the tunnel, guided onward by the strange light in the Salubri's vision before finally approaching the chamber of the minor pit.
There was movement ahead in the shadows and the sounds of a scuffle. As they got closer they saw Lorenzo, alone, writhing around on the floor with his fangs extended. Pi was the only one that saw the truth of the situation and the dark half conjured forth by the Baali and moved to help, while Diego and Ulrich saw the Baali priests and rushed forward to engage them.
Balefire lanced out at Diego burning undead his flesh before Ulrich raised his shield for cover. In turn tentacles of inky darkness sprang forth at Diego's command and attacked the Baali, breaking their concentration and freeing Lorenzo from his dark twin.
The Shields of Solomon then surged forward as one as brutal fighting erupted between them and the infernalists.
The melee was furious, bloody, and close quarters with the two Baali priests using the full array of their abilities to try and keep their attackers at bay. Soon enough though the priests and their cultists lay slaughtered on the ground, but the coterie still had to act fast. One of the cultists had blown a crude horn before a tentacle crushed the life out of him. Knowing that they had only intruded upon one small part of a vast network of tunnels and pits the Shields followed Pi into one of the cells where they found the tortured and drained form of Bahjat chained to a wall.
As the others broke his chains Pi used her clan's art of Valeren to partially heal the distressed Cainite. Ulrich then slung Bahjat over his shoulder as they broke into a run, hurrying back down the tunnels and making toward the surface.
It was then that the chase began. A pack of frenzying ghouled mastiffs charged out after them as they passed the fork in the tunnel tearing at their heels and forcing some of the group to fight them off before they finally reached the stairs to the hashish den.
When they emerged Al-Habbib recognized them and yelled in rage, drawing a large knife from the folds of his filthy robes.
In response Ulrich threw the oil lamp down in the middle of the densely packed establishment instantly setting the place ablaze and causing utter chaos. Resisting Rotchreck the group managed to flee the scene with their senses intact, scattering into the winding streets of Damascus and making for the tavern where they had been lodging.
It wasn't long before elements of the city guard began searching the city for them, beginning at the tavern. It was time to leave Damascus and most of the coterie wasted no time in doing so, bribing guards at various gates before rendezvousing on the road back to Jerusalem.
Back in the Holy City Bajhat was delivered into the care of Aisha and Nahum at the Al-Salahi hospital. The Salubri's physical wounds may have healed but it would no doubt take many nights for the mental and spiritual scars left by the Baali to disappear.
