Constantinople by Night

The fourth crusade at our gates

Maybe soon a sight outside our walls.

The armada, The Fourth Crusade, is on its way. We have just got the message that the sails of the first ships are seen at the horizon. About 30.000 soldiers is heading this way to take Constantinople.

It was one month ago we got the message about an armada gathering outside Venice. The pope had declared the crusade. Some forces made them change dirction from Cairo to this town. We now know that the Lasomba lies behind that. We also know that Inconnu as a whole has joined in.

I got the proposal just a day after the message about the armada. I was asked to join Inconnu and as reward get a position in the town after the take over.

A few of us gathered at the chantry and we started planning on how to meet the coming days. After a couple of days discussions, research and talking with important persons, we found that the best action would be to meet the armada as they stormed our battlements. We would try recruiting as many friends and loyals as we could. Simon had contacts all around and he will have about 40 elite soldiers at hand for himself. Olov have been talking with the werewolf society. They are not amused by the army heading this way. So we settled a truce at least until the end of fighting. They will take care of any army heading toward us on land and outside our walls. I have studied the drainage and sewer tunnels under Constantinople for many days searching for ways in and out under the city defences. The sewers have drainages out in the harbour. Some badly defended by rusty bars.

Ive studied in Taggelitos library searching for information about The Inconnu and when there also about Golconda. I´m more and more reluctant to see Inconnu as a good force. The sad thing an attack is the only way to shake Mikael awakened out of torpor. In the long run the way of healing Constantinople. When they give the signal I will let them in. Until then I will battle the foe as everyone else in my own way. My knowledge about the underground connections will help me set up a form of guerilla warfare if the enemy breaks thru the walls. A couple of smaller forces can be led from unbattled parts of the city walls in to central spots battling the foe there all the time being one stap ahead. I will also do my best to help the wounded and the dying. Maybe this is the time for me to find my path to salvation.

At fire

And so I must tell you about an embarrassing thing happening to me. One day when we studied in the big library of Taggelito I forgot the time. I was so deep into my findings I didn´t see the sun rising. The others had gone to sleep when I managed to drag myself outside. That really hurt. I started to run for my haven. I know the sun don´t hurt me as much as the others, but when the sun started to burn my body I got into rötschreck and panicked. I headed for an ally to find shelter. there I found a door that I tried to break thru. Didn´t work so well. Must have been of iron. I bounced out in the ally again. Another door. I opened it and found me surrounded by a huge family. Children, elderly and what must have been the head of it. I screamed for help and the father took me into a room away from sun. But I must have panicked again as next time I came into conscious I stood at marketplace in the open burning. At the last moment I saw a well and with the last of my energy I threw myself into it to get out of the sun. Down there I bid my time until next night.

Strangely I was soon recovered. When I entered the chantry they had all heard about “The burning jew”. That I must have been possessed by something or maybe that I am a demon. If they only knew. I told them all that thirty minutes in the sun just feels bad. Only problem now is I wake up every day finding my wounds being back. I can make them go away by spending blood but that doesn´t work every day. I would soon drain out if I tried.

Bael also had his encounter with the sun as he flew out over the see a little to far out. He was watching for the ships. The sun wounded him quite bad ut he´s doing ok.

Now we are waiting for the battle. Not fun at all. I really hate death.

The house of Simon had burnt down. We all knew what had happened. The hunters had found his haven because of him being tainted. We talked it over and agreed we must do an investigation of the site to see if the arsonists had left any traces. But cautious as we are we knew this place where sure guarded by watchful eyes.

Our plan was now to find traces but most to lure them out. I took the part of being bait. But I also knew I was good as investigator.

I walked in among the smouldering remnants of Simons house. First it felt like a small tingling but it soon started to pinch as by acid. The ground was made hallow and I stood amidst it all. Suddenly the ground gave away under me and I fell. A trap. And a grating locked over my head.

Now I started to feel a lot. I felt shame and mostly guilt. The feeling was so intense I started crying. My body shivered and I just wished to disappear. Probably the most horrible time ever. I tried to escape by attacking th grating but it was to high up and to heavy to move. It was all well planed.

Suddenly I heard footsteps closing in on me. A face looked down on me: -“I´m James, he said!” So the one we tried hunting had captured me. My devouring feelings couldn´t hinder me feel hope even as the guilt felt as strongest. A trap within a trap. We had calculated this. Now we got James.

Now it was up to my companions up there. William showed himself a true master bowman. James must have had a lot of protection from above. Still William scored a perfect hit. James went down on his knees. One more shot didn´t do much extra thou.

A group of soldiers had followed James. Bael took one of them down with a flight attack with his silver spear. He´s pretty good with that. Wonder where he got his practise?

William continued attacking by conjure lightnings over our enemies. Only one of the soldiers seemed alive.

Now Simon entered the scene. First he opened the hatch, jumped down, grabbed me and threw me out of the hallowed area. Then he jumped up again and charged James head on with his sword. During this Bael took down the last of the soldiers. An ugly sight. But relieving.

James still looked calm and he made some gestures and said some prayers over the arrow William had shot him with. As if shot by a bow it flew back at William and hit him. William answered by loading a new arrow and strain the bow, only to feel the string snap. The bow was useless. It was now all up to Simon.

Simon struck at james with a mighty blow by his great sword. He hammered james to the ground. William tried another lightning at james but it seemed he now had some sort of shield against that. I tried to make James sleepy, but the holiness of James made me backfire and I got in a torpor. But James never did get a new chance. Simon where on top of him and made another forceful hit. Just as his life left him James voice said powerful: -“I forgive you all!”. As his soul left his body the others were struck by intense feelings of guilt and force attacked them from above. Simon was shaken but did manage. Bael have since started to behave more and more brutal and without conscience. William have got a new derangement. I made it as I was already in torpor. For a month it would seem if no one could take me out of it.

James was dead. But it came with a high cost.

Next night William tried to wake me up. Elder blood is said to make that happen. As we don´t have any William tried another potent blood. That from the werewolf they encountered two nights ago. He administered a heavy dose. It didn´t work.

William then tried to contact me in his astral form. As I also have that power we could start communicating. He offered me the one solution. I had to drink his blood to get out of this. I didn´t like it but I recognise a good gesture and I didn´t realy have any other option but to stay in torpor. So I drank the blood.

Later that night, after everyone have had a chance to feed, we got the message from a Lasombra: -“An armada is coming this way! The fourth crusade has changed it way and is now heading towards Constantinople. It´s a plan made up by us the Lasombras. We can´t find any other way to wake up Mikael but make havoc in the town. This will stir up his dream enough!”

Now we have to do the best of the situation. There will be bloodshed, the town will maybe burn and lots of knowledge, culture and history getting lost in kaos. We started planning on how to deal with this.

First of all the library of William and the huge library we once entered in must be saved. Then we must weaken the armada enough to make it just strong enough to take the town, but weak enough to not break it down. A force made up by people loyal to the armada should try to open up the gates and meet the attackers. We must take over the position of the emperor by replacing him with someone of us. Then try give the throne away to the second in command of the armada to divide them. When they´ve got installed the army must be weakened once more. Enough to give it problem keeping the town. Once more nesting us into the house of the new emperor and take over the town. All other parts weakened and hopefully Mikael awakened.

Isn´t that a plan!

The night started as so many other nights with hunting. At least for Bael, Simon and William who all started for blood. I went on a trip around the city, moving thru the catacombs to count the probable holy men gathering in town.

After a couple of hours I had counted three groups of at least a dussin men in each. So we could estimate that the town now held between 40 and 50 men looking for undeads. And one among them was hunter James.

We met back at the chantry. After a while William felt that something was wrong. He got a feeling of something bad closing in. Someone or something must have found us and we started to speculate about it. I thought about Simon who I now knew was tainted. Holy men can feel that.

We got ourself into position. Bael on the roof, I at the gate down to the sewers, and the other two ready at the main entrance. But nothing happened. I then saw my chance to test astral walking. Now or never, I thought. So I did what should be a walk thru the door out on the street to see what was there. I managed to hang on to the silver cord and seconds later I stood on the street. Outside stood a man with a plain face looking all around. Suddenly he stiffened. He grabbed a small drum he had in his belt and started to drum at it. A moment later he turned around at watched at me. I didn´t think straight. i just walked back into the house without thinking on that I just told him where I came from. William reacted like a lightning, cloaked himself  and Bael who came right behind. They started follow the drummer who fled fast targeting the high city walls.

Simon and I took the sewers and followed the other two that way. And so we got separated as two pairs.

William and Bael followed the fast running man all the way to the city wall. There he climbed up the stairs and jumped down at the other side. William tried reading the runners aura and made sure he was a werewolf. As that garou now knew the location of our new chantry he had to be stoped. Bael, who earlier had got his hand on a silver spear, flew up and took speed down at the garou as if he was battling a dragon with his lance held firm. The hit was truly brutal. The spear nailed the warewolf to the ground with such force that he died instantly. bael then took the body, still stuck on the spear, and flew up in the air.

Back at the wall William cloked them all and started to collect the potent warewolf blood in a sanguinus vial. But bael had had a drop of it in the air and starts getting into a frency. He couldn´t hold himself back. William tried to calm him with all his power but failed. Bael attacked him snatched the vial and flew away towards the woods outside city. William couldn´t do anything more but collecting the silver spear Bael forgot and take care of the body before leaving for the chantry.

Meanwhile Simon and I tried to follow when suddenly they came down to a huge water cistern. Standing there in the darkness, in an opening into the dark void, they saw a group of men poking around, probably searching for kindreds. Simon choose to attack.

He took of like a projectile targeting one of the men, leaving me behind watching what would come. And down in the dirt he went. A true belly flop. The target got so stunned by the acrobatic act he broke down. Simon rose and paried a swordblow and in the next moment that swordsman was no more. Simon got into frency.

One of the men wielding a huge morningstar opened his lantern and threw a powder in. The flashlight was blinding. That would have taken out most kindreds sight for a while but I have gotten some resistance against daylight and Simon must have closed his eyes in frency, because next moment the morningstar man was torn into pieces.

This is when things could have got realy ugly. A third man thrusted a silver spear right thru Simon who went down on his knees. I jumped down and used my newly found powers of putting people to sleep. The man fell down in the water face first. Simon, still in frency, got a blow by a sword but the sword didn´t give any damage at all. The swordsman died quickI held down the head of the sleeper under the water and contemplated the next move. When he softened enough I dragged him up. Not much life left in that body, but after a while he came by.

Simon and I started to try finding out if the man had any knowledge where to find hunter James. Simon tried Murmurs of false wind without success. He even got hurt as the man seems to be somewhat holy. I tried to read the mans mind with telepathy. Nothing. Then I tried to follow where the weapon he held had been to see if I could get a glips of the latest days. But I got picture of its creation instead. Hammered under a flow of holy water. Newly made for this mission. Simon started to intimidate the man and after a while we got an adress. James was in one of the churches in town. Simon got a picture of where.Simon, William and I met at the chantry later that night. Bael stumbled in just before daybreak. in time for the sleep.

Thsi was the first part of hunter James closing in on us.

Next night we had someone hammering our chantry door again. Who could it be? Had the hunters found us? was it an army of werewolfs? No. A monk. And surprice! He invited us to Malachai. We where to arrive two hours after midnigt.

We all started to feel the effekts of deja vu. This time some of us had other things to do. I was invited to gabriel as his companion seemed to have catched an infection or something.

Before gathering at the chantry this night Simon had been at gabriels place. He´d been given a girl for pleasure, without knowing she was close to Gabriel. Something went realy bad. Simon got frency and seems to have backfired. She had wrong hair color and Simon must have passed over a desease.

When I examined her she was in a bad state. I had one option to cure her but as I couldn´t tell Gabriel the procedure he wouldn´t let me close to her. Islyn is her name by the way.

During this time the rest of the gang, excluding Tagelito who went over to his library, walked the underground again. They arrived at Malachai lair. He told them to step in. After a short while they understood he didn´t remember the last night. He started it all over again, talking about an alliance. This evening ended quickly. Up at the ground they intercepted the turqouise fiddler again. Gabriel tried to talk with him. The fiddler started to talk about an elephant. How some of us related to it. Tagelito stuck up its ass. Simon trying to take over the brain. Gabriel swirling arround it looking at it.

On the way back from the library Tagelito encountered some men gathered around a fire. Later we found another group close to the graveyards where Tagelito has his nest. Something must attract these men. We talked it over and came to the conclusion these men are holy and are attracted to traces of evil like demons and that kind. Some could be tainted by such forces. Tagelito sure is. But I understand Simon must be infected too. That´s how they come so close to our chantry. They can feel it.

The day ended with me getting access to Islyn as I told Gabriel I wouldn´t touch her blood. Little does he know what I did, but she´s free from what harmed her. My way is painful. Before healing myself I had bad injuries myself. I now also understand Islyn got infected by Simon. He´s next to get a treatment. I hope it won´t hurt as much this time.

William traced the holy men. They are out demon hunting. Must mention William now look like an ugly elf. What´s happened to him? I wonder what he realy is.

The city guard  told Simon that Hunter James is here i Constantinople by order of the Vatican. At the moment we don´t know where he is. But we´ll find out.

Our situation is somewhat complex. On one hand we have werewolves and hunters after us. On the other hand we have this problem with the reality. Ater much discussion we believe there could be a Ravnos weaving in his or her reality into our. It could be Mikael or a malkavian, but the most knowledgeable and the more experienced members in our group, bet on a Ravnos. An old one.

This is the situation at the end of this night. Lets see what the next brings us.

The problems in Constantinople keeps adding themselfes up. There is a new problem. Redundancy. Things keep repeating themselfs.

Take the monks for example. A couple of nights ago someone knocked at the door at our chantry. A monk in all his garment and a well cut tonsure told us our family where welcome to Malachite two hours after midnight. I reacted at once as he designated us a family. Malachite must now see us as one. A positive sign.

Before entering the dungeouns down to the nosferatus we took some time hunting. Simon got unlucky. The woman he found had dyed her hair. That´s not good. I believe he must have blood from woman with the right color. How weird isn´t that?

We entered the small tunnels and I showed the group the shortest route. We had to push thru some newly dug holes. Gabriel started to grunt about the smell and dirt. As usual. He´s such a wimp coming to that. Now this was when things got realy strange.

The violinist in turqouise

First we heard laughter coming from the tunnels all around us. Moments later our path was blocked by a man sitting down, playing a violine, clad in turquoise clothings. He played improvised music. At least I think so. It sounded horrible. Next we heard werewolfs howling in the tunnels. I thought the man had drawn them down towards us. The man wouldn´t let go of the violine as I struggled to take it away from him. It only rendered me feeling numb, lost and crippled by apathy. I couldn´t guide the gang anymore. Rupert used his powers to dominate me and succeeded for just a moment. Enough to get me out of the trance pointing the way towards Malachite. We ran.

One of the obstacles we got in our way was the same stinking sewer we handled the first day in Constantinople. We had to get over it. Simon had to throw Rupert over. He used all his strength and away Rupert went. Right down the slime. Simon just stood there saying: -“I missed!” Rupert was sure of that. I believe someone summoned me over as I couldn´t take any initiative myself. My clothing won´t stop smelling even after the third wash. Now we where met by Malachites minions.

Malachite bid us welcome and we settled down for some chat. He told us he needed us, our family, to do something important. We set up a pact. When we asked him about the violine player and werewolfes in his underground domaines he looked much surprised. He had no information about anything like that. And he sure would know about such a strange things.

We travelled back to our havens with a lot of new questions unanswered. Next night would make us even more confused.

We arrived at the old chantry early in the night to find it compromised by at least two forces. Claw marks and clan symbols littered the rooms. That felt bad. But the worst happened when we found out that someone had hallowed a couple of rooms. When entering these rooms it did hurt like hell. Couldn´t stand it.

This was just too much. How should we cope with this?

But I had a surprise. I invited my friends down the sewers to a room where I had told Theresa to stay. The question was now what to do with her. I gave her as a “present” to Abertorius who I told could pass it up the chain to Tremere. In the end we took the decision to send our member who wish to be unknown with her to Tremere. A long journey. Our member who wish to be unknown (and have shown no way of handle his new gargoyle) was chosen because he was the only one capable of doing the journey. He would also take all the credits for capturing Theresa. I could also tell all that Achmet the salubri now was dead. Theresa have probably taken his soul.

Back in the chantry we talked about finding a new chantry and to hold it secret to all but the inner cirkle. But where to find one? During next days William used his connections and so did I. I didn´t found anything working. William came up with one place after another just to find them pure scams or not even worth thinking of. Rubbish. Then Bael started searching. Even though his last battles haven´t worked out that great he can sometime have good ideas. After some hard work he found a place that would work. In a secluded area, lots of rooms and possible to defend. We have made our first room there ok now. But it will take a great effort to make it a palace.

The passage between the chantries

I started to find ways to connect the old and the new chantries underground. There is now a fast lane connecting them. Fast for the ones who know them that is. There will be one of Baels gargoyles stationed in the old chantry and two in the new one. The old will still be our official meeting hall at random times. The place for meeting those we are not sure about. The hallowed rooms must be unconsecrated and tydied, and one more hole in the roof must be mended. But it´ll work. Eventually.

To be a night that started so bad it ended well. I´m happy.

This was a rather serene night. Bael had to hunt. His thirst is gross. So he tried hunting in town instead of hunting cows at farmyards outside the walls. He really did well. A couple of times. Then he was out of luck. Of all creatures in town he had to hunt down a garou. The lupin gave him some serious wounds before Bael had to escape. This is the second time he have got beaten up by these wolfpeople. He now have the idea of getting glowes of silver with metallic fangs on. Could do. I also suggested he wear a silver breastplate for some extra protection. And it will look good too.

William had to study. He studies a lot. Wonder if he can find a way to do astral fights. Sounds interesting. But I wonder if this knowledge is pure kindred stuff. He once mentioned faefolk he had met. And I can´t put my finger on it, but he´s not himself. As Abertorius yes. But when out of that role he´s something new.

I had to do some serious meeting. I was on my way down to Malachai when I was intercepted by Theresa. She handed herself over to me so that I could give her away to Tremere thru Abertorius. I choose to wait until the next day when I could deliver her as we all should meet back in the chantry. Felt strange that she came to me for this.

And so this night was over.

Three in our group gathered in the chantry of clan Tremere. The chantry leader Abertorius, Bael the Gargoyle and Obadiah of Salerno. The talk of the day cirkled around the future of the clan in the city, contacts in the city, work to do and the future of the chantry building.

Just after the talk had begun We all felt a strange presence. Bael touched the wall and detected something huge  crawling on the roof of the building.

Abertorius fell to the floor just after telling us to guard his body. Afterwards he made us understand he had tried to battle the creature up there. It had failed.

One of these we fought

Bael then did, as he allways does, jumped up, flew thru the ceiling and began battling whatever was up there.

I and Abertorius joined just some seconds later. My first try to reach the opening in the ceiling didn´t work out that great. I really must practise on jumping high. We saw Bael getting beaten up realy bad. Close to incapacitated he managed to fly away. He left us two non fighters to battle the huge creature. It was the lupin I then remembered being wispered about in the streets.

This was the first indication of my power. I just bounced the big wolf to the ground. Abertorius then started to shoot arrows of silver at the beast wounding him badly. Sadly to say we lost him as he fled among the small streets.

The day ended in more talks about enemies and the future of the chantry which secrets now seemed comprimised.

Abertorius and Bael told me about Helena the Armenian, child to Belisarius, and her contact with turkish gangrels. Sounds bad. She might be after her sire Belisarius, the oldest Ventrue in town, to rule in his place. But Belisarius is defended by no other than Shaba, a female assamite. Some in our group had previously rescued a lasombra girl from the prison of Shaba. Shaba had told the group not to tell Belisarius about helena trying to get him out of the way. Helene has some kind of hook on Shaba. It´s very confusing.

We decided to talk about these things the next day. But it would take one more day until we could.

Omnipotent in a vampiric way

From now on I fear nothing! In my mind I can´t see anything that would realy hurt me. For what is flesh but nothing. Agony and pain won´t have any power over me. Now I can succéed in my mission in Constantinople without anything interupting me. From being but a small jew I´m now a force to be reckon with.

I believe I can be more than just a tool and just a little less than a god. I´ve tasted the power of being a vampire. I´ve seen my true essence. Nothing can be more fulfiling. It´s just a wonderful feeling of being so alive.

Thinking something like feeling secure among Nosferatus might seem foolish. But I do. Relatively speeking that is. I met Malachai down his underground empire lastnight. I believe we have some interests in common. I´m sure he, as every kindred I´ve met so far, have his own agenda, but at least he feels stable. When I think about it I like the idea of comparing him with the rocks that the city are built with. The fact that he can walk thru the walls doesn´t make that picture less accurate. I believe our give and take deal is a win win situation.