Dark_RP

Having encountered both pure faith and utter corruption the coterie left the the liberated town of Alcoi and it's grateful lord behind them and with their attendants once more took to the southbound roads.

Half a year had now passed since the Shields of Solomon left the holy city of Jerusalem for the warring kingdoms of Iberia. In search of a scholar and a sacred text.
Through Girona, Zaragoza, and Pamplona they had followed the elder Cainite's winding trail in service to his ancient sire, a trail that had now led them to Toledo, city of swords and capitol of the Kingdom of Castile.
The city was sprawling, cosmopolitan, and militarized. Its fortifications stood tall and idle armies rested in the staging grounds outside the walls. The spirit of the Reconquista was in the air there.
They went first to a property owned by Diego who had briefly relocated to the city after his embrace and now based his business there. As Diego discussed mercantile matters with his ghoul Lorenzo went out into the night seeking other Cainites. On his wanderings he found one, a Cappadoccian named Calixtus with the look of an apothecary but the smell of a grave digger. He informed Lorenzo of the city's large population of transient Cainites and that as a result not all were required to present themselves, but those newcomers that did wish to could take a room in one of three inns while informing the innkeeps that they wished to see 'the seneschal'. Thanking him Lorenzo returned to Diego's and informed his companions.

They then visited one of the establishments, the Forgetfull Foreigner, and did as Calixtus had instructed. The inkeep seemed to know what they meant and provided Lorenzo with a secure and shuttered room for the day. The next night he was informed that Lord Valesco, Toledo's seneschal, would be inspecting the tiltyards behind the central Alcazar keep for the first part of the night.
Lorenzo gathered up the others from Diego's house and headed across town to the Alcazar.
Once there in the shadow of the keep among the tracks and stands only two figures stood out beside the mortal workforce. One was an older man with a stately bearing wearing red robes and a hat, the other was a dark haired slightly younger seeming man in an expensive black cloak and armour. Assuming correctly that one of them may be the seneschal they approached and introduced themselves in the traditional fashion. Lord Valesco accepted their names and asked after their business. Sadly he had never heard of a Cappadocian named Leocrates but as he was explaining this the company spotted a black-clad figure with it's face covered drop down from the roof of one of the stands opposite next to an area where the workers were gathered. Heedless of onlookers the Arab-looking assassin sprinted across the track with supernatural speed and a curved sword at the ready. He seemed to make straight for Valesco but the seneschal and the scourge, standing with their backs to him, remained unawares until the Shields reacted. Diego placed himself between the Valesco and the assassin as Ulrich readied his weapons.
The attacker struck hard and fast with his blade slicing past Diego's parry but opening himself up to a powerful strike from Ulrich.
The scourge and Lorenzo then reacted and joined the fray as the seneschal leaped back from his would be killer. The assassin tried again but Valesco's fearsome gaze dissolved his nerve and he attempted to flee evan as as the Diego, Ulrich, Lorenzo,and the scourge all hacked into him with their weapons, before the later landed a killing blow, severing his head.
Shaken, Lord Valesco thanked them as the scourge introduced himself as Umberto De Verdad of the Lasombra. The Toreador seneschal invited any of them that wished to enter the Midnight Tournament in five night's time and assured them that should he hear anything about this Leocrates he would relay it to them, adding that should they require any work or favours while in town they should look into where the assassin had come from. Umberto, meanwhile, promised to visit Diego privately in his haven.

Afterward Ulrich, Diego, Esteban, and Vlad all approached one of Valesco's ghouls to put their names down for various events at the tournament as Lorenzo decided to seek out the Cappadocian Calixtus, having been told where to find him by the seneschal.
Soon enough Lorenzo found himself on a dark street by the Christian necropolis. The old wooden building stank of rot and decay and as Calixtus invited him in he could see apothecary's herbs alongside dissected corpses on stone slabs.
Unfortunately for the Shields he did not know anything of his itinerant clanmate, though the name of Leocrates was familiar to him.
As he left Lorenzo felt as yet unseen eyes upon him, though when he turned back he saw nothing.
They knew from Roque that their missing Cappadocian had a contact in the city he needed for something but beyond that the details of Leocrates' visit were still a mystery to them.