Age of Unreason

[Writer]

Ana stalked into the King's Theatre, much like a predator stalking its prey. She had opted to wear a dress, deciding that wearing men's clothes to a meeting such as this would surely get her started on the wrong foot. Nevertheless, the dress she had chosen left her legs free range of movement and her sais were strapped to her back. And if anyone dared second guess her skill with her sais, she always had her telepathy and telekinesis as tools to make the men take her seriously.

 

Because of her telepathy, Ana could sense the gathering minds in the cellar. She used this sense as a beacon to lead her to the stairs. She descended lightly and entered the cellar, glancing briefly at each man there. Her eyes found Thomas Leyton last and she spent a good seven seconds staring at him before she spoke.

 

"T. L." she said bluntly. It wasn't a question; she knew he was the one who had organized this little meeting. She stalked forward until she was standing directly in front of him. "I hardly think it needs saying that your request for my presence here is a little suspicious."

 

She bent over to stare directly into his eyes, her own brown eyes flashing with a trace of anger. Then, there was a flicker of surprise as she seemed to find something in his eyes that she did not expect. She said, "There are few who truly know of me. How did you come to be one of them?"

[Darth InSidious]

"I am Sir Thomas Leyton, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please, help yourself to food and drink - you look like you could do with some refreshment - we're almost ready to begin, I think, but for the arrival of another guest"

 

Thomas came further into the room, and sat down a little apart and a little nervously still, though he had relaxed a little since his welcome.

 

"You are most kind, Sir Thomas, thank you."

 

He turned to his fellow guests, and smiled nervously again.

 

"My name is Thomas Arrowsmith. Until a few days ago, I was an assistant curate at l'Église Saint-Sulpice."

[Astor]

Thomas was pleased that he had managed to make Mr. Arrowsmith feel at ease - it must have been hard for him - forced to flee from his adoptive homeland, because of his refusal to submit to the state's demands.

 

Shortly afterwards, a woman entered the cellar, quite gracefully, before staring at Leyton.

 

"T.L"

 

He took a short bow, before greeting her.

 

"Ah! Miss Doug..." She cut him off before he could finish.

 

"I hardly think it needs saying that your request for my presence here is a little suspicious."

 

"That it may be, Madam, but I can assure you, I can explain everything to all of you"

 

She leant towards him, and her eyes had a fierce look about them - she was definately the right person.

 

"There are few who truly know of me. How did you come to be one of them?"

 

"I happen to be an acquaintance with The Lord Grenville, the last Home Secretary - and after I explained my intentions, he informed me of your... remarkable abilities, and gave me details should I desired to contact you.

 

Which, Madam, as you can see, I have done. I apologise if I have caused you offence in any way, but it was necessary to bring you here"

 

He was sweating. He didn't usually sweat. He looked around at everyone assembled.

 

"Well, I... uh... think that's everyone. Why don't we all sit down and we can discuss business?"

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Well, I... uh... think that's everyone. Why don't we all sit down and we can discuss business?"

 

Velic leaned against one of the walls and stared out the window. "Might I presume that our business has something to do with the so called "blood Plauge" that is sweeping through London?"

 

Velic's eyes were constantly watching the sky.

 

"Of course, I do wonder how you knew that it was I who brought these...creatures to London. And if you know that I brought them, then you know I had no choice but to retreat from the blighters."

[Writer]

"I apologise if I have caused you offence in any way, but it was necessary to bring you here."

 

Ana was now convinced her initial impression of this meeting was incorrect and she settled down. Instead of boiling inside from anger, she was now quite curious. Lord Grenville had always been one of her strongest supporters. While some of the men who knew of her sought to keep her locked away, Lord Grenville had been the most vocal in supporting what he called her "right to a normal life." Not that anything about her life was normal, but that was hardly the point.

 

"I have misjudged you, Sir Thomas," she said, taking a seat to his right. "Forgive me." And when he asked everyone to be seated, she went on, "So tell us, why have you called for our presence here?"

 

There was a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes; she knew damned well why they were there. It was very nearly all Leyton could think about, and she was a telepath after all. But still, it was impolite to spill the news if you weren't the one doing the inviting, and so Ana asked politely, allowing Leyton his time in the spotlight.

 

But someone else spoke first, admitting his own guilt in bringing the cause of the 'Blood Plague' to London. Ana scowled at him.

 

"You speak as though the 'Blood Plague' is London's only supernatural problem," she said. "And you put words in Sir Thomas' mouth. Perhaps we ought to let him speak, yes?"

[Darth InSidious]

Thomas leaned forward, looking a little puzzled.

 

"Er, creatures? Blood plague? Is there some kind of infection on the loose?"

[Astor]

As soon as the meeting was called to some semblance of order, Captain Velic began asking questions.

 

Before Leyton had chance to answer properly, Miss Douglas reprimanded the man for interrupting, and Mr. Arrowsmith seemed most concerned at reports of an infection.

 

"This 'Blood Plague' is part of the reason I have brought you here - and it's reach is far greater than London. It is being reported in France, Austria, The German States, and now, I've been informed, it is even being diagnosed as far afield as Anatolia."

 

He paused momentarily, to this information to sink in.

 

"The cause of the plague is still undetermined - many physicians have tried to diagnose it in the past - most notably, the late Gerart van Sweiten, who was ordered to examine this disease on the orders of the Empress of Austria herself. That was nearly 40 years ago.

 

His formal reports were never published - he claimed there was no cause for alarm. His unofficial report, however, postulated that it is not a plague at all - rather, he theorised that it was some form of disease, contracted from a pair of wounds found on a sufferer's neck. He believed that they were bite marks of some form"

 

He stopped for a moment, for the inevitable questions that his guests would have for him.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"You speak as though the 'Blood Plague' is London's only supernatural problem. And you put words in Sir Thomas' mouth. Perhaps we ought to let him speak, yes?"

 

"To the best of my knowledge it is the only problem that needs immediate attention as far as I know. Now kindly be silent."

 

"His formal reports were never published - he claimed there was no cause for alarm. His unofficial report, however, postulated that it is not a plague at all - rather, he theorised that it was some form of disease, contracted from a pair of wounds found on a sufferer's neck. He believed that they were bite marks of some form"

 

Velic thought on the words for a moment.

 

"What do you suggest we do then?"

[Writer]

"To the best of my knowledge it is the only problem that needs immediate attention as far as I know. Now kindly be silent."

 

Now kindly be silent? Ana's eyes narrowed. Nothing said "Shut up, Woman," quite like "Now kindly be silent." The arrogant fool was looking down on her. Of course, it wasn't that she expected anything different from the men of 1791, but to be put down like that mere seconds after getting a refreshing bit of respect from Sir Thomas Leyton was almost unbearable.

 

There would be no getting around it. Ana Douglas made an instant decision that she did not like Captain Velic, and it would take a lot of effort to change her mind.

 

"Then the best of your knowledge is not good enough," she told him icily. And before he could reply, Leyton began his little tale of Gerart van Sweiten and the Empress of Austria. During this bit, Ana leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. At the suggestion of bite marks, she rolled her eyes, entirely unimpressed.

 

Then, from the 'Captain', "What do you suggest we do then?"

 

Ana almost laughed out loud. Almost. Instead, she rolled her eyes yet again. What a soldier! To hear 'bite marks' and think 'FIGHT'. But she was done insulting him for now. She'd let Leyton reprimand him this time. Surely Leyton had more explanation than 'bite marks' to offer or he'd not have brought them all together here.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Then the best of your knowledge is not good enough."

 

"Of course it isn't. I know nothing about this threat. In fact I know nothing about the supernatural at all. I'm most likely the one here who knows the least about all of this. I simply wish to find out more about this threat and how to best fight it."

 

It wasn't right of me to say that to her. She obviously knows quite a bit more about this threat then I do. I feel like a fool.

[Alkonium]

"Blood Plague? I can see why my employer hired me to go in his place." David commented. Notice some hostile looks, he added. "If someone you requested is enough of a coward to hire a freelance mercenary in his stead, you're probably better off with the mercenary. You can trust me, though. I don't even consider other offers when I'm on a job. It pays be loyal."

[CommanderQ]

The Baron sat quietly at the table, his fists clenched, as he watched them bicker back and forth. He'd seen similar situations, with officers who were often divided and did not display confidence in the way they handled themselves, choosing to argue instead of getting the job done. He wasn't saying that these people were not capable of handling the 'Blood Plague,' but rather, they weren't going to get anything done this way.

 

If this was democracy, then there was a reason he was loyal to a monarch.

 

Hans was seated next to him, and like Manfred, was very quiet, observing the conversation going on.

 

Something came to Manfred's mind.

 

He looked to Hans, "Do you have any information on Sweiter...I recall meeting him at an Embassy Dinner in Vienna, but that was back in my days as an OberLeutnant, a while ago."

 

"Sir, Sweiter's name practically disappeared in 1787. Even his reported files on the Blood Plague disappeared, only the Austrians and several select individuals, including those in this room, know exactly what they were."

 

"Sweiter was a fool, no doubt of that...hopefully we have none such fools here..."

 

The Prussian took a sip of the wine in his glass and sat it down. He then stood.

 

The 'Captain Velic' spoke.

 

"Of course it isn't. I know nothing about this threat. In fact I know nothing about the supernatural at all. I'm most likely the one here who knows the least about all of this. I simply wish to find out more about this threat and how to best fight it."

 

"Captain, if you do not know much on this 'supernatural' incident, then I suggest you refrain from judging it. Only a few of us even understand these creatures to a limited extent. I do not like these creatures either, but I have my own reasons, my own mission. So, I do applaud the idea of fighting, but something every soldier knows, is to know your enemy. If you do not know what they are or how they fight, how can you possibly win?"

 

After looking at the Captain, Manfred moved his gaze over to the young lady.

 

"Fraulein Douglas, you find something humorous in the Captain's statement. Do you have any information that may help us in this...endeavor our host suggests."

[Darth InSidious]

"Ms... err... oh, dear; I didn't catch your names, I am... ah, je me suis désolé Ms... but perhaps you, er, and the Captain" - Thomas glanced at Velic - "ah, might... err..."

 

Here, Thomas stopped and looked a little confused, turning his hand in the air as if trying to conjure it from the ether.

 

"Alors! Perhaps you and the Captain might put aside your differences. This meeting is not a simple council, I think, and if we are to be asked to work together on this matter, we should make effort not to... eh, quarrel, no? domus divisa contra se..."

 

He trailed off, and turned to Sir Thomas quizzically.

 

"Sir Thomas, your pardon, but I... do not fully comprehend what you mean, I think. Are you trying to tell us there is an outbreak of vampirism? Surely it is just a myth, folklore..."

[Astor]

"Please, Captain Velic, and Ms. Douglas! I can not have the two of you arguing every point with each other - I have promised you an explanation, but it is most difficult when one is constantly being interrupted by... bickering"

 

Mr. Smith began speaking, about his payment, and how he could not take on another job while previously engaged.

 

"I can assure you, Mr. Smith, that you will be rewarded most handsomely, in addition to your previous contract - in fact, your employer is quite happy for you to provide your services to this... enterprise"

 

The Baron was conversing with his manservant - a violation of the invitation on the Baron's part, but further enmity would only be detrimental to an already volatile meeting. He overheard a few words between the two.

 

"Sweiter was a fool..."

 

"I can assure you, Baron, that van Sweiten possessed a far greater intellect than you give him credit for - he omitted the truth about the 'plague' because he wished to avoid sparking mass hysteria"

 

Mr. Arrowsmith had remained quiet throughout the altercation, before he began speaking to Ms. Douglas and Captain Velic. Afterwards, he turned to look at Leyton.

 

"Sir Thomas, your pardon, but I... do not fully comprehend what you mean, I think. Are you trying to tell us there is an outbreak of vampirism? Surely it is just a myth, folklore..."

 

"I see you have heard of it before, Mr. Arrowsmith. Yes, 'Vampirism', as it's known among the masses, is, I believe, the cause of this plague. And, if the reports and journals I have read are to be believed, it is very real indeed."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"I see you have heard of it before, Mr. Arrowsmith. Yes, 'Vampirism', as it's known among the masses, is, I believe, the cause of this plague. And, if the reports and journals I have read are to be believed, it is very real indeed."

 

Velic thought on that for a moment before deciding to add his own findings to the discussion.

 

"This is quite hard to believe...but the amount of evidence that points toward your conclusion is far too great to ignore. I think I should add what I've found out about these creatures to the discussion. They are very agile, I saw one able to scale a large wall in very short order, they seem to be able to shrug off small firearm blasts as if they're nothing and the big blasts seem to annoy them slightly but thats it. I haven't been able to test a sword or rapier against them yet. And they are very smart."

[Darth InSidious]

"I see you have heard of it before, Mr. Arrowsmith. Yes, 'Vampirism', as it's known among the masses, is, I believe, the cause of this plague. And, if the reports and journals I have read are to be believed, it is very real indeed."

 

Thomas nodded.

 

"Indeed I have heard of it. Monsieur Calmet wrote an interesting, but inconclusive treatise on the subject.

 

But if these... reports are to be believed, Sir Thomas, I must ask what use you have for a priest? It is not, I believe, possession by demon, so I cannot exorcise the afflicted. I am not, as you see, trained in combat; to say the least, I find my role puzzling, Sir Thomas."

[Astor]

"Indeed I have heard of it. Monsieur Calmet wrote an interesting, but inconclusive treatise on the subject.

 

But if these... reports are to be believed, Sir Thomas, I must ask what use you have for a priest? It is not, I believe, possession by demon, so I cannot exorcise the afflicted. I am not, as you see, trained in combat; to say the least, I find my role puzzling, Sir Thomas."

 

"It is my belief that we shall need more than skill with a blade to overcome these beasts, Mr Arrowsmith.

 

These are unholy creatures that we fight - it has often been postulated that these creatures may have some weakness against Apotropes and religious sacrement.

 

Furthermore, it is quite possible that it will be necessary to perform an exhumation - and I would feel better if it were done in the presence of a Clergyman.

 

And finally, it may sound foolish, but I would feel safer if we had someone to tend to our spiritual wellbeing"

 

Captain Velic had looked puzzled while Leyton had explained about the Vampires, before finally speaking.

 

"This is quite hard to believe...but the amount of evidence that points toward your conclusion is far too great to ignore. I think I should add what I've found out about these creatures to the discussion. They are very agile, I saw one able to scale a large wall in very short order, they seem to be able to shrug off small firearm blasts as if they're nothing and the big blasts seem to annoy them slightly but thats it. I haven't been able to test a sword or rapier against them yet. And they are very smart."

 

"Of course they are smart, Captain. The afflicted, once deceased, enter some form of 'undeath'. They retain their consciousness, and many of their physical abilities improve remarkably - allowing them to sustain wounds that you or I could not withstand. We are fortunate that the disease only causes death in a minority of cases, but the resulting beings are quite dangerous"

[CommanderQ]

"I can assure you, Baron, that van Sweiten possessed a far greater intellect than you give him credit for - he omitted the truth about the 'plague' because he wished to avoid sparking mass hysteria."

 

Manfred made eye contact with Leyton.

 

"Oh, I am sure his intellect is beyond most of us, and perhaps he did halt the possibility of mass hystery. But he knew what these...'vampires' were, he knew what they could do. By lying to the people of Europe...to the world for that matter, we are now completely off-gaurd. If he had told everyone the truth on the matter, then we could've organized and begin the mass-extermination of these creatures. Many nations for one cause. Now we're...divided, they can just cause dissension and we would be unable to stop it until too late."

 

He tapped Hans on the shoulder and nodded toward the door, telling his servant that his services would no longer be required for the rest of the meeting.

 

"I wish to apologize for the violation of the secrecy of the meeting, but we can trust Hans, his family has proven themselves extremely loyal over the years. He'll gaurd the door, which is safe from what we are speaking."

 

"Of course they are smart, Captain. The afflicted, once deceased, enter some form of 'undeath'. They retain their consciousness, and many of their physical abilities improve remarkably - allowing them to sustain wounds that you or I could not withstand. We are fortunate that the disease only causes death in a minority of cases, but the resulting beings are quite dangerous"

 

"Leyton, Captain Velic, we are dealing with more then just the afflicted, they are not only some sort of...undead. We're not dealing with some sort of walking mort, which is entirely different..."

 

He took his diary of discoveries out of his jacket pocket.

 

"I have investigated them, they have already developed civilization, a religion, a code of command, evn their own language. They continue their advance at a rapid pace. I fear that their reason for this is none other then a form of domination in our world...I have recorded it."

 

He tossed his diary onto the center of the table.

 

"That book contains all the information I have gathered in the past few years, I even referenced some of it from Sweiten's writings...before their destruction by a Viennese Church..."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Of course they are smart, Captain. The afflicted, once deceased, enter some form of 'undeath'. They retain their consciousness, and many of their physical abilities improve remarkably - allowing them to sustain wounds that you or I could not withstand. We are fortunate that the disease only causes death in a minority of cases, but the resulting beings are quite dangerous"

 

Does that mean that they no longer feel pain? If so then they are very dangerous foes.

 

"First of all, I would like to apologize to Ms. Douglas for my rude behavior earlier. What I said was unacceptable and were my wife still alive she would have smacked me across the face and she would have been totally justified in doing so. I assume that you are much more well versed in this sort of thing then I am and I do apologize for my behavior."

 

Velic then turned his mind back to the meeting at hand.

 

"Is it possible to somehow reverse this form of undeath? Anyway to cure the infected so that they may rest in peace? Or is killing them the only viable option?"

[Alkonium]

"If I understand vampires correctly, it is only reversible before they taste first blood. And even then, doing so requires killing another vampire. If we're fighting vampires, we're all going to have to get our hands dirty, no matter what." David explained, trying not to speak out of turn.

[Lord of Hunger]

"If I understand vampires correctly, it is only reversible before they taste first blood. And even then, doing so requires killing another vampire. If we're fighting vampires, we're all going to have to get our hands dirty, no matter what."

 

John nodded and finally broke his silence. "Indeed...which is why I assume you invited me to this gathering Sir Thomas?"

[Astor]

The Baron levelled his gaze at Leyton, before beginning his tirade.

 

"Oh, I am sure his intellect is beyond most of us, and perhaps he did halt the possibility of mass hystery. But he knew what these...'vampires' were, he knew what they could do. By lying to the people of Europe...to the world for that matter, we are now completely off-gaurd. If he had told everyone the truth on the matter, then we could've organized and begin the mass-extermination of these creatures. Many nations for one cause. Now we're...divided, they can just cause dissension and we would be unable to stop it until too late."

 

As the Baron continued blustering, Leyton reached inside his jacket pocket, and pulled out his Meerschaum and a small pouch of tobacco. He continued to listen to the Baron as he packed his pipe with the tobacco. After carefully lighting it, he took several short puffs, before replying to the Baron.

 

"If you are going to apportion blame, Baron, then it should be applied equally to the Prussian Court at Sanssouci, for it was not van Sweiten's place to release the information. The Empress of Austria shared this information with King Frederick, and they both decided that secrecy was the best option at the time"

 

There was something else about apologising for bringing an extra person to the meeting, and apparent findings about a culture amongst these creatures - backed up the rather hefty book the Baron deposited on the table.

 

"Thank you for this, Baron. I shall look at it in great detail shortly"

 

Captain Velic soon began to speak.

"Is it possible to somehow reverse this form of undeath? Anyway to cure the infected so that they may rest in peace? Or is killing them the only viable option?"

 

"It is not possible to reverse this undeath. As Mr. Smith rightly states, we can only prevent it - the only way to stop these creatures permanently is to destroy either their heart or brain - that, I believe, will destroy them for good."

 

His attention was diverted by Mr. Blake, who had thus far done his best to keep quiet throughout the meeting.

 

"Indeed...which is why I assume you invited me to this gathering Sir Thomas?"

 

"That is correct, Mr. Blake - that is why you are all here, although it will require us to leave the country in pursuit of these creatures"

 

He sat back down, and took some more of his pipe, pleased with the outcome of the meeting so far.

[Writer]

After Velic apologized to her, Ana had fallen entirely silent. It wasn't that she had nothing to add; it's just that in spite of her little spat with Velic, she wasn't inclined to argue. And there was a lot of argument, name dropping, and general rambling going on. Ana simply did not see fit to speak.

 

Then, Leyton sat down after a few exchanges of words with the others in the room, seeming rather pleased with himself and with this meeting. For her part, Ana could not see why. From her point of view, this meeting was a mess of puffed up male egos, random facts about vampires, and a vague attempt at explaining a potential weakness the creatures might have.

 

"You haven't given us much information to go on," she said finally in the pause that followed. "Basically, you've told us you think that destroying their heart or their brain will destroy them. Beyond that, you have not detailed anything on how to accomplish this, or where you think we ought to start in this... quest."

 

She sighed. "I am sorry, Sir Thomas, but it seems you have allowed your guests to interrupt your explanations. If this is not the case, if you truly do not have a fair understanding of exactly what it is you are asking us to do, then I am afraid I cannot help you. However, if you are merely being interrupted, please explain yourself quickly. I am well aware of the vampire threat and if you have a logical plan to follow, I will not leave until it is accomplished."

[CommanderQ]

"I am sorry, Sir Thomas, but it seems you have allowed your guests to interrupt your explanations. If this is not the case, if you truly do not have a fair understanding of exactly what it is you are asking us to do, then I am afraid I cannot help you. However, if you are merely being interrupted, please explain yourself quickly. I am well aware of the vampire threat and if you have a logical plan to follow, I will not leave until it is accomplished."

 

The Baron heard this, and then abruptly sat down. She did have a point, and he imagined that the others in the room had a similar point-of-view. This meeting was wasting enough time, Manfred was not helping it.

 

It was time to sit, and listen to what Sir Thomas Leyton had to say, then they could move to strike these 'vampires.'

[Astor]

(sorry I took so long to get a reply - let's hope there's still some life left here )

 

After conversing with the Baron, Ms. Douglas, looking puzzled, began to speak.

 

"You haven't given us much information to go on,"

 

"I have given you as much information as I have at my disposal, Ms. Douglas. My hope here was to bring together all of our knowledge - I had hoped that where one of us might have gaps in our information, another of us could fill those gaps, to give us a complete understanding of these creatures."

 

"Basically, you've told us you think that destroying their heart or their brain will destroy them. Beyond that, you have not detailed anything on how to accomplish this, or where you think we ought to start in this... quest."

 

"I am certain that destroying either of those two centers will destroy them - every living creature requires both of them to function - why should the living dead be any different? And I know exactly where we must travel - Vienna"