Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[K0mori]

Once inside the beautiful mansion, Mariette went about the party in a more reserved manner than Aleister, although she still politely introduced herself a few times anywhere she thought she might have overheard something useful. It began to dawn on her that she might have sensed something more than vampire shortly after their arrival, but there were so many of her kind throughout the property that it was like a smoke screen. After a while without being confronted, Mariette began to wonder whether Cassandra was at the gala at all. She began to relax a bit, and spent a bit of time simply taking in the incredible architecture and decor; the place was far more impressive on the inside than it was on the outside, and in fact, was more sumptuously decorated than her own estate at La Cygne. That was undertandable, since most of Mariette's income from her winery went back into the business. Having wandered away from the rest of the inquisitors, she found herself standing at the bottom of a staircase, quietly examining the intricately carved newel at the end of the handrail.

 

[Infab]

The newels and railings seemed to be made of a fine, polished dark oak. Professionally carved, it seemed. As Mariette looked over the newel, someone appeared near to her on the staircase itself. A woman in a suit, with a derby hat and a cane. "Enjoying the party, Countess?" she said, as she leaned on her cane and offered Mariette a wide smile. The one and only Cassandra. "Its not often we have such large gatherings like this of our kind. A rarity, really, since most of our guests here are from foreign lands." she continued, straightening up and looking over the crowd of people gathered in the main hall and central room. She then looked back to Mariette. "...Don't worry. In case you're wondering, I'm not here to kill you and the others. In fact, I simply want to talk to you and our flamboyant friend." she said, giving Mariette a wink. "And no, this isn't like before. There won't be a horde of ghouls to rush in and kill your companions...and it won't be these wonderful people either."

----

As Valeria and Rosanna walked about, Rosanna noticed that the group had lost both Aleister as well as Mariette in the crowd. Hopefully they could fend for themselves. They were among their own kind, so they were a bit safe unless Cassandra was lurking about somewhere. Eventually, Rosanna turned around and found herself bumping to someone in uniform. "Oh! Pardon me, good sir." she said, trying her best to muster her best Southern Aristocrat accent. Valeria glanced back as she walked, just to cut her a look, before noticing just who she had bumped into.

The Colonel.

He turned about, and smiled. "Ah! Wonderful to see you again." he said, before looking over and spotting Valeria. "And Lady Witlock! You clean up rather nice, you know that?"

 

[Viper Actual]

With the party starting Galina had decided to lead the patrol back towards the mansion. She told Erwin and Theodore to sneak around the back while she would scout out the front entrance.

Galina walked around the corner casually. She nodded towards the guards. "Calm evening, eh?"
She stopped next to two of the guards and crossed her arms. "Keswick is getting real anxious. I don't blame him, it's bad enough that we have to sit around and babysit these vampires."

Galina glanced at the two men. "Did you hear the story behind them?" She lowered her voice and leaned in. "I heard that they are somekind of rich secret cult. Apparently they are throwing this celebration right ontop of their stash of gold."
She shrugged. "Keswick didn't think it was worth taking the chance. I however am inclined to disagree."

Galina grinned. "How does the word 'payday' sound to you, boys?"

 

[K0mori]

The sudden appearance of Cassandra caused Mariette to flinch, arms half-raised, but ultimately didn't cause her to leap back or do anything else foolish or clumsy. "H-hah!" she reacted, wide-eyed and terrified as she forgot every imaginary conversation she had thought up on the ride to the gala. It took a moment for the pureblood's words to soak in. "...This is ridiculous, you know," she finally spat out once she had suppressed the shivering tremor throughout her body. "I came to Grimtham because I thought I could get into these inquisitors' heads and make them realize that not every vampire is a ghoul or a villain, and then you showed up and I've been so, so viscerally scared of forces I never intended to cross. Maybe you realize that I cast that spell in Bromwich in an effort to save my life, but I was ignorant of the strength of your 'gifts' and once you were gone, I realized this whole adventure has been a terrible miscalculation.

"Their plan, obviously, was to track you here, kill you, and then figure out who your employer is. But since we crossed paths the first time there hasn't been a moment that I haven't felt trapped in whatever your plan happens to be. I've been mentally steeling myself for death to come this whole time, just..." she added, theatrically snapping her fingers, "out of thin air, like you just did. I beg of you, woman, if you aren't here to set my mind at ease with this 'talk,' if you intend to turn me against those ill-guided inquisitors or to poison my mind further with that Romanov blood, then we are destined to be enemies and you ought to just grant me a swift end. A higher power than you has assured me of this."

Mariette was exasperated and pathetic, and despite her best effort to express her utter desperation, she expected Cassandra to show no sympathy. In fact, if anything, Mariette expected to be laughed at.

 

[Infab]

"...a higher power, huh?"

Cassandra's smile had faded during Mariette's rant, and now she simply narrowed her eyes. "...Countess, the moment you stepped into this building with them, I knew you weren't going to kill them. I'm not worried about turning you and Aleister against them anymore. I'm getting someone else to deal with them. And the Romanov blood was to give you a taste of what you COULD have. I gave you some to show you what being a pureblood felt like. If you don't want any more of it, then that's fine. Just more for me."

She leaned on the cane again. "...I was planning to introduce you to my employer, as well. He's here, you know. In the building. In fact, he's right upstairs through those doors." she said, tilting her head in the direction of the double doors at the top of the staircase. "...Do you want to be a pureblood or not? I'm offering you and Aleister the chance to join the club. All it takes is a simple handshake." She then straightened up. "If not, then you can remain as you are. If that will ease your mind, and keep you in line with your 'higher power'."

--------

The two guards cut Galina a look. "Stash of gold? In this place?" said one, looking to the other. "Maybe. These big plantation homes always got places to hide money in 'em." said the other.

--------

Valeria stepped up to where the Colonel and Rosanna were standing. "Good evening, Colonel Wallace. I hope you're enjoying the gathering." she said, giving him a curtsy. He bowed in returned. "I am now, Lady Witlock. Things always seem to pick up when there's an inquisitor in the building. And you've brought company too, so that makes it much more grand."

Valeria raised an eyebrow, before responding. "So why are you here exactly, Colonel? Decided to stay for the festivities? I figured you'd be heading back towards the garrison in Peltragow, or checking in on the situation in Porthcrawl. I hear the plague is getting rather difficult to manage down there." she said, glancing about before looking back to the Colonel. He nodded. "I am intending to head back to Peltragow with my men soon enough. I decided to stay and lend assistance here during the party. You know how the local rabble loves to try and get involved in high society affairs."

"Indeed." said Valeria. He seems awful comfortable with all of them being vampires too. There was a moment of silence between the two of them, before the Colonel spoke again. "How did the investigation go in Bromwich? I heard you ran into something rather nasty there." Valeria nodded, eyeing the Colonel. "Yes, we encountered a woman by the name of Cassandra Bainbridge. Vampire whom apparently turned into a pureblood. We're still investigating into exactly how she achieved this, as well as why she didn't simply just slaughter us outright."

The Colonel nodded, looking between Valeria and Rosanna. "Interesting." he said simply. Rosanna then spoke up. "Her trail lead us here. To Tresomin. Seen anyone 'round dressed like an inquisitor?" The Colonel went quiet for a moment, seemingly thinking. Finally, he responded. "...Can't say I have, ma'am. I've been too busy helping out with the security for this event. Helping get the mercs in line, and making sure the troops are prepared in the event they're needed."

 

[K0mori]

Mariette felt dizzy as Cassandra offered her what she wanted more than anything else. Morgane had warned her that she would try to twist Mariette's mind, but even with the goddess's words, even when imagining what sort of horrible deal might be attached to a "simple handshake," the agony of walking away made her feel as if the fiber of her very being was coming undone. She shuddered again, rubbing her eyes with her hand as she searched for the right decision. Walking away now wouldn't just deny her of her greatest aspiration, but it would also prevent her from learning the employer's identity the easy way.

Suddenly, a question she hadn't asked before came into her mind, and it felt so obvious. "Why? Why are you inviting me and Aleister?"

 

[Infab]

Cassandra looked at Mariette for a moment, then glanced up towards the ceiling. Thinking. Eventually, she just shrugged. "Why not? Power's power, and I like to share." she replied finally. "You could do whatever you wanted, and there isn't a damned thing any of these miserable excuses for mortals could do to stop you. And you can walk in the daylight. Feel sunlight on your skin again without it burning the flesh off your bones. That was the first thing I did when I became a pureblood. Just run around in broad daylight for three days straight."

 

[K0mori]

"Power's power, and I like to share."

Mariette stood silent for a while, as if she expected Cassandra to elaborate, but there was no further explanation. Just talk of romping about in the sunshine...

...for the first time...

...in over a century.

Face to face with a goddess, Mariette hadn't shed a tear at the majesty, but at such a simple notion, one she had dreamed about for nearly her entire life, a tear rolled down her cheek and onto the floor. Gods damn me, for being such a coward, so weak-willed, making promises I can't keep. Maybe Camille is right about me. Maybe she ought to have killed me on sight. But she didn't, and we'll both have to live with that mistake. "That..." she finally said, breaking into quiet and choked, agony-filled laughter, "that's not an answer. But the funny thing is- I don't really care." She outstretched her arms gently in a gesture of surrender. "Aleister is better than me. He'd never agree to this, but moi? I couldn't live with the thought of what might have been."

 

[Infab]

Cassandra grinned. "I knew you wouldn't turn it down. Right this way, Countess." she said, motioning for Mariette to follow as she climbed the staircase. It was a short trip to the top of the staircase, to the double doors that silently awaited them. When Cassandra neared the top, she paused to wait for Mariette to arrive before opening the door and letting her inside. Then, she stepped in herself, and shut the door behind them.

The room itself seemed to be a study of some sort. There was a fire going in a fireplace, with several dark oak bookcases full of various books. A man stood reading what appeared to be a newspaper, likely from down south in the mainland of Atraca. He was dressed in black slacks, with a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Over the shirt, he wore a red silk vest. A gold chain hung losely from one of the pockets on it, obviously that of a pocket watch. His hair was light brown, swooped straight back over his head as if it had been freshly combed.

"Sir, I would like to introduce you to Countess Mariette Desrosiers de La Cygne." said Cassandra, stepping over to where the man was standing and smiling as she stood her cane before her. The man turned a bit towards Mariette, looking up from his paper. He looked middle aged, maybe late fourties, and he bore a freshly trimmed beard. His brown eyes were almost piercing, as if he were looking THROUGH Mariette instead of at her.

Cassandra spoke again, waving a hand to the man as she looked to Mariette. "Countess, I introduce to you Lord Joseph Dorian Ashwood. Duke of Peltragow, and my employer."

 

[K0mori]

The climb up the stairs was quickly over, but felt longer than the entire day to that point. Mariette wasn't entirely sure what to expect beyond the doors, but visions of demons or other unholy things swam in her mind. There was simply no way that someone would hire Cassandra to kill the inquisitors unless they were some kind of harbinger of evil doom. Regrets tangled with optimism, fear with hope, and all sorts of mixed up feelings ran roughshod through her psyche and left her feeling restless. When the doors opened and she was instead presented with an ordinary study with a (seemingly) ordinary man standing in the middle of it, Mariette was very confused. Had Cassandra tricked her? Then, she said his name, and Mariette was even more confused. Why would Duke Ashwood want the inquisitors dead? And how was he related to the "handshake" Cassandra mentioned before?

His gaze made her feel very uncomfortable, as if she was suddenly learning that all her life's experiences were an ignorant delusion. She bowed. No matter what, at the very least the man was a duke and therefore was owed her respect on the basis of rank alone. "M-monsieur, it is an honor. May I ask what... what is going on, here?"

 

[Infab]

Ashwood cut a look to Cassandra, who seemed to be actually scared of him. "Sir, this is one of the ones I was telling you about. A potential candidate to join us." she explained. "...Right. It is a pleasure to meet you, Countess." he said, setting the news paper down on a nearby desk before walking over and returning her bow. "I was enjoying a little time to myself, before I draw some of the guests down below up for a chat. It seems my associate here felt it right to squeeze you in before the others...which is perfectly fine, really. I'm sure she's eager to have new friends." Cassandra frowned a bit. Wow, he makes it sound like I'm a petty child.

"That is why she brought you here, right? You wish to become a pureblood, much like she has become and like me?" he asked. His eyes shifted from their brown color to the typical vampiric red, before shifting back. "Though I'm a natural pureblood. Cassandra was converted into one. And I can do the same to you, if you wish. The price is your assistance in a project that I'm working on."

 

[K0mori]

Mariette's eyes lit up when the Duke revealed his true nature. Now, things were beginning to make a bit more sense. There were still many important details missing, however, and the most obvious issue was the true price entailed.

"I'm interested," Mariette replied, slightly dreading the answer.

 

[Infab]

"Excellent. The project details are as follows." he said, walking back over towards the fireplace. "I seek to tip the scales. Convert standard vampires into purebloods. I also seek to place these purebloods into positions of power throughout the kingdoms and nations. Thus, vampires would eventually take over leadership in these numerous places. I believe I heard somewhere that you wished to create a haven for vampires in Escaria, correct? Think that, but across the continent." Eventually he stopped, turning back to face Mariette. "My ultimate objective, however, is the elimination of the Divine Church, and the Vigilant Order. Cassandra has been a great help in achieving that goal, as you know. Both, along with the various hunting groups scattered throughout, are massive obstacles in the path of achieving vampiric control over the kingdoms. With them out of the way, we can run things as we see fit. No more stubborn, ignorant humans lording over our kind. Deeming whether we get to live or not."

He paused for a moment, then strolled back over. "That's as simple as I can put it, really. Still interested?" he asked, waving a hand towards Mariette.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"Celestin Megumbi." was the name that Jakob used to enter the manor, playing the role of a prominent western sea trader that dealt in exotic goods from the continent far to the west. Using his swampfolk heritage in his favor. Hiding his accent was an easy task, since it wasn't as pronounced as Rosanna's, and coming up with stories based on what little knowledge he had on the west was even easier. Jakob, at some point in his life, was good at making up bullshit. He always wanted to be a lawyer, after all. He was fascinated with the party, but slightly worried by the amount of vampiric guests. If they caught the attention of the vampires, then Jakob would be a walking show for some of them, being from far and exotic lands. As well as a walking feast for any vampiric guests he caught the eye of. Some attempted to even strike up a conversation with him.

"I assure you sir, the Mansa will never run out of gold. If you feel adventurous enough, you should feel free to invest in the region." he said, with an extravagant and exaggerated accent as he talked among a quite interesting group of vampires. He then looked about the party, before noticing that Rosanna and Valeria were close to a familiar face. "Excuse me, my friends. I need to talk to some people. Enjoy your party." he said, while excusing himself from the group. He headed straight to Valeria's side, before whispering in the Inquisitor's ear. "Can we trust the colonel?"

 

[K0mori]

"If it's truly a simple matter to turn vampires into purebloods, then there's no reason we should tolerate human domination any longer... so, yes. Yes, I'm very interested." Mariette looked as tense as a tightly-compressed spring. She glanced at Cassandra and then back to the Duke. "I told her I would do anything to become a pureblood, and what's better is, I support your cause. Our cause."

 

[Infab]

"Most excellent, then." he said, with a nod. He looked to Cassandra, who was now wearing a big grin. "Shall we shake on it, then?" he asked, holding out his right hand. There was nothing peculiar about his hand, though maybe the ring he was wearing on his ring finger seemed rather old. Ancient, in fact. Appearing to be made of obsidian with an emerald embedded into it. It was quite lovely, actually.

 

[K0mori]

Without hesitation, Mariette shook the Duke's hand.

 

[Infab]

As they shook hands, the ring seemed to glow for a few moments. A tingling sensation crawled up Mariette's arm, which very rapidly turned into a burning sensation. With a few moments, it had crawled into her chest and throughout the rest of her body. It felt as if everything was on fire, when in fact she wasn't. What was even going on? Was this what Cassandra was talking about? This was more than a simple handshake. The sensation seemed to feel hotter and hotter, before gently easing off. There was a gnawing feeling inside of Mariette's gut, as if she hadn't fed in days, and she had developed quite the headache suddenly.

"And the process is complete. You're a pureblood now. I'd drink something, if you have it on you. Its taxing on the body, and you'll feel strange for the next few days as your body adapts to your new abilities." said the Duke, releasing her hand as the ring's glow faded. Cassandra was practically beaming. "Welcome to the club, Countess!" she said, leaning on her cane again.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

"As you can tell here with these brush strokes, and that slight fade there - this is a piece by Jacques de Santa. Look closely at those palm fronds. No other visionary has quite accomplished that subtle twist and loop shading," Aleister explained, pointing with his cane at small sections on the canvas of the painting before him. The picture itself was of a fairly simple tropical landscape, with turquoise waters, a white sandy beach, and several curling and exotic palm trees. There was a indistinguishable figure in the foreground wearing a suit and boater cap, hands in their pockets as they looked out towards the sea.

Looking a little nervous was a vampire of similar age, rooted in place as Aleister had his arm around the man's shoulder while he pointed using the cane with his other hand. Accompanying them were two amused women - both vampires - and a human man with a bushy white mustache and balding head, who had just enough whiskey already to be interested.

Aleister's top hat tipped slightly as he continued pointing out aspects of the painting to his audience. "And do you know who that figure is in the painting, Mister Trawley?"

The vampire in his grip gulped. "Ah... Mister de Santa himself?"

"No one knows!" Aleister laughed. "Jacques de Santa doesn't have brown hair, but he never denied it was him before he passed, either. Students of Gesatz University claim that this is in fact a younger version of de Santa, and by extension most of Daristein asserts this as well. But over in Brigshire, it is suggested that the figure displayed here is actually a suitor de Santa fell in love with during his Bastanet years."

He got a few surprised oohs from the people around him as he explained what he knew on this rather mediocre painting, but he smiled for the part as his eyes darted away from the painting towards the stairs leading to the next floor. He thought he saw Mariette ascend them with a man in a bowler hat, but he didn't get a chance to observe her more closely. And it was hard getting a sense of things with so many vampires. It didn't look like she was in duress or trouble, but it was still a little disconcerting. At least out on the main floor, rooms, and halls things were relatively safe thanks to the crowd.

Keeping his eyes half on the stairs, he then directed his cane like a conductor to the next painting on the wall. "Now, let me tell you a little something about Karl Irmire, who once was shipwrecked off of Tsavania with only a single bottle of vodka and a shipmate that was a werewolf...."

 

[K0mori]

Mariette nearly staggered away as soon as the Duke released her. "Then... That's it, then?" she asked in sheer astonishment. Her trembling hands reached for her handbag before hastily pulling out the vial of ordinary werewolf blood she had collected, and she downed it in a few, inelegant thirst-driven gulps. She could feel the difference immediately. First, she put a hand up to her face, and as she probed it experimentally, her eyes faded to a long-lost icy blue as her fangs retracted. Then, she watched, overjoyed, as color seemed to flow throughout her skin, much like what happened to Aleister when he was touched by Morgane. Except, the difference was that under the surface, Mariette was still as undead as ever. This didn't matter to her at all.

I've done it. Gods damn me, but I've done it. Pity the sun isn't out, I'd love to take a stroll about now.

"I can't believe it was so easy..." she remarked. "I suppose I have you both to thank," she said with a huge grin, "so... merci, merci beaucoup! Perhaps... perhaps, with my word, Aleister can be convinced as well. I'll go to him and tell him to come up. I promise I won't go far!"

---

Aleister was busy regaling the party-goers with his art knowledge when Mariette swept into the room. As the two met each other's glances, Aleister didn't notice anything strange about Mariette aside from the fact that she was walking with her grimoire out, and she had the strangest smile on her lips. Her gaze seemed to suggest she had something she wanted to discuss privately.

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina nodded. "You know I think we could grab all that gold for ourselves fairly easy. All the vampires are in one spot. Just gotta do some crowd control, maybe shoot one or two and you got the situation locked down. Plus, there's more of us than them."
She gestured with her hands in a sweeping manner. "But that's just a suggestion of course. The alternative is, well, death. It's not like they'll let us live after this ordeal. We've seen too much as it is."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille paced about the place, blending in in terms of outfit yet sticking out like a sore thumb with the scrutinizing gaze she had been giving everything. Don't eat the hors d'ouevres, do not drink anything provided, do not converse with the vampires long enough for them to get her scent. One thing was certain from the conversations she heard in passing, much of the party attendance was vampiric nobility, which was a detail that was enough to get her blood to boil. Yet the Escarian huntress was a patient woman, and she simply walked about the place with her hand raised, its fingers slightly curled inward, meticulously rubbing her thumb against her forefinger as she tried to get to the bottom of what was going on.

So many vampires, much of them nobility from all over the world... she started, thinking on the basics, brushing past a couple that seemed to be enjoying a nice conversation. They seemed annoyed at first, about to say something to the rude woman when they saw the rapier on her hip. She was an Escarian, such brazen behavior was expected of them.

Cassandra is here, somewhere, a regular vampire turned pureblood. Somehow... Why would the noble vampires leave their estates to celebrate another vampire's rise to power? They're all cowardly, but they wouldn't bend a knee to a foreign vampire unless they could get something out of it themselves. Camille's train of thought continued, a mere glance to the stairway at the end of the large room had granted her the sight of Mariette going up the stairs with some other person. Something was wrong, perhaps not for the countess but for all of them, and she stopped in place as she continued her deliberations.

Vampiric nobles, they try and seek out power beyond physical. Cassandra was not always a pureblood, something or someone made her this way. The realization came to her like an avalanche, her eyes going wide as her hand finally balled into a fist.

This is their next step, become purebloods, and systematically take control over the world. Estate after estate, county by county, country by country. Like domino.

Snapping out of her thoughts she tried to get her bearings, the crowd of dancing or mingling party-goers resulting in her completely losing track of Valeria and Rosanna. Where had they gone to? She could not even find Aleister or Jakob at the moment, and if she could relay her suspicions to them they would simply see it as more 'boundless hatred'. With a scoff to herself she continued to weave her way through the numerous people and vampires about. The only question left was what were these humans doing at a vampire affair?

Their next meals, or their next to join one of their accursed families. Mon dieu..!

Camille knew that time was growing shorter, and that she had to find some way to warn Valeria of her suspicions, but there was no guarantee that her theory would reach her before things proceeded.

 

[Infab]

Valeria glanced to Jakob, after he whispered his statement in her ear. The look in her eyes said it all. No. We can't trust him. She looked back to the Colonel. "Well, enjoy the party, Colonel. We should be going." she said. The Colonel smiled, giving her a slight nod. "I wish you luck, Witlock. The same goes for you two as well." he said, looking to Rosanna as well as Jakob. Valeria and Rosanna turned away from the Colonel, venturing into the crowd one again.

As they walked, they began to notice that more humans had appeared at the party. Specifically well dressed mercenaries and soldiers. Valeria looked to Jakob and Rosanna. Something wasn't right. Was this a trap for them? An awful lot of mercenaries just to entrap the group...or were they here for something else entirely?

------

"Well, crowd control is already part of the jo--" said one of the guards, before the other nudged him and pointed out a guard in the distance across the estate. He was holding a lantern in hand, and gave the two guards Galina was talking to a thumbs-up. Some sort of signal, perhaps. The guards looked back to Galina. "You better get back to your patrol, lady. We got work to do soon, and the boss doesn't want any stragglers once the shooting starts."

------

Cassandra watched from the second floor once again, observing as Mariette attempted to lure Aleister over to chat. She'd better hurry up, before things really kick off. Poor little Aleister may not survive what comes next. She glanced down, to where the Colonel was standing below. He looked up, and gave her a thumbs-up guesture, to which Cassandra responded with a grin. At least the rest of Witlock's lot will be well taken care of. She looked to the staircase, seeing a few of the guests from below heading up the stairs lead by a member of the estate's employees. A group of vampires, hand picked by the Duke himself to be converted into purebloods.

The lucky ones, just like Mariette and herself.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob looked at Valeria and Rosanna, as the various mercenaries and soldiers started to enter into the crowd in the room. He quickly caught on, and looked directly to Valeria, his face as serious as it could be. Various ideas crossed his mind: perhaps they were getting into position to shoot them from all the various angles, or perhaps they wanted to disarm them and then drag them away to be a vampire's banquet. He looked around the room for possible cover, and noticed a rather large and well crafted table where the appetizers were served. He looked to Rosanna, then whispered "Throw me your head when things start." he said, giving her a wink before walking towards the table. He did a few theatrics as he went to look a little clueless. "Ouh! What's this? Escarian Blancmange?" he asked, as he walked towards the table.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil continued to observe the auras directly above him, looking for any abnormalities as well as strange movements. What had surprised him the most was the amount of vampires in the gathering of the mansion, he had not expected that. However, one vampire's aura suddenly dimmed to almost nothing... very similar to Cassandra's back in the inn. What is the meaning of this? Ethraeil wondered to himself with a growing suspicion. For a moment he considered magic as a probable cause, but then he realized that it could very well be the machinations of something else entirely: Cassandra. Either she did something to herself, or did something to another vampire in the gathering above him. Either way, it was not good.

He went out of his hiding spot and began scrape a finger through the floor of the basement. Although it was stone, his finger cut through it like it was paper as he drew runes and lines around in a forgotten tongue. If things indeed went wrong, he would need to act in a big fashion. After a few moments, he had scrawled down several rings of strange symbols in preparation. He stood at its center, and prepared himself by outstretching his hands towards the floor and shutting his eyes. He began uttering a dark tongue, causing the runes to radiate with a pulsating blue. Along with this, wisps of blue energy began to flow from said runes and swirl slowly around the rings.

"Izkadhai, oz thok gruul naz. Zar oz mol sezhal, ozh thruil ka..." he uttered quietly for his incantation.

As the spell grew more intense, the room took an intense layer of frost at and near the rings. The basement became colder than a mid-winter night as he continued to whisper.