Dark_RP

Bitter Crusade XIII
Dying Embers IV

The Death of a Dream...
And so Gregoire and Brother Mortius left the house of lamps, and silently walked across the deserted bazaar toward where Dragovich waited with their steeds.
He asked them what had transpired within the House of Lamps, and to an extent they told him, but also said that it would be bast for all the Company if they did not tell all. Dragovich, with some trepidation, agreed, and they mounted their steeds and began to trot back toward the Venetian Quarter.
They were half way back when upon crossing a small hump-baked bridge, they noticed a long procession of covered barges passing beneath into the darkness of one of the city's tunnels. They also noticed the three figures that stood together on the prow of one of the vessels. The Covenant of Three that they had met saving a tomes and scrolls beneath the burning monastery of The Divinity Within.
Malachite noticed and hailed them, and they returned the salute, saying that they were now leaving the city with what they could save of the Library of the Forgotten. Malachite also said that when they had met him beneath the monastery he had looked into their minds, and there seen that they had seen Michael himself, noting that he would not have permitted them to help otherwise. He asked that they tell him what it was that Michael had said to them, and they did, before the Covenant, their servants, and the Library of the Forgotten, passed into darkness.
Meanwhile in the palace district, Maelduin, Volund, and Baradeus approached the Grand Palace in search of Gregorius the Muse.
Upon arriving they found a force of Crusaders, some by the main gates to the palace compound, others gathered around the front entrance to the building itself, and among them was planted the banner of the Marquis De Monferrat, nominal leader of the Crusade, signifying his claim over the building.
At the gates they saw a Byzantine courtier with his attendants, demanding entrance and being refused by the guards there.
After pondering their options of getting into the sprawling pillared complex they decided to tether their horses down an alley and circle round the side of the vast Palace, hoping that the crusaders in residence there would not yet have the numbers to secure such a huge building.
After finding a suitable spot around the side of the palace they vaulted the wall, Maelduin going as far as to employ his newly learned gift of Obfuscate, and ran across the once-immaculate muddied lawns and gardens. Reaching the walls they begen to search for open windows, and finding none, proceeded around the back, and there found a servants door left ajar.
Creeping through the gardeners entrance and moving among the tools, the three Cainites ascended some stairs and found themselves in the rear of the Grand Palace. They decided to search the subterranean levels of the palace first, but there found only innumerable cellars, store rooms, and empty cells.
In the darkness of one of these store-rooms they decided to pause so that Maelduin could enact a ritual and summon a resident spirit of the place. The being that Maelduin summoned was a constantly transmogrifying and shifting humanoid form, composed in the image of the changing edifices assembled by the hands of man over the ages. It spoke in an unnatural sonorous tone, but Maelduin bargained with it, and the creature disappeared, apearing again but a moment later, telling Maelduin that there was but one other undead in the buiding, in the Sacred Hall, at the Palace's centre. Maelduin offered the spirit some of his own vitae and thus the power within, a moment later the spirit was gone. Maelduin relayed what he had learned to his fellows, and they set off for the Sacred Palace.
They moved steadily toward the centre of the building, their surroundings growing all the more rich and opulent as they progressed toward the ceremonial centre. Volund had asked Skoll to alert him if he smelled the scent of any other Cainites , and now Skoll stoped, and emited a low growl. The old wolf pointed them toward a gilded set of double doors. They approached silently, treading carefully in the marbled flooring, and reaching the doors, slowly pushed them open, illuminating the room within with the light of the torches they carried.
Inside the pillared sacred hall, sitting upon a golden thone, itself upon a raised dais, sat a man. He was dressed in a toga of Imperial purple, and held his head in his hands. Upon their entry he looked up, asking if they to had come to pillage his haven also.
He asked who they were and they told him, he replied that he was Caius, childe of Antonius, Basileus on the Antonian Ventrue.
Baradeus questioned as to why he sat alone in the dark while his city fell around him, he merely replied that all was lost, and Michael was no where to be found. The told him that they had seen Michael in an alley near the Venetian Quarter not long after first arriving in the city. Upon hearing this Caius rose like a mon posessed saying that he must find Michael, and they detected in his voice, not desire to see the Prince unharmed, but a simmering hatred.
He stormed up from his throne, his form strong and proud oncemore, and marched passed them, saying that he must find Michael.
Knowing that Gregorius would not be present in the Palace, as Maelduin's spirit had said there was only one other, they moved to leave the complex by the way they had come. But Baradeus followed Caius, saying that he would find them later.
And so they left the building the back way unnoticed, while Caius stormed for the front, his purple robes billowing about him, and Baradeus hot on his heels.
Caius reached the first group of Crusaders as they neared the front entrance, they stared in surprise as the Imperially robed Ventrue simply strode passed them. But they shouted, and another group came into the passage ahead of them, blocking their way.
Cius simply batted all ten of them aside and into the walls with bone crunching thuds, and continued on his way as Baradeus followed.
But the cries of injured men had summoned others, and so Caius drew his long sword, culling the men like cattle as he continued his progress. Yet more men came, and more, until spears and arrows assailed them from all sides as literally hundreds of Knights and soldiers fought them to near a standstill. The corpses were heaped high around Caius, who fought with the abandon of a man possessed, and Baradeus, now with his own sword drawn and fighting as hard as he could, many dying around him. But fight as hard as he might against the mortal soldiers, they were to many, and from a multitude of deep wounds, Baradeus fell to the floor, as the fight moved over him.
Caius continued, uncaring that his toga was now ablaze from fire arrows, and as Baradeus lifted his head, he saw the great Basileus go down, as Knights swarmed on.
Having been left for dead he found escape non to difficult, and ran for the side of the building, there encountering Maelduin and Volund, who hearing the sounds of battle, had decided to wait and see what became of him. And after Maelduin smashed his face in trying to vault the Palace walls, they returned to their horses to find them stolen by looters, and were forced to walk back to their quarters before the sun rose.
Once back there they found Dragovich, Mortius, and Gregoire, and as was their custom, they debated and discussed what had happened that night, until the rising sun forced them to sleep.
They awoke the next night, and after making ready, set off for the Kygnaeon Amphitheatre in search of Gregorius The Muse of performance.
They rode to the high city once again passing crusaders and deserted pillared buildings. At last they came to the semi-circular amphitheatre, one intended for oratory and not plebeian spectacles.
They were greeted by the sound of a gentle weeping, and saw on the tiers above, another man with his head buried in his hands. The slender man wore a white senatorial toga, and when he looked up to them they saw blood-tears streaming down his face.
He asked them if they had come to end his suffering, they replied that they had been sent by Bishop Alfonso to bring him back, and he said that his name was Gregorius, Muse of Performance, and that he would rather die than go back to perform for the Latin Bishop, for to de so would only validate his actions.
The Company, having already found they own distaste for Alfonso, now found them selves unwilling to drag the poor soul back to him.
Gregorius went on to say that he had so many sins to confess, and Brother Anthony, telling him that he was such a priest, agreed to hear it. Gregorius told of how he was partially responsible for Michael's maddness, having been using the arts of his clan to fill the methuselah's head with delusions of his own godhood, then, also breaking down to tears, Baradeus told the Malkavian that he too was guilty, for he had murdured Gesu.
Gregorius called Baradeus a murderer before returning to his weeping. Mortius told him that he could end his pain, and he agreed, and so the good Brother took to his throat, draining him of both vitae and soul before he crumbled to dust.
The Amaranth flowered within Mortius, but by force of his will he kept control, and heard words in his mind, in the voice of Gregorius. He has gone to his Temple, to ascend... Go, Now!
After pondering, the half maddened Mortius told of what he had heard, and Baradeus recognised the referance, the Church of the Archangel Michael.
And so they left the Kygnaeon with all haste.
While walking through the night on their way to the Church, Mortius sufered one of his mad visions, waking dreams of angels and Caine. After his customary convulsions he stood and began to recite what he had seen, when a cry was heard fromthe roof tops around them And Caine shall return, and he shall bring with him his twin sister, Calomena, and only the Chosen shall be saved!
With those words the man and his followers leaped down from the roofs, but Mortius, and the always crazed Gregoire, stood in awe of the man and his words, and as Volund cursed the name of this so-called "Caine", Brother Anthony lunged at him with his spear.
The cult leader landed before Baradeus, and fixing his dreadful gaze upon him, caused him to flee in mindless panic. The other cultists landed around them and began to strike at them with their weapons, but Gregoire, seeing that Volund had become enraged and was about to strike at Mortius, and knowing the power of the Einhejar's strength, decided to intevine. He thus employed the highest arts of Dementation to cloud the northern Gangrel's mind, causing him to lose all will and knowledge, and become as a child.
Maelduin, ignoring the cultists around him, went straight for the leader, and with a mighty swing of his ancient sword, severd his head from his already rotting body with a single blow.
Baradeus regained his witts, but seeing their leader dead, ghouled the cultists were running for their lives, and he let them passed.
Mortius regained his witts from frenzy and did Volund, but due to Gregoire's curse remained as a drunken child in mind.
After they collected themselves and fed on the corpses of those they had slain, they resumed their journey.
They reached the Church of the Archangel Michael at last, and Volund's mind was his own once again, though his wrath at Gegoire was still great.
They opened the doors of the great church, feeling the power of it's faith, and saw inside the glorious for of Michael himself, stood, as if in deep thought. His form was that of a majestic and beautiful angel, with an almost stained glass quality to him and great wings emerging from his back. He turned to face them as they entered, his breast plate gleaming in the light of his city burning that poured in through the stained glass windows of the chamber.
The First Pillar had arrived..
They bowed before him, and he explained to them that ha had been both the Father, and the Son in his time, and now he must become the Holy Spirit also.
Saying that The Dream can only live on through the destruction of it's physical forms, both the City, and, himself...
As he spoke the doors were thrown open once again, and in strode Mary The Black, full of fury, and pouring scorn on Michael as she came.
With her was another Cainite, one that Baradeus recognised as Peter the Humble, one of the Byzantine Lasombra. Mary turned to them, accusing them of being part of some conspiracy as servants of Michael, Mortius replied that she herself had foreseen that they would meet again.
Michael made no apology for actions in the past, saying only that they were nesassery.
Peter the Humble suddenly cried out that it was all his fault, and drawing his sword, lunged desperetly toward Michael. But Baradeus was too quick for him, and siezed his own weapon, striking out, chopped the man's sword-arm clean off. Michael turned away from Mary and invoked the full force of his majesty, causing all to flinch and bow before him. All save Mary, who looked at him with hatred in her eyes, and began to aproach him. Baradeud moved to stand between her and Michael, backing up before her all the while. When he could go no further Mary gave him one warning to stand aside, but Michael himself told him to let her pass, and Baradeus returned to stand with his fellows.
for a moment a look passed between the old lovers, perhaps something approaching affection, before Mary tore her veil aside, revealing her black skin, and bit deeply into his ancient neck with fangs. They fell together, and for a moment the Archangel seemed nothing more than a man, before his majesty returned with one last blinding brilliant flash before his form exploded into ashes.
Mary let out a guttural scream of pure anguish, and looked toward them. Peter fled the church screaming, and seeing frenzy in her eyes, the Company followed suit, only Baradeus hesitating for an instant.
They ran hard and fast all the way back to the Venetian Quarter, a great guilt upon Volund's shoulders for his flight, yet he knew he had no choice lest he visit the halls of Valhalla early.
Most of the Company was resolved to leave the Queen of Cities without another audience with Alfonso, and so Volund and Maelduin went alone to the Bishop's residence while others prepared transport back to Venice.
Alfonso was not pleased to learn that they had allowed Gregorius to die, and told them they had failed, for he wished Gregorius returned to him. Upon further impudence he told them that they and their Company were never to go and never again set foot in his city once again.

Exiled from Constantinople, they sailed as torpored cargo with Dragovich to watch over them on a loot-filled vessel back to Venice.
As they arrived many ships were being unloaded on the Venetian docks, all filled with Byzantine treasures.
The Company hired rooms and refreshed themselves before seeking out Prince Narses, Archbishop on Nod.
In his grand villa on the edge of the Venice Narses heard their tales, recounted by Volund, he told them that they had acted well, and that if he wished for vengeance upon anything in Byzantium it was Michael, not Constantinople itself. He also said that they were right to be resistant to Alfonso's orders, for they were there as his agents, not as servants to Alfonso. Narses offered them the hospitality of the city of Venice for as long as they wished it, and then the characters were ushered away, where, at last, they were paid.