Vampire the Masquerade – V5 – Solo Session – ‘The Salubri Tomes’

Daniel has been tasked with acquiring a tome from an allegedly abandoned location in the Santa Monica mountains.

The ancient temple there had been the home of many differing factions over the last century including a coven of Verbena mages, a coterie of Tremere blood sorcerers and a revenant ghoul family to name but a few.

Kalpini - Salubri

A kindred of the Salubri, named Kalpini, had tasked him with finding and securing a book that was of importance to her. In return she has offered to help him restore some of his dwindling humanity. Marius assured him that this was within her power, but unfortunately her circumstances had meant that she now needed to trade on an ability that she once gave freely.

The book had been described as bound in leather and likely marked with a symbol which she had drawn for him. Though she had mentioned that there may be other items there, it is only the journal that she required. It should have "Pride of place..." in any display at the target location and therefore "Shouldn't be difficult to identify..." Though she didn't specifically require anything else she has stated that she would be interested in anything related to the Salubri bloodline.

She had also, somewhat cryptically, implied that others sought the item and therefore time was of the essence. The fact that much of the area was claimed by a werewolf tribe called the Black Furies, was an added complication.

Daniel had been given a map of part of the tunnels in which this artefact was supposedly hidden as well as the location of the entrance to this cave network. It wasn't much, but he'd succeeded with far less in the past.

Before he left, Marius handed him a sheathed dagger. Its blade was solid silver and had been sharpened as well as such a metal can be.

"Just a precaution..." he says. "...and make sure I get it back..."

Daniel took the dagger reluctantly and tucked it into his jacket. Though normally armed to the teeth, on this occasion he took with him only the dagger, some binoculars and a night vision scope from one of his sniper rifles. These he placed in a simple satchel.

Resisting the urge to ask to borrow a handgun, an assault weapon and a sniper rifle, he turned and left.

The terrain was navigable with minimal difficulty. The easiest path to the former temple was a winding road leading to a small parking area, long disused. It was also the most obvious approach and had little cover.

A fine rain was falling and though this only had a minimal effect on visibility, it did make it more likely that he would leave tracks. Of course this also meant that any others in the area would be similarly inconvenienced.

Obfuscation Discipline Cloak of Shadows

Daniel sensibly decided that the path was a poor choice if stealth was his aim and so instead chose a course that moved parallel to it. He did however attempt to keep it in sight so as to observe anyone else who might be using it at this time of night.

He hadn't been in the mountains for long when he became sure that he was being shadowed. The group of three were obviously patrolling the area and seemed to be very familiar with the terrain. Deciding he needed all the help that he could get, Daniel activated his supernatural powers and cloaked himself in invisibility, shadow and silence. Such was his skill that he soon lost those on his tail, whoever they might have been.

After some time he moved adjacent to a car park which was as close as traffic could get to the old temple ruins. There was a large off-road truck in the carpark, and a smaller jeep. Two men were keeping watch. Daniel moved a little closer until his preternatural senses enabled him to observe everything. 

The men were well dressed, but in Daniel's opinion were not military. Unfortunately from this angle he couldn't see the license plate of either vehicle and he deemed it too risky to move any closer.

From their stances, Daniel deduced that both were armed. The hands tucked into jackets were obviously gripping something, pistols would have been Daniel's guess. Daniel decided to avoid them rather than eliminate them and continued on his way. Now knowing that others may indeed be on the same mission as him, he became all the more vigilant.

The perimeter still showed the signs of the crime scene it had once been, after the revenant family residing there faked their cults destruction with flame and the corpses of previous victims. The police tape had been torn down in several places but it was difficult to tell when. As it had been over a year since the fire, the tape could have been moved at any time. The winds at this height were strong and made eerie noises as they blew through the remains of the buildings.

On full alert as he now was, Daniel observed a man in hardy clothing and a long coat that was near what would once have been the main gate of the complex. He was smoking a cigarette with one hand, his other was inside his coat. From the position of his arm Daniel imagined he was holding a firearm, but exactly what sort was impossible to tell. This watchmen did however have an excellent view of the approaches to the temple on this side.

Daniel observed for several more moments to see if he could discern any other guards. Though he couldn't be certain, he thought he detected the sounds of other men within the perimeter of the area. To be sure though, he would have to move in closer. As he did so he caught a glimpse of the guards weaponry. He was armed with a suppressed MP5, this was an accurate weapon at short ranges for certain, though more effective equivalents now existed. The handgun was a SOCOM pistol, also suppressed.

Deciding that there was nothing else to learn, the Banu Haqim quietly circumvented the guard and moved into the complex itself.

Three groups of two men were systematically searching the area and marking each cleared location with an 'X' created with a can of luminous paint. All were armed in a similar manner to the observer at the gate.

Their obvious leader was taking no part in the search, but was instead scanning the area for trouble. There was no sign that he was breathing so he was likely to be kindred. As far as Daniel could tell he had no weapons larger than the automatic pistol holstered at his hip. He had features he associated with someone of Sicilian descent, and the suit he was wearing did nothing to steer him away from the 'mobster' trope.

His companion was a short man, he estimated to be about 5' 5", and was wearing an expensive suit that was somewhat old fashioned. His outfit was completed with a bow tie and glasses. A slight bulge at his side, square in shape, was probably an SMG of some type, possibly an Ingram or Micro-uzi. Though his eyes scanned the area, his body and facial expression barely changed at all and the lack of breath in the cold air would indicate that he was also kindred. Despite his unassuming appearance, something about him put Daniel on edge and he had learned to trust his instincts.

Jenna Cross - Caitiff The Cross Rebellion, Destroyed?

The infiltrator remembered that the hatch leading to the caverns below the abandoned base was towards the rear of the temple. There were tracks in the dirt and some wreckage had been moved. The hatch itself was open as it had been left all that time ago during the 'Cross Rebellion'.

Two more groups of three mobsters were exploring the tunnel network. These had shotguns instead of SMG's, In Daniel's opinion this was a wise substitution given the narrow corridors, and they were searching with the same diligence as those outside. The leader of these men was taking a more active part in the investigation. Like his counterpart above he was armed only with pistol weapons but these were in shoulder holsters rather than worn on the hip and he had two, not one.

"Hurry the fuck up. Zane wants that book before the Soulsucker comes to retrieve it. They aren't part of the family reunion so she's lost all her privileges to any of that shit. Get a fucking move on, you fucks might have all day but I need to be out of here and back in the city before sun up..."

Though no real expert on accents, it was Daniel's opinion that the foul-mouthed leader was probably Sicilian.

Daniel was also sure that he was definitely not the first person to navigate these tunnels. The side passage that Kalpini indicated, behind a rockfall in the large central cavern, containing the entrance to the hidden storage room showed no sign of recent activity. However, given the thoroughness of the search being undertaken by the other group, it was only a matter of time before it was discovered.

Blood Sorcery - Warding Circle

Two bodies, long dead, lay crumpled on the floor. They looked like they were blown apart from the inside out. A third corpse was slightly further down the corridor and though significantly more intact than the previous two, definitely died in a brutal fashion. Their clothes were burnt like they had been electrocuted.

Though not as experienced a blood sorcerer as many of his clan, he nonetheless had some basic knowledge of occult wards. Explosive exsanguination and electrocution were both common effects of occult defences. As the effect was usually in direct proportion to the skill of their creator these were evidently placed by a sorcerer of great ability judging by the carnage inflicted.

Examining the area more closely, his preternatural senses detected some tiny traces of blood or vitae in cracks and imperfections on both the walls and floor, however he could see none on the ceiling. As the positioning made it unlikely that these traces came from the three corpses, Daniel surmised that they were traces not consumed by the original ritual that created the wards. If he was correct then the ceiling should be free of the destructive safety precautions that took the lives of the three previous intruders.

Level One Blood Sorcery Ritual Clinging of the Insect

It didn't take long for Daniel to find the unfortunate spider he needed for one of his favourite rituals, though finding a container took a little more time. Though he imagined that the original creator of the ritual hadn't envisioned the potion being created in an empty drinks can, the effect was nonetheless the same and with the ritual complete Daniel scaled one wall and then made his way across the tunnel roof towards the door at the far end. 

A disappointingly mundane door was at the other end of the corridor. It was ordinary in appearance, though looked to be of sturdy wood, held together with bands of iron. A simple, but heavy-duty lock seemed to be the only security measure. Daniel was, of course, very suspicious.

The door did indeed seem quite ordinary, the lock however appeared to be in far better condition than the door, almost as if it hadn't aged since it's installation. Now convinced that the lock was warded against pretty much everything except it's creator, whoever that may have been, Daniel decided to kick down the door instead.

After an embarrassingly badly aimed kick drove his foot painfully into the wall instead, Daniel made a second and then a third attempt. this final blow loosened the hinges enough for the irritated Banu Haqim to remove the door and lean it against one wall of the corridor.

Saulot - Salubri Antediluvian

The room was decorated with tapestries, one on each wall. Each of these showed the passage of time, though the lack of direct sunlight had kept their colours vibrant.

Each contained a scene centred upon a noble, almost angelic looking kindred, with a third eye in the centre of their forehead. The first showed this individual healing the sick. The second showed the same kindred observing a fierce warrior, also with a third eye, butchering an army of demonic creatures. The third showed him standing behind three figures, a healer, a warrior and another with Asian features, wearing hardy travelling clothes, their role undefined when compared to the other two.

He imagined that they were quite valuable, though given the subject matter, could be a masquerade breach if traded with a mortal who was unaware of the intricacies of the world of darkness. Deciding they were a bit too hefty to carry out with him past a small army of armed to the teeth search parties, he reluctantly left them alone. Besides which, the centre of the room held something far more important, a multilevel dais on which were three books.

Seeing no signs of wards or traps, Daniel approached the dais.

The centremost book was a diary written in a language he didn't understand. It also contained many drawings of three eyed figures in a variety of situations. Perhaps it could be a chronicle of the travels of some ancient Salubri? He imagine that this must be the tome he had been sent to retrieve, given that it was given pride of place. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to be thorough and inspect the other two also.

The book on the left was written in English though the language was archaic. Though also formatted as a diary or journal, it seemed to contain descriptions of esoteric rituals and ceremonies, some of which were very similar to those used in Blood Sorcery, though most were beyond his ability to comprehend. It appeared that the author was comparing different ways that occult practitioners achieved the same effect, though utilising different techniques. They were seemingly looking for common threads between the many differing practices of blood sorcery.

Tome of the Salubri Antitribu

The third and final tome was bound in what Daniel was sure was human skin, and had an intricate lock fastening a band of dark metal which kept the book closed. Around the lock could be seen traces of dried blood. The lock was icy cold to the touch, but seemed to be fairly simple. Fortunately Daniel still carried his lockpicking tools and it was a simple matter to open the look. However as he did so, he felt the cold travel through his lockpick, up his arm and begin to sink into his chest. As the lock clicked open, the warmth returned but he felt drained. It was as if the price for opening the lock was his very lifeforce itself.

The third journal was very different from the other two. Though the script was impossible to decipher, the words themselves hurt his eyes to look upon, and he was reasonably sure that they had been written in blood. The sketches within were fairly crude but seemed to mainly depict vaguely demonic creatures. He briefly considered leaving this tome behind, then after a moments thought he replaced the lock and placed it in his bag with the other two tomes he'd retrieved.

Now it was time to leave.

His path from the room was blocked by the kindred with the paired pistols and four ghouls who were stationed at the end of the corridor. It was clear that they were aware of his presence but couldn't pinpoint him exactly due to his many layers of supernatural obfuscation.

The kindred addressed the approximate area of the doorway, in which he presumed Daniel was standing, in the same abrasive tone he'd used on his own men earlier.

"There was a journal of occult rituals within that room. Place it on the ground and you can leave with anything else you might have found. On that you have the word of the Giovanni family..."

"Otherwise we'll have to take it from you and I'm afraid that will also come with a price you won't be happy to pay..."

Daniel was enough of a student of body language that he was almost positive that this kindred was lying to him and that he had no intention whatsoever of honouring such an agreement. He also suspected from the way that he said the name Giovanni that based on the level of scorn involved, that this was hardly the attitude one would have to their own family name.

The Black Furies Tribe

While Daniel was considering what to do he heard the unmistakable noise of battle from outside. Sporadic bursts of gunfire were cut short by screams, then silence, then more gunfire. The leader who had spoken to Daniel beckoned two of his men to follow him and left. His instructions to the other two guards were to the point.

"if you see anything moving, or hear as much as whisper, fill it full of fucking bullets."

Daniel scaled the wall once more, made his way down the corridor, over the guards heads and then silently dropped to the floor behind them. The old Daniel would have cut their throats without a second thought, but he was trying to be better, so he let them live.

As he emerged into the night air, Daniel felt the sudden urge to run and hide. Three werewolves, two in a semi-transformed state and one in full warform were butchering the gang in systematic and brutal fashion. Drawn by the screams and gunfire, the two guards that the infiltrator had bypassed emerged and joined the fray.

As the pack leader moved to gut the groups leader, his odd companion appeared between them, blocking the attack with a single arm before slicing into the creatures chest with a sharp, scalpel-like weapon that reflected the silver moonlight. The kindred who he was protecting, retreated back into cover as the short man inexplicably managed to hold off the rampaging werewolf seemingly with minimal effort. Though he had removed his glasses.

Burton Clay and Zane Giovanni

Despite the need to escape, Daniel's professional interest was aroused and he watched the combat for a few more moments.

Soon the creature was bleeding from multiple small wounds, none of which were healing, and the scalpel wielding kindred was yet to be even touched. Despite looking relatively minor, the wounds bled profusely and the werewolf was beginning to slow its onslaught. From a professional point of view it was like watching an artist at work. Each cut hit something vital, an exposed vein or artery, muscle connections and the like. Though even with his preternatural senses it was difficult to see his exact movements. His facial expression didn't change at any point.

The strange kindred had also lost several blades which were embedded in the attacking werewolf, but each time produced a new one from somewhere within his clothing. The frustrated creature took a step back to consider it's next move. The kindred also stepped back into a neutral stance, the blade held lightly in one hand. "We will be gone soon." he said in a completely neutral tone. "Your death would serve no purpose..."

As he heard the sound of an approaching helicopter, he realised that no one here was paying him any attention at all. Daniel decided that running away as fast as possible was his best move.

A few minutes later he saw a small helicopter flying overhead. Next to the pilot was the short man, his clothing bloodstained, though none of it appeared to be his, while the leader of the group was slumped in the back seat. He had a phone in his hand though what he was saying was impossible to hear at this distance, especially over the sounds of the helicopter itself. The vehicle banked towards L.A. and was soon out of sight.

The Salubri accepted the books, treating the diary with considerable reverence.

"You have fulfilled your part of the bargain, now I will keep to mine. Please relax, clear your mind as best as you can and concentrate not on the negative but on your most worthwhile actions. As I touch your mind the opposite may also be true, but try to focus upon your own self."

As she placed her hands upon his head he felt a strange warmth and Daniels acts of, for want of a better word 'Good' seemed far more significant and the justification for those unworthy actions grew stronger in his mind.

"I'm afraid I can only work with what was there and you have spent much of your on life engaged in questionable acts. Despite all this, and what you may think of yourself, you are fundamentally a good man. Remember that. Killing is in our nature, but choosing when to kill and when to stay your hand is what separates the warrior from the mindless berserker."

"Your clan were once judges, as mine were once purely healers. We can be what we were meant to be, we just have to decide exactly what that is..."

Daniel thanked her profusely.

"You are correct of course. My clan were destined to be judges, but I was bought into the clan as a tool for another's ambitions. It is my intention to reconnect with what I should have been and try to do what is right, yet, sometimes my skills with blade and gun have yielded positive results. I can't go back to what I was, but perhaps there is a middle ground, maybe I can use these dark skills for a worthy purpose. whatever happens, I thank you for the chance you have given me."

Kalpini nodded in response and smiled "...now if you'll excuse me, I need to rest..."

Daniel thanked her once more then left to find Marius.

Daniel handed Marius back the knife he'd been loaned before the missions start. Marius examined the blade briefly before setting it aside. "So there were no complications?"

Burton Clay - Hecate Freelance Assassin

The Banu Haqim explained about the other group who had used the name Giovanni, and their encounter with the werewolves of the Black Furies Tribe. He also mentioned the stranger who had so casually and emotionlessly fought of the pack leader.

Marius seemed to be in talkative mood so Daniel listened intently and picked out the most important points for future consideration..

"That was probably Burton Clay, One of the top enforcers of the Giovanni Family. I thought he'd been destroyed during the sixth maelstrom when the Giovanni lost control of the spirits they had enslaved, it seems I was mistaken. As the Giovanni diablerised their way through the Cappadocians, he accounted for several kindred of quite low generation. He's what you might call an 'apex predator' and is loaned by the Giovanni to the other families. One imagines that he is now serving the other bloodlines recognised at the so-called 'family reunion' that bought all the clans of death together under the Hecate banner."

"Unfortunately that means he could have been working for the Giovanni, Dunsirn, Milliner, Pisanob, Puttanesca or even the Rossellini's. He has connections to all of them, you see."

"If they sent him to retrieve the journal then Kalpini is in significant danger. I'll get The Cabbie to get her out of the city tonight..."

"The Giovanni still own a mansion in Hollywood, though it's been empty a while. Someone hit them hard during a family get-together, it was apparently quite a massacre, very few survivors, just one favoured mortal and a few servants got away I believe. They were there with Isaac's permission, but not under his protection, perhaps they have petitioned him to allow their return?"

Marius then abruptly changed the subject.

"Are you ready to re-join the world you left? You have the tools you need and Michael will need you soon. Isaac is plotting something big, and I have no idea what it is which is a concern as I'm meant to be smarter than he is..." Marius smiled so Daniel wasn't not sure if that was a joke or not. 

The 'Old' Daniel...

"...He has summoned me to a meeting tomorrow night so perhaps I'll learn more then..." His grimace at the word 'summoned' told him all he needed to know about how 'The Fixer' felt about that.

Daniel decided to be honest.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'd like to help Michael, but I fear that it's too early to go back to my old profession without being constantly afraid of giving into the temptation to drain more than merely the vitae of those I fight."

Marius offered a solution.

"Go and see Yukio tomorrow and I'll arrange for a meeting with Bertram Tung. With their resources at your disposal then perhaps you can monitor your old domain from afar?"

Daniel accepted the offer. It was, after all, an acceptable compromise while he considered his future.

Salvador Garcia - Brujah Anarch Revolutionary Leader

Salvador Garcia sat in the basement of the apartment building that was his hastily created haven of the moment.

Though not the greatest of accommodations, he had definitely endured worse during his years as a revolutionary.

Ramirez arrived a few moments later and took a seat opposite his friend.

"Spit it out old friend." Began Salvador "What exactly have you been trying to avoid telling me?"

"The final death of Carlyle..." replied Ramirez, watching his friends expression harden at the reminder. "...has led us to evidence which puts an unfortunate spin on the whole thing..."

Garcia indicated that his must trusted advisor should continue.

"All the evidence points to a conspiracy between Gloria Martinez and Allison Maller, perhaps in conjunction with their duskborn neighbours 'The Liberated'. But, I'm not entirely convinced. The assassination was perfectly conceived and implemented, yet the cover up afterwards was performed in the most slipshod of manners."

Jesus Ramirez - Ventrue Seneschal to Salvador Garcia

"You think they were framed?" concluded Garcia. "You have a suspect? Marius perhaps?"

"He was my first thought." admitted Jesus "But it's not his style. The hit itself has many of his hallmarks, but the trail of clues? Not so much. With 'The Fixer' he either wouldn't bother to cover it up at all, or would have done so very thoroughly. Moreover if he had done a frame-up it would have been far more subtle. This smacks of someone intelligent but unfamiliar with the finer aspects of such subterfuge."

Garcia pondered this for a moment. "Carlyle wasn't short of enemies and neither am I or my other childer. Use whatever resources you require, pull in any favours you need to, of mine or your own. I want to know who was willing to go to such lengths just to delay my arrival in L.A."

"And then?" enquired Ramirez.

"Then we'll show them, and any that helped them, that we are not to be fucked with." Replied Garcia.

It was a long time since Ramirez had seen such anger in Garcia. Someone was certainty going to pay for this outrage. Ramirez was just disappointed that it wasn't going to be Gloria or Marius who paid that price. 

Those two he had a grudge to settle with.