The PC's were willing to accept this, though their relationship with Kaslos did eventually change as they slowly discovered the secrets of the Motor City.
There are many - in fact, I really enjoyed EVERY scene that involved K.
During the PC's first encounter with Kaslos, they assumed he was an adversary. Though he had dispatched several Tzimisce within their immediate vicinity, they did not for a moment believe that they would have anything but an enemy in every vampire they met in Detroit. Kaslos knew these vampires (the PC's) were neither Sabbat nor Tzimisce, and so had no real desire to parlay with them. After some cautious words and chest-puffing, Smith Heroldson threw his mace at this mysterious and arrogant interloper, who was slight of build and dressed all in black - hardly an imposing figure. (With 27 actions or so in a single combat round, the coterie is a fairly confident bunch when it comes to violence.)
*A little background on Smith's mace - he made it especially for his own combat style. It is grossly dense and heavy, requiring a minimum 6 strength to weild as a weapon. It does str + 7 damage*
At the same time Smith let his mace fly, Jake Sabre lunged , hoping to land a knock-down blow. Kaslos snatched the mace from the air and in one fluid motion batted Jake into unconsciousness. The conversation took on a much more civil tone after that. Kaslos was kind enough to return the mace to Smith before he departed.
There is a brilliant moon shining upon the open countryside. The light from the fires of the village can be seen from its' distant nestling in the valley below. It is fall, and the wind is brisk as you stand amid the already harvested crop fields with your eleven older brothers. The silhouettes of the trees that surround the fields bode ominously ill, and you feel as though you are being watched by a thousand eyes. Your brothers are silent, circling with their backs toward one another. You tighten your grip on your sword and join them, swallowing the fear and anticipation of what is to come.
They come slowly at first - dark shadows against the deep gray of the tree line. Their pace quickens, and your brothers brace themselves. Teeth gnashing and claws flying, the subhuman beasts die without fear. They came from the ground, and from the sky. They sprayed the green bile of their bowels as they were cleaved apart.
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There is a brilliant moon shining upon the open countryside. The light from the fires of the village can be seen from its' distant nestling in the valley below. It is fall, and the field is silent as you stand amid the myriad corpses of the slain demons with ten of your older brothers. The wind has gone still, as though it were seeking safe haven in some far away place. You join your brothers in the circle, and inherit the shield of the fallen. Your oldest brother assures you that you have done well, that he is proud of you, and warns you to ready yourself for what is to come.
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There is a brilliant moon shining upon the open countryside. The light from the fires of the village can be seen from its' distant nestling in the valley below. It is fall, and the field is silent as you stand amid the myriad corpses of the slain demons with your ten older brothers. You are a soldier now, not just a scholar.
The oldest of your brothers turns his sword upon the next eldest. He, when struck, howls in pain and becomes the master of the demon-beasts. He throws the eldest away with a mighty swipe, and your kin leap to destroy the demon. You, too, rush to impale the creator of unclean things, and are knocked hard to the ground. The creature is strong - stronger than any of your brothers, and you hear their screams of terror and pain. When your head clears, you see three of your brothers have wounded the beast, and are holding it tightly. The beast struggles to free itself, and soon will. Your brothers are badly wounded, and it is the eldest who looks at you and insists that you do it now. The moment for which you were chosen has come. The spell has been prepared - you need only cast it. You reach into your pouch and feel the graininess of the compound held within. The demon fears you, and with its jaw tears the hand of the eldest from his arm in an effort to escape. "NOW!" the eldest roars, struggling to keep hold of the beast.
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The spell has been cast, and the demon is gone. You stand amid the putrid remains of fallen beasts with your three surviving brothers.
"Where has he gone?", the eldest asks, clutching his handless wrist.
"I do not know", you reply. In the distance, the howls of more beasts and demons echo across the field.
"Go then. Find him so that no other may."
"But the fight is not over..."
"It is for you this night, brother. Ours will continue here. Seek yours where the Demon-Maker lies."
"Yes, my brother". You turn and run into the night. Before you reach the village, you can hear the howls of the infected as they meet your brothers' swords.
Level 5 Ritual
Keeper of the Arcane
This ritual allows the caster to keep hidden and conceal knowledge of a person, place or object from those who would discover it, whether on purpose or accidentally. The caster may only conceal what he already knows of the subject/object of the ritual - information already held by others or documentation of events will not be effected.
System: The caster must gather as much information about the target as possible, be it a being, an item, or even a location, and create a physical representation of it. The caster then boils a point of his own vitae over a flame while chanting a litany of the gathered information and casting salt into the vessel until all the liquid has been boiled away. The representation of the target is then hidden, for the spell is broken the next time it is seen or if it is destroyed.
If the target is an object, a representation of that object must be placed into the vessel prior to boiling.
If the target is a location, the vessel must be placed in a representation of the location drawn with a smoldering willow branch on a surface that has not been seen by any being (including the artist) for one moon cycle. Only after the drawing is complete may the surface be viewed, and once the ritual is completed, the drawing must be hidden.
If the target is a being, that being cannot be older or of lower generation that the caster, unless the caster can substitute the blood of an older and/or lower generation kindred to be boiled. An effigy of the individual must be placed inside the vessel, and hidden from view afterward.
Effigy's may be hidden anywhere, but if seen, the spell is completely broken, and any being, anywhere in the world, will be able to discover information that the caster hopes to conceal.
While the ritual is in effect, anyone attempting to locate the target will be confused, lose track of his place, re-check places just checked, etc. Extended investigation into the target will cause a dice penalty equal to the caster's successes to any applicable rolls. Note that any documented evidence/notations in another's personal possession are not affected by this ritual. If someone has a note on the fridge that their keys are on the mantle, they are likely to go there to find them. Likewise, if a scholar has documentation that the pharaoh sleeps in the temple, he may go there to find him - though he may get lost in the catacombs unless his notes are very specific.
Re: Keeper of the Arcane
The ritual itself is not difficult to cast, nor is it extraordinary in any way. The problem I face is that my subject matter is far older than I and closer to the source of our power by at least one generation, perhaps two. I must find a way to amplify the ritual, to trick the order of nature, or repay the deficit to that order that would be created...
Using Thaumaturgy to simulate the more potent vitae of my charge, I have managed to successfully cast the ritual... ...limited duration. I may have to modify...
...a distinct link between the age and generation of my charge as compared to my own. It would seem that both are important to satisfying the ritual's... ... no amount of that 8th generation vitae was sufficient, however, I have observed that blood taken from an aged kindred of the same generation was somewhat useful in very large quantity. It seems unlikely that I would be able to procure such volumes on a regular basis without creating serious unneeded complications to my operations....
...by casting the ritual nightly with my own vitae superficially condensed, I am able to sustain a continuous cloak, though I realize that the imbalance in nature that I have created must be mended if I am to avoid the perilous consequences...
...At the beginning of every cycle I shall offer a suckling pig, and at the beginning of every third cycle I shall offer in addition a virgin girl of child-bearing years in ritual.
Re: The target of the ritual Keeper of the Arcane (condensed)
Known names:
Galenon (Galanon, Galonon, Gahlen, Gahlean) the Corrupter - circa AD 1000
Onnerung, Germaine - circa 9th & 10th century AD
Locritus the Deceiver, Vestruis, Daedeul the Foul- circa AD 500
Yong-Sun, Yeng-Shui - circa 2nd century AD
Ounegesh, Eunteren, Onogal the Unseen - circa 2000 BC
The creature I now know as Galanon the Corrupter was most likely embraced in pre-dynastic Egypt by Nosferatu himself, or a childe thereof. There is very little information recorded from this time period, and few who have survived from it. The first documented appearance of the creature places him in the court of Hirakim the Watcher, whose reign lasted until the coming of Horus and his battle with Set. Onogal the Unseen, as he was known, was thought to have fled the region prior to the fall of Hirakim. It is thought that he then traveled eastward, as a record of what could be his arrival in India and later China has been procured. It is believed that during this time the creature mastered his dark magics. His presence was known in Rome, throughout the region, and there are numerous accounts of what could be his travels there. I understand that in the few centuries prior to my encounter with the creature he had taken to studying the same blood magic that became my forte, though his were twisted and became what is known as Biothaumaturgical Manipulation. Daedeul the Foul abducted kindred for his own experiments, and in this way spread his treachery into the veins of clan Tzimisce. The young, diseased with Vicissitude and under the creature's influence, sought to gain power through the blood of their elders.
Gahlen took to studying with Tremere himself, and tricked the council into creating a new bloodline of vampires known as the Gargoyles. The Tremere believed they controlled the creatures, but it is Galanon who beckons them from below.
**Kaslos holds Galanon responsible for the creation of the Blood Brothers, Arachnae (through the Tremere clan) and several other bloodlines that have apparently been wiped out over the centuries***
He also details the encounter he had with the creature, which differs slightly from your dream visions. His 11 brothers were all old Clan, though not necessarily the childer of the same kindred (though some did share ancestry). They had discovered Galanon's connection to Vicissitude, and sought to stand against him. Galanon impersonated one of the oldest for several years while they plotted ways to defeat the young Tzimisce and their Nosferatu master. The Old Clan's havens were beset by Tzimisce or Gargoyles at the behest of the Tremere, who unknowingly played the part of pawn. The eldest of the O.C. T. eventually realized the deception, and came to ambush the Corrupter with those who remained. The events transpired over the course of 30 or so years during the 11th century.***
Re: Cailean, etc.
The childe of the Corrupter, who has obviously come to aid his master and interrupt my spell. I must not let him succeed. He builds an army with which he will likely attack me, and his influence with the Sabbat could rally many of the poisoned to his side. I must maintain a third party opposition to him lest I be outnumbered, and hope that my ritual is powerful enough....
DuMonde has been successful. Our two rituals working in conjunction should be able to hold Cailean indefinitely, though time still works to his advantage. His army can grow nightly. I must somehow increase the pressure on him...
With the presence of the witch hunters, the Nosferatu are at great risk. They will be forced to stay underground, with limited vitae available. The Camarilla Prince should supply sufficient distraction to keep Cailean from gaining any ground.
The scoundrel organized a war party right under my vigil. In one deft attack the Camarilla has been eliminated, and before I could tutor Wurther for the advent of my destruction. I may have to send a clear message to this DelMardigan, and then ensure his animosity toward Cailean.
Edward Mcleod, Primogen and Ventrue of the former Camarilla governors, has apparently survived these past 5 years. He amuses me.
�by former archons of Justicar Eric the Grim, childe of Myrrah. They are bold and ambitious, though young and unknowing. By observation, I have determined that their own motivations will provide Cailean with plenty of chagrin. As always, I must keep my knowledge secret, lest it be discovered�
***Royal Oak is protected by a modified Alarm of Intrusion ritual (level 4). The borders of Kaslos' domain have been traced with soil from his homeland and he spent an entire lunar cycle in nightly rituals to complete the casting. The ritual alerts him to whenever and wherever a kindred of a clan other than his own enters his domain. There is no mention of the "creepy feeling" you've experienced as a desired effect of the ritual.***
Rituals Kaslos knew (that none of the PC's do):
Devil's Touch
Illuminate Trail of Prey
Will o Wisp
Machine Blitz
Bone of Lies
Recure of the Homeland
Friend of the Trees
Respect of the Animals
Lion Heart