Vampire the Masquerade: London Nights

[tokyobiohazard]

The images projected on the wall proved too much for young Ivy to handle. Upon seeing the mutilated Kendra, Ivy immediately clapped her hands over her eyes and felt her meal from earlier churning in her stomach.

Before Ivy knew it, her mouth had spewed a thick, bitter-metallic mixture of blood and stomach acid down the front of her gown. She ran to the nearest trash can and proceeded to vomit once more, until her stomach was too empty to continue. She was too horrified to look at the photo again, but as eyes often do, Ivy's disobeyed her and flicked up to the image again. The girl jumped and gagged reflexively, before the image finally stopped churning her insides and she could see it for what it really was: a poor woman who did not deserve what happened to her.

[Macman253]

Nathaniel ignored the proceeding arrival of several vampires as he stared at the images of the mutilated Nosferatu. He had little care for the woman herself but the cuts seemed familiar, this was rage and hate. Not violent rage like a woman stabbing her unfaithful husband twenty times or someone unloading a pistol into someone else's chest this was subtle rage, long term. Vengeance... devout in it's purpose.

 

"My pack were butchered in similar ways... it is what brought me down to London in the first place. I was on their trail but once I hit the city it went cold... could it possibly be Hunters?" He asked the Investigator, he had heard rumors of these murders but seeing one this close irked him. He ignored the glare from the Follower of Set, he made a mistake and his punishment he thought was justified, if it were a member of his pack he would punish them accordingly. He was thankful that his hide was not taken but he could not help but feel as if he had been placed in a gilded cage. He pushed those thoughts aside as he examined the images closer, the cuts were done by a predator, Nathaniel observed the strokes, the blade was sharp. Surgical edge and he had guessed most likely doctors tools. "I would suspect by the cuts and the manner of the mutilation that the murderer has prior medical experience." He added, he felt he was most likely wrong but he felt it was his duty to bring up the thought.

Edited September 16, 2013 by Macman253

[GrueMaster]

Graham noticed another Kindred, a professionally-dressed Tremere, enter the room and drop a file on Harper's desk, which immediately piqued his curiosity. Wonder what's in that? but he filed the question for later as he listened to Harper's decision.

 

You have got to be bloody joking! Graham thought as he heard Harper's 'judgement' concerning Nathan. I can't wait to see how that will turn out. Graham barely suppressed a growl when the new Gangrel Primogen stepped near him. Normally, he would just ignore others he didn't necessarily care for, but this particular one had made a hell of a mess for him to clean up. He felt Ivy huddle close behind him. Poor child, he thought, and was about to console her, but Graham's attention became completely focused on the file Whitelock brought when she started to speak.

 

Bloody hell... That was the only thing he could think as he saw the picture on display. He had heard of the latest killing, one of his wayward kin, but hadn't managed to see any pictures yet. Kendra... Graham recognized the name, and simply found it impossible to match this... butchery to the same woman. He'd done a check-up on her last month, for, though the Nosferatu were hardly the most sociable of folks, even among themselves, they did try to keep track of kin. "Damn," he said, and that's all he could say, for he hadn't seen this sort of barbarism since WWII.

 

But his inquisitorial side came to the forefront and he began his own analysis of the photo. The surgical precision of the cuts, the purposeful order of said cuts... "This person really hates us, don't they?" Graham spoke softly to himself. "I've heard of holding grudges, but this puts even the Sabbat to shame. Hmm... Ms. Whitelock? Was there anyth-" He cut himself off at the sound of Ivy retching and turned, which was not the wisest of maneuvers, as he stepped in some of what was once Ivy's meal.

 

"Oh, bugger all." Taking off the now puke-lined shoe, Graham hopped out of the way and looked at the little girl with a concerned glance. "Harper," he spoke up, trying to catch the Prince's attention, "I think Ivy needs some assistance here." At that, he walked over to Ivy and took out an old (but clean) handkerchief. Trying to add a little humor, he quoted a line from some absurdly funny zombie-spoof movie. "You've got red on you, " he tried to smile as he handed the handkerchief to her. "Here, you can use this." Hoping she'd be alright, he turned back to Whitelock. "As I was trying to ask earlier, were there any other clues to who'd done this? Any details or oddities where... he gestured at the projection, "this... occurred?"

[Deleted6317247User]

Chris took the piece of paper and looked over the names. "A bodyguard would be useful, thank you." He replied and then looked back at Ameline.

 

"To be honest, I never really needed a ghoul as I could do everything by myself," he said as he took a sip of his drink, "I don't need someone who gets teary eyed when they do something you don't like."

 

Chris then stood up thinking that it would be a good idea to look around the Primogen's apartment to help him decide on the painting, not to mention that Ameline most likely had other things to attend to than chat with him all night.

 

While the walls lacked paintings there were plenty of other beautiful things, expensive and well chosen furniture, some he assumed were quite rare and difficult to get.

[josh900]

"Ask our new Gangrel Primogen there, Gavin." Harper said to the Scotsman that barged in. "He'll tell you all about it." He said turning his attention to the image of the brutality murdered Nosferatu woman. "That..... doesn't look like how the other bodies were." He said in a confused way,

"Well that's new." Edison said in an annoyed tone. "Took his time with this one, all the others went quick."

"Oh that's great!" Harper said angrily, seeming to have not noticed Ivy's condition. "Six bodies, six different forms of execution. Now we can't be sure if it's even all by the same person!" He yelled, loosing his temper.

"Why can't things ever be easy?" He muttered as he walked to the far end of his office to stare off into space.

"Hung her upside down?" Jack asked as he walked up to the image. "Before she died?" He asked looking to Whitelock then back to the image. "Trap door.... peeled her face off, heart was the last thing touched." He muttered to himself. "That entire time she could have been fighting back. If she had been staked to paralyze her.. there wouldn't have been any blood and everything would have dried up..."

"And why take her organs and face?" Harper asked, turning around to face the others.

"Three guesses." Edison said in a dull tone, not at all looking forward to what all of this meant.

"To use them for something later." Jack said grimly. "I gotta go make a phone call, make me a door, I need to get home real quick."

"Your's is on the table, third one down." Said Harper.

Taking the map with his apartment circled, Jack walked over to the door, closed it, then slapped the new map on it, and opened it again revealing an entirely new opening, one that led into the front area of an apartment complex. And before Jack walked out, he took the map off the door as he closed it and walked out with it before anyone could see the building's location.

He made it up to his apartment in record time, but when he opened the door his priorities immediately changed due to what he saw.

--------------

"Why is it always Fleshcrafters?" Edison mused. "I miss the old days, the Brujah and Anarchs were much easier to deal with. No offence Gavin."

[AurianaValoria1]

Yasmina glanced to the other vampires, "So, now what? How do we stop this madness before the mortal world starts to panic? This recent alley disaster is going to draw attention to that particular area for a while...and now I cannot guarantee that my own Haven won't be in compromised."

 

She paced back and forth in short steps, her restlessness obvious, "At this rate, I may have to return to Egypt."

[MoDqUeen]

Jack's apartment was now decorated in a rather. interesting manner. a healthy helping of rose petals lined the floors and walls, settling on the floor like drops of red blood scattered about his apartment. In addition to this, snares. and an assortment of other more dangerous items. a pre-used stake left on the table as he came in, it staring jack right in the face as if it was placed there very very intentionally as the first thing he should see.

 

Kaye heard the movement and moved to sit up quickly, getting up from the couch as she moved over some, staying dead quiet. just in case this wasn't in fact her mark. she set her hand on her katana and waited, if this was who she was waiting for, she'd know in the next few seconds.

 

 

[mythicdawnmaster]

Whitelock fixed her eyes on the child as she vomited, shaking her head ever so slightly at the sight. It was a cruel introduction to the horrors that existed in the world, and this girl had not even reached puberty by human standards- But if she was to survive she would need to adapt to the darker underlay of London's workings, once it was time for her to step out from Harper's shadow... if that time ever came.

 

"Hunters?" Whitelock raised a highly arched eyebrow as she repeated the Gangrel's question, her hand slipping under the red scarf that bound her neck, a subconscious reaction to the mention of the holy order of supernatural killers. "While I can promise you that the methods of those fanatics are brutal from experience, If they wish a Vampire dead it is not through such horror- A stake and a flame is their preferred tactic, unless of course we are dealing with an unstable breakaway, but that much is doubtful." Before she finished she added "While it would seem to work of a surgeon, and such an answer is easiest to accept, mistake not an innate knowledge of the human biology and precise hand for the mark of a medical practitioner. With enough study and practice anyone can know just where to slice. I have made the mistake of taking precision for medical prowess before. That case didn't end pleasantly." She said dryly.

 

Looking at Graham as he voiced his own question, she replied plainly "No." adjusting her glasses, she placed a hand upon her hip. "Nothing physical at least, aside of course from the unusual occurrence that this killer had removed the organs of his victims and severed her face, I do have one issue- and that is the lack of witnesses."

 

She nodded simply to Jack as he ran through the situation verbally, asking her to verify what she had told him.

 

"I cannot help but feel that your assumption of the Tzimisce's involvement is correct- As I said, the lack of witnesses disturbs me. Kendra's home was a terrace, the walls thin and the attic connected to each house in the street. Her mouth was not fused, she was not staked, and she was concious for the entire exchange, so how is it that her neighbours did not hear her screaming?" Whitelock did not allow anyone to muse over her question however, and answered it promptly herself.

 

"That would be down to the ephemeral energies I detected as I entered the building. It is the work of a Vampiric discipline, in particular, one practised by the anti-ventrue themselves; , Obtenebration as it is called by the Lasombra, or, shadow crafting, as you may know it. I was only able to detect it through examining the shadows in the corner of the room, they were ever so slightly warped, as if one had moulded clay and forget to put it back into it's original shape. To one who possesses this discipline, shadows may be called from the other worlds to cover and area and encase it in a solid shadow, this power may blot out noise, vision, smell, taste. As the postman delivered her mail that night, he could not see nor hear her being brutalized."

 

She looked to Harper and Edison. "If it is a single flesh-crafter, then they are powerful enough to have learnt the secrets of their skulking masters. If not I suspect this venture to be a double act. If sanctioned by the Sabbat this is most unusual, while I still do not believe it to be an action of the sect itself, it is clear enough members of it's brood were involved. But if I am wrong, then we face a threat far greater than their screaming mobs and haphazard footsoldiers- We face the full brutality of the Sabbat under a cloak of impenetrable darkness." Even with such dramatic words, Whitelock remained near-monotonous and calm.

 

Looking to the Setite she cocked her head. "The mortals shall be kept in the dark so long as we are able to find the bodies first. That much I can promise."

 

-------------

 

Ameline smiled warmly, rising from her seat to leave Chris to explore her domain as she changed- She hoped that Sasha would arrive soon enough with the information she desired; There was nothing Ameline disliked more than being left in the dark about current affairs.

 

Not to mention the fact that the Prince's silence in the matter of the murders was beginning to bother the Primogen- They were due a meeting to discuss this, lest paranoia breed like flies in a rotten corpse. Still, Ameline was a courteous and patient woman, and she assumed that Harper was awaiting evidence before discussing such matters.

Edited September 20, 2013 by mythicdawnmaster

[GrueMaster]

Graham remained silent, taking in everything that had been said so far. Obtenebration... he pondered. Even among the Nosferatu there isn't much well-known of it. And if the Sabbat leadership are using it for something like this? What are they planning? Shaking his head and saving the question for later, he spoke to the Settite, agreeing with Whitelock. "I wouldn't worry too much. Tonight was a special case, and I certainly don't expect to be playing cover-up quite so bluntly next time."

 

He grabbed one of Harper's maps that would send him relatively near his destination and walked towards the exit. "I'll start investigating where I can," Graham spoke as he was leaving, "I'll try to find any information, ask my contacts if they've heard anything." After setting the map on the door, he turned as he opened it, a dark alleyway ahead. "Oh, one last thing." He threw a small business card towards Whitelock and Harper. It had a number and an address written in a simple script.

 

"If anything important comes up, either contact me or stop by the address on that." With that, the Nosferatu erased all traces of himself and stepped into the darkened alley, slamming shut the door. Time to get to work.

Edited September 20, 2013 by GrueMaster

[tokyobiohazard]

Ivy wiped her mouth and chin with the handkerchief before listening to the boring speculations of the adults before watching Graham leave. She looked at Harper.

"Do you think it'd be okay if I went with Graham?" She was nervous, and rightly so. Harper was as likely to say yes as pigs were to fly, but if she never asked, she'd regret it.