Tales of Past Glories. Not Very Past, But Still Pretty Past.

Roman Summer

So, the summer pretty much flew. After the week of festivity, the first surprise was the Orphans of the night packing their collective shit and hauling ass. I think someone had a vision of just how badly it would turn out once the full attention of everyone was focused on making the Transtiber safe. At least that's the most likely option, as they were pretty dedicated to being a pain in my ass and showed no signs of slowing down. The second surprise is that my brothers aren't dead-dead; courtesy of our big sister Eletria. From what I understand, she was able to appeal to the Caesars' childe in some way. And she is thankfully training them in what they're gonna need to know to survive in a more relaxed environment, as opposed to my own "Get in, siddown, shut up and hold on" training. Which also helps me as my old disciplines have fully come back into their own, making me officially the more badass brother. As a side note, I do slightly regret not being able to share their wonder at seeing halos for the first time. But at the same time, the full telepathy is back up, and I can talk to, well, I haven't tested, but if memory holds I can get as far as Augsburg without too much trouble. That's going to be interesting if/when my brothers find out. That said, I have a standing invite to Eletrias' parties, of which there are many - my usual donation to the cause is a piece from my collection (and if that doesn't bring a moment of discombobulation, I'll let you think on it for another few moments) and my personality. A lot of the people at these things are merchant-class, not nobility. Which means I am networking like a madman, and getting more contacts for trade. Life is good.

Anyway, with the loss of the Orphans, the transtiber had nobody really taking care of the less-legal aspects of the city. It wasn't a hostile takeover by any means, they just started paying the Tiber Rose instead of the Rat King. Unfortunately I'm running into difficulties with the sewer system. To wit, there ain't one in the transtiber. The explorations were not fruitful. That said, I'm still gonna work on that, because the plague is a thing. Still, the statue collection has been parked offsite, which gave joy to the servants who were bumping into them. The lady of the house is now also under my purview of blood, as she was wailing a bit about my plan to open trade routes to Constantinople. I chilled her out, but she kinda sorta would like more "her time". Work, work, work. So I'm throwing coins at getting a boat to Ostia and use it as a centerpoint, and then also having to look at other opportunities for infrastructure investment.

But, with this comes that, and unfortunately, the pageant has in fact found my ass. They want me back. Badly, because something bad is coming. I, uh, kinda have to opt out. I have massive other plans, that don't involve the pageant. However, they're insistent. So...I contacted Astarte, and we made a deal. I get her a ring, and I get a year for me and Songul. Astarte is shockingly astute about my ambitions, and made no small comment regarding them, but, y'know. Stuff gonna happen sometimes. It was a crap deal on reflection, but it means I can bargain harder next round. In short, we're getting a ring. But noooo, it's not a milk run. It was presented to us as a shared dream from a horrifying D&D module from back in the day. Which frightens me to an unseemly degree, because I lost 4 elves, a dwarf, and a half-orc to that godless thing. Damnable thing. But once I got that little bit sorted, it was all about gearing up and getting intel. and some silver weapons. Fortunately I have silver in decent quantity because there's no damn banks.

So...we're geared, and hopefully I can get a few shots in before the plan goes to hell. And then I can lay ground-work for getting me, Songul, my princess, and my horse free. I like my horses, what of it?

Not quite the One Ring...

So here's a dilemma. I hate to say it, but I was too goddamn quick on the draw with the deal. She was the one with a time crunch, not me. Admittedly, I had people after me, but it's my turf, and my people. It was not by any stretch of the imagination a milk run. I damn near ran myself dry with celerity and beefing myself up for the fight, but that comes later. First is the part where Marconius managed to talk to us and make us rethink our strategy, to the point where we were going to pull out. And then I re-rethought it over with Vulo; he's down for the retrieval, and...well, hell. It felt good to ride with the man one more time. It's all very much a jumble of swords, sacrifices (Note to self, do not sacrifice loaded dice to someone dedicated to truth) - and I have to find a new bow and a new Second Horse, because I'm giving up my previous horse to Dis Pater. Overall, a dungeon crawl worthy of an epic module, but the hardest part came at the end. I faced...well, all the people I'd dislodged with time hopping. It was an epic shouting match-insult fest, and with the magic of hindsight, I believe it shows how far I've gone. So now with hindsight, ever-glorious, I write what I couldn't say.

I'm sorry. I wish that you could all accept and see what I see, that your lives were crossed with mine by chance, not malice. Your lives most certainly are not lesser, and indeed in many ways are greater than mine. I wish you all had looked at my memories as I looked at yours and saw the horrors of my past; both the ones I would atone for and the horrors wrought by the Giovanni. I'm sorry you're gone, and I'm here. But you can't forgive me, as the true forgiveness will only come from within myself. With that blanket bit out of the way, to the specifics.

Cengiz - you've given me what I need to survive in this time, the skills, and the general knowledge of all the things that would have tripped me up and gotten me killed, maybe not outright, but soon. I am pleased that your soul is free from the Pageant, but I'm afraid the exchange was unequal, and we did not have time to balance things. You live on in my memories, as you ever will.

Seppel and Dice - you are a future I could not face. Given the choice, I might have spent more time with you to learn the world as you saw it. I have the will to shape reality, but not in your way. It frightened me to have that ability. Perhaps running toward Helenas' embrace was a cowardly act in a way, because I could not understand or grasp the power the two of you wielded so calmly. Science I understand, but your science was beyond measure, and not giving myself a chance to explore it further will be a regret of depth.

Jason - Centuries of a shared horror; being given the chance to remake ourselves as human, and now this...I feel myself throwing away the soul you nurtured for the expediency of life in this time. Our suits were not mere cloth, they were the armor of a dark creature attempting to shed past sins and attract a greater future. Our computers were connecting to a greater whole we once saw ourselves above. Our guns were the final defense of that whole, that future.

Vanitas vanitatum, omnia vanitas.

But now, I have to move forward. I bring the ring and its' bearer to Astarte to fulfill my end of the bargain. Astarte may need it more now, as she has sacrificed much to have the ring as close as it is. And face the coming centuries as a new being, with a new name, but never forgetting all the sacrifices that make the now possible.

Business and Balance

So after the exceptional things happening with the temple of the Dei Inferni, it was time to settle up. I went to the racetrack, and sacrificed a horse there. The trip in was annoying as hell as I had to pass through the redlight district where folks were propositioning me to pay for acts so vile that decorum prohibits listing them here. And then just the straight up refugees; they were looking to me for Christian charity - it was awkward in more then a couple ways, because I couldn't give them enough to stay alive, and I was here to sacrifice a horse to the not-christian gods. But, it did give me an idea. But, fortunately I was able to get to a nice place and give my horse a quick death. I really liked that horse. And the refugees around me were ready for a meal, right up until hands from below grasped it and pulled it under. At that point, they were worried, but they left me alone. Replacement horse needed. Annnd I sent Brenda's very favorite smith on a quest from God to go get my horse from the pageant back. Not everyone handles telepathic communication well. So that's a thing. Also, I have a new sword. So awesome my first thought upon seeing it was that I would in fact be in my bunk.

That done, it was time to start doing more things. The harbor at Ostia is in definite need of repair. So me and a lot of merchants started in on dredging the harbor and getting the refugees, well, work. Because, well...refugees don't have money to buy anything. Give 'em a job, they have money, they buy stuff, the government gets a cut, and the circle of life continues, as it were. And once it started getting real, everyone started falling all over themselves for a slice. And thus we had to sit down and write up some freaking contracts. And then we have everything going on, and well...it's a boom town. Brenda gets to be the medic, and I am the "good boss". Hell everyone got shoes for christmas. And the mud we're dredging is baked to bricks for building and roofing. Yes, I'm diversifying and ensuring revenue even during the runup. Side note,

And even better, I can talk to my ship in Constantinople. They're going to be back in a few months, with...passengers. And this is where I have a philosophical moment. The passengers are important to the runup to the Crusades. If they don't get there, maybe the Crusades don't happen? But then what? Personally, I think that the geopolitical structure of the times demands that the Crusades happen. If not the crusades, then something else. Look at Augsburg. 12 families constantly at war with each other and collectively inhibiting progress. As much as I hate it, I think the crusades happening is a horrible thing that has to happen.

On a more personal note, my squire is a problem. Well...my squire has problems. First off, my squire is in fact a girl. I discovered this when he brought my sword back and was bleeding from...yeah. Anyway, we're maintaining the fiction for now, and I think I'm going to kick her to Songul once the fiction can no longer be maintained. Second, my squires father was killed by Eadwulf. A long night of dominate and we...may have blamed her fathers' death on the Eastern Alliance. (Seriously, we're just ruining their reputation.)

Now, the truly annoying thing is nigh - we have some necromatic thieves muscling in on the transtiber. I am not pleased. They've killed 6 of my crew so far, and I think the time has come to have a discussion about just who the hell is in charge here and just what their limits are. Maybe I can toss them Godivas' way, and she can keep them entertained for a month or two until we can hit the catacombs for a long walk for a box.

Protomafia fun

So, time passes and things begin to come together. Eventually the Triga Consortium (See also, necromancers and thieves) have made enough of a nuisance of themselves that the rest of the crews decided to do something about it. I got my invite, and it was a bit of a thing. So, my bodyguard Bolverk (the Ventrue Formerly Known As Eadwulf) and his sire Erik the friggin Red along with Frick and Frack to tote some spiked wine - yes, I'm playing a little dirty with these guys, but I damn well want shit going my way. If that means my 'equals' are more inclined to listen to me, so be it. Inefficient shit needs to be cut right the hell out. The ride was...annoying in ways. Spring has arrived and with it Carnaval, aka the last week before Lent. The idea being that if one is going to repent for sins, one should have some sins to repent for. Not minor sins that are sins on a technicality, but not the big ones either. That nice middle ground where you can recognize you're a sinner, but you've got that safety blanket going on.

I have an unresearched theory that Lent was originally conceived by a bunch of priests with massive hangovers. Either way, there were people in the way, some beggars looking for alms, some I knew were hucksters on account of I get a percentage, and then some people just looking for that last couple coppers to get them to a mug of the good stuff. In any case, masks were the thing. And I had one, but it wasn't helpful. Overall, we got to the Blackened Unicorn in good time, and rented a room. Once there, it was time to check the place out for suspicious bullshit. And there was, because the plan can never go smooth. Shoulda named myself Mal. Bigass raven, tall goth chick with all the veils that I couldn't see through (impressive as hell, just sayin) who called herself Domina Ludi, and imparted some information. To wit; the portents were clear that were we to find Hecate, the weapons of the titans would be ours. Also a question about the light or the dark. I did after a moment indicate I was on Team Light, because what else can you really say? Ooookie-dokie. Note to self, hit up Eletria for info. Once I did that, Bolverk did the same, and he had a similar experience, from what I understand. But nothing was watching us or acting odd. Okay, there was a homicidal guy in the corner. But that I could sort later, as homicidal guys are bad for business meetings.

So I went down, talked to the bouncers, and they didnt recognize the guy...and then he was gone. Great. That I need like a kick in the teeth. He's gonna show up at an inconvenient moment. Then the meeting time got there, and weirdly, they didn't shut down the bar for the night, they just gave all the patrons a cup of spiced wine that had a nice hefty dose of opium in it. And everyone had some. Including the bartender, the frightfully buxom wenches, and the bouncers. And the only ones conscious were me and the other meet-and-greet fellas.

Fortunately, these guys aren't big on minutae, as we got right down to it. What to do about the Triga Consortium - overall, there were mixed thoughts. The screw em they ain't hurting our business was loud and proud, as were the kill 'em they are hurting our business ones. I was firmly in the latter camp, and dispensed information to let them know that the Consortium was in fact necromatic and that they would take over if something wasn't done. Then I wheeled out the big guns of presence and speechifying.

This is how the Camarilla got started, FYI. after that, they were convinced, but as far as what to do about it...there was division. Eventually, we settled on hiring our own necromancer to deal with the situation. Fortunately, I know a couple. Also of note, Bolverk saw something necromantic going on apparently, and did some weird shit to keep the group unsullied. Well, no more than they already were. It was weird - these guys straight up rob, murder, extort, and in general treat the commandments as a to-do list. But necromancy and hiring one of it's attendant practitioners? Oh, we can't cross that line. That's just not right. Eventually it was hammered out that we'd go there, because allout war is bad when the enemy can kill you in your sleep and has no problems doing so, and kidnapping for ransom/actions is dicey at best. So me and few others stayed behind for an afterparty (funny story, offering folks wine when they're in a room full of people who just got roofied doesn't go over well. Alas, I have to take the slow first) where we got to the nuts and bolts. I eventually admitted to knowing a guy who knows a guy, and I could vouch for the legitimacy of the one I knew. And then after kicking around looking for something, I did find a guy who's uncle is one of my business partners. And because I'm a gormless pansy, I finally got his ass across my saddle so we can drop him in a safe-ish place.

Brief digression here - Erik and Bolverk were quite possibly a bit miffed, or more than likely confused that I rode the hire a necromancer plan hard; and really that comes down to ethics. I mean, I'm still a humanist, and...well, I'mma hang on to that party as long as I can. It's hard to do, and it's going to keep being difficult, but - I want to carry something from each of my time-wrecked others as long as I can. It's a personal thing, and yes I'll make fun of my own morality as long as I can. It may be that I don't have the strength to do it, but I'm not giving up. As harsh as it is, this feels right. Expensive, annoying, but right.

Good times, and now to see if we can find Hecate in 5 hours.

A philosophical interlude

So I have time on my hands, and with that comes memories. Primarily of being something...different. It seems odd, but I think I'm wrong somehow. Incorrect? Like even if I restore the timeline to what it should be, it still won't be as it should be. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I feel like I should walk my own path, but in doing so does that give those who came before their proper due? Those whos' lives I touched, maybe with the passage of years I'll be able to revisit them. But will I be able to make that same effect in a thousand years? Perhaps...perhaps I'll be able to do something different. Some of the things I recall doing were the result of chance. Is it the same if I cause a similar act out of intent? One thing is certain, I want to have the choice. Among other things, I do also wish to craft history. After some consideration and thought, I feel like I should focus in the merchants' trade, creating inns, and then seize Monaco at the proper opportunity in a century or so. I can leave the transtiber to my brothers and let them enjoy life. Meanwhile I feel an opportunity arises with the Crusades. I could establish trade there, and undercut the Giovannis' interests there. It would weaken them, and lessen their ability to pursue dalliances. Meanwhile, we continue to watch and learn. And in addition, Monaco becoming a jewel of the idle rich and luxurious makes my inner art-nerd swoon.

I digress a bit with my plan, because it still doesn't answer what may be the deepest question of all the bugs me during restless days. Who am I? It's a conundrum we all face at some point. I have memories on top of memories, that overlap and intertwine. If I'm the sum total of my experiences, and memory is the reservoir of experience, then I am all of these things, and yet at the same time I'm none of them. Distant important and altogether painful, as I try to sort out who I am and what my job is, what my duty is, and in truth what road I should walk. I know that I have to defeat the Giovanni. I know that to do that I must give my coterie all the aid they need. I know that I have to keep myself humane. But after that, it becomes complex. Still, I am all of the things I was, and I will walk in the footsteps of myself. Maybe I'll even take Christinana as a childe. Again.

Under Rome

So, having dropped off the excess luggage, I've got a couple more things to attend to. Mainly, getting ready for the under the city thing to find a box that's going to be theoretically part of the long night ritual. So...get to the house, and there's a nice scroll waiting for me. (Note to self, design seal. Design 2.) Get thee hence and go. Fortunately, Shadowfax knows me quite well and is willing to go home on his own. We were not in the nice part of town. That done, I got my gear ready and everyone else showed up. And...in the inn, there was a lot of dead bodies. The way Bolverk was acting, he might have had something to do with it. So, whistle up my two favorite sailors and tell them to grab and come help with a little arson. Plague may be a bad thing.

Madam Cloaca was willing to spot us 5 grand each in credit but if we make it, she gets paid. Maybe I can suggest a few investments if she's seriously into the gold. That detail done and dusted, it was time to go to church. Unfortunately, the omniscient good lord has decided that we are kinda-sorta-seriously assholes, and that we need to go say all the hail marys. It was...annoying and frightening at the same time, as we're getting whipped in time with someone who wanted to be punished for his sins as some saint did. The worrisome part was at the end of it said saint was beheaded. I didn't think they'd go that far, but I was seriously not about to find out. And through the church we boogied to the back end and hefted a stone out of place to get away from that damned praying. Okay, damned praying is what I do, but still. It was annoying to a degree unforseen but unforgettable.

That done, we started looking for a latch in behind a saints' dead body. Saints have a bad habit of dying horribly, and this one took her daughters with her. Which means it was especially bad karma when we found them and had to trip a latch without touching their bodies. Godiva ex Mortis thought it would be a good idea to just turn them to dust like she does with the messy dead bodies.

Oops.

God got miffed, to put it mildly. Explosions, fire, all bad things, and Godiva bailed out of the shitstorm. I can't blame her, really. But I did have to haul ass back and catch her. I did find her at the entry point, and there were a few more redrobed annoyances who were going to get to stow away with us. Bastards. Seriously, I gotta pay, they gotta pay. But it really didn't get annoying until they started shooting at me. Guns cannot get here fast enough. I chucked Godiva into the antechamber as gently as I could, and thankfully she wasn't conscious for what turned out to be about a 50 foot drop. Business then ensued as I had to latch the door and scramble down. And this is when shit got annoying, as there were some seriously feral Nosferatu hanging about. We were silent as quietus, obfuscated, but we still could be smelled. And we were. Through that to some kind of koi pond from the nightmares of HR Giger. Very not fun. Arrows, shooting and annoyances. But, at least we're past that, and on to stage 2. St Peters. With a couple red-robed vampires all up in our ass.

This gon' be fun.

This is the opposite of fun.

After a hell of a lot of scrambling, scurrying, and loss of Atremisia to a I-Dunno-What-That-Was after she freaking dwarf-tossed me over a wall of energy...we made it to the catacombs. Deeply annoying. Heading into the vatican catacombs proper, Madam Cloaca bailed on us. On the one hand, annoying. On the other hand, that was her job. Godiva freaked the hell out and ran her ass away while me and Bolverk managed to get ourselves in. Things were not looking good for the visiting team, especially after Gandalf the White showed his ass up and said this was a bad idea. Of course it was a bad idea, but he wasn't listening to us as we laid out the arguments in favor of letting us just do the thing and keep the box where it needs to be kept. To wit; not there.

He was nice enough to heard us in the right direction, and my little inner scout said to go in a certain direction. We did,and that was when the first bit of bad things started. The ballista was not there as a warning. Bolverk wrecked that, and I went to town on the wizard with a cross quite nicely until some kinda godforsaken catholic ninja legit flipping paralyzed me. I didn't see the rest of round one, on account of being unable to move. However I was able to get up in time for round two. With another ballista behind us. I did in fact kill that one just in time for Godiva to show up. It was some kinda chaos, but when it was done, we went all Skyrim on 'em, looting everything we could, and mayyyybe a little more.

Then came the sad part of the night where there were traps, annoyances, and then as everything started settling in, skeletons coming out of their hideyholes to irritate the hell out of me. Yes, I came out of it all the worse for where, and it was not helped by another ninja chucking a knife at me and then doing some come at me bro shit.I was highly annoyed, right until bolverk mostly settled his hash. After that, it got marginally easier - in need of blood, I had to take a few from the old boy who was way healthier then he should have been - after that I found out that Godiva was in the shadowlands, and someone was giving him their life-force. Damned if they're not bound and determined to have a shitload of martyrs after this. But I tried to keep the martyrs to a minimum. Bolverk, on the other hand was not - I guess he was wanting to fill heaven up. It was weird, because I kinda got the sense that he'd rather have sent them to Valhalla as honorable enemies.

I however was more...gentle? I mean I aimed for shoulders and knees so I could get them to live and consider their life choices. Shoulda been doing that myself, as what manner of idiot goes one on one with a goddamn stone golem?

This idiot.

It was not fun, but I had a moment of clarity that only happens in moments of stress, that I needed to change the forehead engraving to destroy it. I did, but not without a fair amount of damage to my poor mortal self. Yeah, it threw me against the wall and I made a dent in the wall. Bet that'll never be on the tour. But, after a lot of chipping I wrecked it.

And then the thing brought the roof down in a death-throe that crunched me under a metric ton of rock. It really could have gone better, and while I was weighing my options regarding the effects of this most recent life choice gone horribly wrong, Gandalf showed the hell up. Not a great time. And while reading me the riot act and utterly ignoring my rebuttal, he ensconced me in a ton of rock. This was not going to end well.

That said I still had a few cards to play - and I did. Unfortunately, not a damn one really worked. In short, I was hosed - many charges laid against me, and never once was told my rights, offered counsel, or even shown evidence. Apparently, my no-kill policy worked in my favor, as I am currently in what appears to be Catholic Azkaban. Telepathy doesn't work well, there's wards renewed daily, and I get just enough animal blood to keep me alive. I've been told I'll be here for a mortal lifetime, but I'm thinking I have earned myself an early release. The prison itself has an odd architecture that utterly screws my mind, and my fellow inmates are a combination of the worst humanity has to offer and a couple of people who made bad bets in the power structure. The warden's not nice, but they're somewhat accommodating to my needs. I don't get to read, but books can be read to me. And I get to work on my singing.

Prison food sucks.

At the end of the day, I'm still calling this a win. We got the box, and despite the massive ruckus it's caused, we've got a piece of the ritual. What we'll do with it is uncertain. Hopefully, the right thing.

Meanwhile, I appear to have some time to kill, so - todo list is nigh. Working on my singing, perhaps even developing some sort of painting. A three part series, Abel and Caine as brothers, the death of Abel, and then the sorrow of Caine. Sidebar, recreate when Photoshop becomes a thing. Exercise - I mean, sure there's a lot of people who go to prison, work out, and then come out beefcaked. Memory exercises, I'll have a lot of work to do as the future reels itself toward me. And keeping Mr Cremesci apprised of what we need to do in order to make some serious coin. Unfortunately, I can only reach as far as Constantinople, so...I'mma have to find a way out of here within a year. I can't travel the astral well, so I'm going to have to work out details with everyone else.