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" Unfortunately it seems that I was right. Throughout the long years of my quest, throughout the endless months and weeks wandering the face of this wretched Earth, I have learned the truth. Tidbits of lore, eye witness accounts, and a personal experience that has shaken me to the very core have left no other viable conclusion. They exist and they have awakened...."
Robin (Bane_of_Kings): It took you almost 3 months to get from your stomping grounds in central England to the mighty city of Rome. Along the way you have fought off bandits and cutthroats, assisted a small village inn keeper in northern France with a haunting, and even the encountered an odd vampire. It was this experience that troubled you. This vampire came upon your campsite in the beginning hours of twilight, enough sun shining just over the horizon that you would have thought yourself safe. Its behavior was brazen, careless, and totally out of character for a Vampire of the Black Court. As you journeyed onward, growing ever closer to the Holy City, you have noticed more an more signs of the presence of the supernatural, much more then you would have thought normal. Faerie rings, Troll footprints, and even an clump of Laran La Rusan fur, freshly pulled 6 nights before the full moon. All the signs you are seeing put you on edge and you feel that something is brewing. You have now been in Rome for almost 2 weeks and every inquiry you have made about Vladamir Prokofski has been a dead end. You find yourself sitting in the common room of the inn you have taken up residence in, frustration fueling the anxiety you are feeling. You wonder what to do next and you think it odd that such a man would summon other Hunters to this city and then leave no avenue of contact. As you sit brooding, scowling into the mug of mead that you have been nursing, a woman enters the common room. She wears simple clothing, but her stance and the odd staff that she carries catch your eye. It doesn't surprise you that her eyes scan the common room, coming to rest on you. She makes her way in your direction, clearly intent on speaking with you.
Freja (Karak the Unfaithful): Your journeys had taken you to the small town of Vilijandi in northern Lithuania, where you had been talking to a small group of pagans hidden within the society there. You found that this group were decendents of a viking raiding party that had made land on the coast and had some how become stranded there. They kept the old ways alive in their homes, but feared prosecution by the ever expanding reach of the Catholic Church. You had been in the town for about 3 weeks, before you heard mention of the name Vladamir Prokofski. A fellow Hunter and his wife, were passing through, tracking a pack of Lycanthropes responsible for several murders and massacres between here and a small village in northern Germany. This man, Heinrick Geunter, told you of Prokofski gathering Hunters in Rome. Bidding your good byes to the people you had met here, you packed your belongings and undertook the grueling 1700 mile journey to Rome. 2 and a half months later, tired and weary you found yourself in the beautiful city of Rome. Despite the grandeur around you you are a woman on a mission and you began to seek out this Vladamir. Your inquiries have all been met with no success. After a week in the city your are about to give up hope, but you find an apothecary, an out of the way, unmarked shop, deep within the city. She tells you that she has heard the name Vladamir Prokofski, but that she believed him to be dead. However, your first true lead materializes when she tells you that about a week before you came in, a young English man was in her shop, asking the same questions and gives you the name of the inn he had mentioned during his conversation with her. Making your way across the city, you find the inn and enter the common room. Taking in the handful of people eating and drinkin there you see a young man, dressed in a green shirt and a leather jerkin, he wears a longsword on his hip, and watches the room with a wary air. This must be the young man the apothecary mentioned. Approach him and see if he has found out anything about Prokofski.
Dragomir (yoyoyo12365): It has been two months since you heard the name Vladamir Prokofski mentioned in that small tavern in Nordenham, Germany. Over the course of your 1000 mile trek you have come across several villages that have needed your help. In Ingolstad you took the head of a rampaging adolescent troll that had been plaguing the outlying farms of the city. Outside of Mantua, Italy, you captured a single Vampire of the White Court, before killing it it told you that supernatural activity in its feeding grounds had increased. This confirmed the observations that you made during the course of your journey. Tracks and signs of the supernatural predators you Hunt had been increasing in frequency as you moved closer to your destination. Obviously whatever Prokofski has gotten involved in it is a storm brewing the likes of which you have never seen. As you enter into the great city of Rome you head directly to the house of Giovanni Mancinni, an old family friend, as well as being from an old Hunting family, he has word of Vladamir. He knows that he is in the city but he does not know where. It seems that you are going to have to do a little digging. After dropping your belongings and stabling your horse in Mancinni's saddle, you head out into the city.
Sebastian (Tyranno the Destroyer): Your dedication to the Church and your responsibilities as a Paladin have taken you far afield from that fateful little village a decade ago. As you sit in a chapel in a little village, nestled in the foot hills of the Ural mountains, you find yourself deep in prayer. The last few weeks have been hellish for you as you toiled to track and kill the monster that threatened this village. Its movements continued to elude you, but in the end you found it. One night as you stood watch over the sleepy village you heard a voice, calling out the name of the inn keepers wife and you watched her, as she wandered out into the surrounding forrest, as if in a trance. You caught up, found her kneeling in a clearing with a knife in her hand, the blade pressed against her breast. Standing over her you saw the form of a man, though wreathed in the shadow of the forrest. Watching in horror you saw the man speak, the innkeepers voice coming from its distended throat, its jaw unhinging to several times its normal size, razor sharp teeth lining the gaping maw. Roaring a challenge you rushed forward, blades flashing. In a fight that left you wounded, left arm hanging useless at your side, you defeated the beast, though its name or what manner of creature it was you never learned, your sword protruding from its back, its spine severed. As you reflected upon this event, lost deep in the meditation of prayer, you find yourself disturbed, another presence with you in the Chapel. You find that it is the village priest, Maron, with a letter clutched in his hand. The letter is for you, somehow, the sender knew of your presence in this backwater village. The letter was sealed with the symbol of the Eye of Thoth, the penmanship one that you recognize. Quickly you pack your belongings and set out on horse back. In a torturous journey that takes you the better part of 6 months, you find yourself entering the City of Rome on a direct path to the Il Gesu, home of the Jesuits, and your contact, Brother Benetio Giordano.
Eira (Lord Ramo): Word came as your family sat down to dinner. Father Benedict, your parish priest came calling, a letter clutched in his fist. You watched as your father was taken aback by the symbol that sealed the letter, you barely had the opportunity to glimpse it as your father clutched it in his powerful fist, before he stood and left the table. For almost an hour he and Father Benedict sat locked in his study, slightly raised voices coming from behind its oaken surface, before you were summoned to his side. He told that one of his contacts, a Jesuit monk in Rome, had notified him that the notorious Hunter, Vladamir Prokofski, had resurfaced after being missing for close to 20 years. He also told you that despite his better judgement, he was sending you to answer Prokofski's call for assistance. Satified with the result Father Benedict left the room to return to his chapel, but as you turned to leave your father caought you by the arm. Turning to face him, you find his steely grey eyes full of a mixture of worry and anger, "My daughter. Though I send you to aid the man claiming to be Vladamir, I have doubts that this man is who he claims to be. Be wary daughter, find out the truth. Go to Rome, meet with Brother Benetio Giordano at the Il Gesu, find out what he knows and meet with the man claiming to be Prokofski if you can." With that you packed a bag and spent the next month traveling the Holy City. Along the way you have seen signs of increased supernatural activity, the predatory beasts of the unnatural world more evident, their tracks and signs more numerous. You can tell that something is stirring these beasts to increased activity, the very air causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up even in the strongest daylight. Making all haste you find yourself entering the City or Rome, its grandeur lost on you in the face of your driven purpose, and without stopping to find food or rest or even to wipe the dust of travel from your boots and cloak you seek out the Il Gesu, mounting the stairs that lead to the stout oaken door at the front you wonder what this Brother Giordano has to tell you.
Bishop Sunesen (Anilar): It is through your contacts in the King's Court that you heard of Prokofski's return to the scene. What you have heard of the man is legendary, but according to everything you have heard he is supposed to be dead. Despite the fact that you have your reservations about the validity of the claim, you pack your bags and head off across land to the great city of Rome. Over the course of the three month journey that takes you from Copenhagen to Rome you can't help but pick up signs of increased superanatural and this is the reason that your journey took you a full month longer than it should have. You passed through several towns and villages, plagued by supernatural threats and it is not in your nature to turn aside from those who need aid. In Harburg, a small hamlet outside the city of Hamburg, you assisted a local priest in the excommunication of a Wraith that had taken possession of a 12 year old girl. In the City of Jenbach in Austira, you waylaid to wipe out a nest of Fir Darrig, a particularly nasty malicious Fae, that kills through pracitcal jokes and accidents, delighting in the pain and suffering they cause. In the Village of Carpi, Italy, you came across several Wardens of the Mage's Council hunting a human Sorcerer that had taken over the minds of over a dozen of the village's young people, turning them into a cult that served his every twisted desire. Despite the tension between the groups, the Wardens recognized the need for assistance. Your Healing abilities crucial in turning the thralls away from their master. All of these experiences, all so close together has put you on edge. You feel a storm is brewing and can't help but thing that Prokofski has stumbled upon something of grave importance. You have now been in Rome for 3 days, all your inquiries into Vladamir's location have met with little success. It is as if by chance or divine providence that you have come to the Northwest side of the city, to the massive edifice that is the Il Gesu. As you take in the imposing structure you watch as a man, resplendant in fine clothes of blue and white, symbols of the Catholic faith adorning his cloak and gloves, simple twin blades strapped to his back mounts the stairs into the Cathedral. Something about his appearance and posture calls to you. Curiosity piqued you move to follow.
Edward (Santaire): Your quest, whether it be for justice or vengence, lead you deep into the highlands of Scotland, to the small village of Thruso on the very Northern tip of the British Isles. Here with the help of a local contact, and old family friend, Carson Macpherson, you finally manage to track down and kill one of the last three remaining Vampires of the Coven that masacared your family. As you sit in the small out of the way pub that Macphereson owns, you two get to talking about old tales, hunts that both went well and that ended in tragedy. It is from Macpherson that you hear of Vladamir's return. Well into his 6th ale, Macpherson, unsteady on his feet, his speech a bit slurred, relates that he had recieved a message from a friend of his in Wales. Macpherson laughs about it and says that the message contained the most unbelievable news. He laughs, his disbelief evident, and tells you that his friend said that Vladamir had returned to the stage looking for Hunters to assist him in Rome. After 20 years of silence, 20 years of being missing, Macpherson raves that it is impossible. He is certain that Vladamir is dead and that some kook is trying to cash in on the mans name and legend. Though you laugh, more than a few ales passed your lips as well, you can't help but continue to think on the news, however unbelievable it might be. Even the next morning you cannot shake the feeling that you get when you think on Prokofski's return. You resolve to undertake the great journey to Rome to see for yourself. The journey takes you the better part of three months and along the way you can't help but notice that the supernatural is more active, the closer you get to rome. Though few things hinder your journey, every village you pass though has tales of the strange and inexplicable. Though no deaths have occured, the reports you here indicate Fae activity, a passing pair of hunting Vetala, a Spirit Manifestions in numbers that you have a hard time believing. Each months old by the time you pass through, so you need not pause in your journey, but it all puts you on edge. The beasts of the unnatural world are not acting in the way you are used to, it seems that Prokofski may have stumbled onto something, and your desire to speak with the legendary hunter causes you to move ever faster toward Rome. You have know been in the city for 1 week, staying in the home of one of your Grandfather's old friends, Abramo De Luca, and though he has heard that Vladamir is supposed to be in the city he does not know where. All of your questions meet with the same answer, that no one knows anything about Vladamir's plans or location. Your frustration is mounting and as you sit in a cafe, just down from De Luca's home, brooding into your glass of wine, you can't help but think that this was a fools errand.
Šimon (Jackinator): Your wanderings have taken you around most of Europe, but by some strange coincidence it is in your homeland that you here of Prokofski's return. Your wanderlust, a deep engrained need to keep moving, found itself stilled and the desire to return to the place of your birth and former life became a notion you could not resist. As you traversed the streets of your childhood home, you found that it did not hold the same vibrancy that it did for you in your former life, every familiar place a harsh reminder of what you have lost. The more you walk, the more you notice that things are out of place. Goosebumps raise on your arms, a chill runs up and down your spine, and you can't shake the feeling that you are being watched. Feeling it best you get off the street before full dark, you take a room at a near by inn. It is in the common room of that inn that you come across a fellow Hunter who recognizes you for what you are. Taking a seat across from you he will tell you of the increased amount of supernatural activity. Swapping stories it will immediately become evident that things are definitely becoming more dangerous, the beasts of the night seemingly having gone into overdrive. He will tell you that he heard a rumor, something that has passed from mouth to ear for sometime, so he does not know the validity of it, but he tells you that he has heard that the great Hunter Vladamir Prokofski has popped back up and despite rumors that he was dead, he is gathering Hunters in Rome. Why Vladamir was gathering Hunters, the man could not say, but he tells you that he wants nothing to do with it. You know that Quinn often spoke of other Hunters and that that name Vladamir Prokofski was one that he mentioned often, sometimes bordering on reverence. Despite the fact that he is calling for the gathering in the seat of the Holy Church, you put aside your reservations and set out for Rome the next morning, the chance to meet this Vladamir one you cannot pass up. You have been in Rome now for 4 days and most of your inquires have been met with little information. You happened to wander into an out of the way rare book shop, its owner rumored to be knowledgeable in the occult, and in speaking to him, though your Italian is a bit rusty, you are able to discern that Vladamir is in the city, but that he does not know where. He tells you to go speak with a man by the name of Abramo De Luca, a local contact for Hunters passing through Rome, that perhaps he would be able to tell you more. You are beginning to get frustrated, annoyed at the fact that this man claiming to be Vladamir would call Hunters to this City, then remain elusive. Head toward the address the book shop owner gave you, seeing that this is your only lead.
Henry (HOGGLORD): Your journeys, like most Hunters, have taken you far from home and it is in the City of Aitoliko, Greece that you first heard whisperings that the great Vladamir Prokofski had resurfaced. Just about anywhere a Hunter roams there are those that know of their calling, and for you it was no different. You had taken up residence in a small room over a friendly apothecaries shop, a man named Abiron, you had spent 6 weeks tracking and hunting a Gorgon. Unlike the mythlogical creatures of the past these vicious monsters can take human form, their magic worked through the use of snake's blood and skin, some of the more powerful ones can shape shift into giant snakes, giving rise to the ancient myths of Medusa and her sisters. They kill by turning their victim to stone, then sapping their life force for close to a decade, creating an eerie garden of 10-12 statues from which it will feed slowly. Unfortunately they only come out to hunt and capture their victims once every 25 to 30 years and all indications are that this particular beast has finished its hunt, as there are a total of 11 people missing from the area. Anger slowly consumes you as the days go by without a trace of your quarry and you are forced to relent, forced to admit the fact that this time the monster got away. As you ate supper with Abiron one evening he tells you that he recieved a letter from a friend of his in Rome. He hands you the scrap of parchement, on the back of which is embossed the Eye of Thoth. As you read, your heavy heart lightens, Abiron's friend, Vincenzo Skilini, indicates that he is now working closely with the organization housing Vladamir and that the venerated Hunter is calling those of the trade to meet him in Rome. Wishing to forget your experiences here and clutching to the thought that you will get to meet and work with the Hunter that trained your father and your uncle, you charter a ship to Italy. You have now been in the City of Rome for three weeks and the address that Vincenzo provided in the letter is a vacant warehouse on the river Tiber. All your inquiries have been met with the same lack of knowledge. Those you speak to either have never heard of Vladamir or have heard nothing save the fact that he is supposed to be somewhere in the city. As you return to the inn in which you have taken up lodging, you pass by a small restaraunt. Your belly rumbling in hunger you go in. As you take in the mostly empty room, you see that in one corner sits a brooding man, wearing huntsmans clothing of deep greens and browns, a longsword strapped to his left thigh, and if you didn't know better he looked like an Irishman. There is something familiar in the way he holds himself, eyes constantly darting around the room, the makes you think that he might be a Hunter himself, as you found out in your search that there seem to be many Hunter's in the city at the moment. Perhaps this lone stranger may have information that may be helpful.
Livoc (Romero's Own): It was in the City of Mertola, Portugal, you and another Hunter, Javier Borbinhas, a local man, had been Hunting a pair of rogue Hexenwulf. This pair, lovers, had gone mad with the feeling of power that their transformation afforded them and had found that hunting men much better sport than any of the local game. You and Borbinhas managed to track the Hexenwulf to their layer deep in the Guadiana forrest. Unfortunately the preternatural senses of your prey meant that they knew of your presence well before you knew of theirs and as dusk began to fall in the forrest they attacked. Borbinhas was killed instantly, his throat ripped out by a pair of powerful jaws. In an instant, your spell was cast, a dozen coproreal copies of yourself appearing to confuse the enemy allowing you to stab one through the spine with your silver dagger. In your triumph though your concentration wavered and the beast's mate rushed you, jaws clamping onto your leg, pulling you to the ground. The last thing you remember before you fall to blackness was an arrow erupting from the side of the beasts head and its dead weight falling ontop of you. You awoke in an unfamiliar room, noise in the corner of the room catching your attention. A young woman, folding clean bandages turns and catches your eye and in response to your question tells you that a man, dressed in woodland garb, carrying a bow of curious make, dropped you off on the door step of the abby you now rest in. She also tells you that he left a cryptic message, something about a man named Vladamir Prokofski calling for aid in the city of Rome. This news catches you by surprise, for you believed the man dead. It takes several weeks for your leg to heal properly, but as soon as it does you undertake the journey to the Holy City. You have just arrived in the city and have decided to head toward the home of a local contact for the Mage's Council, an Ectomancer by the name of Noemi Moretti, hoping that she may have information on Vladamir's location.
Cormac (Serpion5): Your travels have taken you to across the mediteranean researching a new beast that you encountered in the very southern reaches of Spain. You were assisting a village that you had taken notice of after hearing reports that people were going missing in the night and other people changing personalities completely, becoming violent or just taking off into the night. Taking up residence in a tall bell tower so that you could get a good view of the surrounding village, you watched as what appeared to be a firefly flit in through an open window across the street. It only caught your attention because it was the only moving thing in the deep hours of the night. Nothing else happened so as the hours passed your eyes grew heavy and you began to doze at your post. It was at daybreak that a commotion caught your attention. The man of the house, crashed through the front door of his home, intent on walking to the docks. His wife, in her confusion begged him to stop, but he refused. Stoicly walking on as if he did not hear her. Rushing to follow you booked passage on the same boat as the man and as you set sail you learned that the ship was heading across the Alboran Sea to Algiers. Your curiosity piqued you spent the two day journey watching the man that had so inexplicably left Torrevieja. In the two days that you watched him his condition deteriorated rapidly. The crew of the ship feared an illness, but to you he showed all the signs of being fed on by a vampire. Ashen skin, blood shot eyes, emaciated appearance. Despite your subtle investigation you found no signs of a vampire on board. Pulling into the busy port city of Algiers, you watched as the man stumbled down the gangplank of the ship, only to collapse at the bottom. Rushing to his side you arrive just in time to watch a large firefly shaped insect fly out of his mouth. You track it with your eyes as it disappears into an alley. The man, obviously dead, no longer catches your curiosity, but this wierd insect does. Rushing down the alley you find no insect, but in searching the tracks on the dusty ground you find a set of mansized footprints, bare footed in contrast to all the shoeprints, that seemingly started as if the person they belonged to suddenly appeared out of thin air. Shaken by the experience, but more than a little curious, you search out a nearby healer, a man named Mulogo, who thankfully speaks a bit of french. In asking about local lore, explaining the experience you just had, Mulogo tells you of the Adze. He tells you that they are a vampiric race that in their insect form have the power to possess a man's soul, feeding off his life blood even as they use his body. He says that when strong enough they are able to take human form to walk among their prey at will. Of course you ask him how to kill such a beast and Mugolo tells you that the only way to kill an Adze is to starve it to death. He says they can be lured in with coconut water and palm oil, things it finds a delicacy, and trapped in a jar or vial. The Adze will slowly waste away. Thanking Mugolo for his information you turn to leave, but he stops you. He asks you if you are heading to Rome and dismissing your answer he hands you a small pouch tied with a silver string. He tells you that the pouch is for his friend, a man named Vladamir Prokofski. He tells you that he would answer Prokofski's summons himself, but he fears to make the journey at his age. He asks you to give the pouch to Prokofski if you make it to the Holy City. You accede to his request and intrigued by the notion of meeting the famous Hunter you book purchase on the next ship to italy. You have just arrived in Rome, weary from your travels you decide to head to the home of a local contact for the Mage's Council, an Ectomancer by the name of Noemi Moretti, thinking her home is as good a place to start as any.
Alexander (Lord of the Night): Counting the coin from your most recent adventure you ride out of the town of Pila, Poland. Having succesfully rid the village of a Bas Celik, a powerful Fae of the Unseelie court, the Bas Celik has found that he can gain much veneration from the superstitious as his appearance closely resembles that of the Angels spoken about in the Christian Bible. He appears as a winged man, but he feeds off of the adulation he recieves, slowly sapping away the lifeforce of those venerating him. The town had experienced 10 deaths, people just dropping dead at the man's feet as he used his powerful Fae magic to heal the sick and preform 'miracles' for his congregation. The local priest, powerless to intervene sent out a plee for help through the channels of the church, one that you happened to hear about in passing. Making your way to the village, you consulted with the priest, who thankfully asked few questions of your background. He told you that the 'Angel' had demanded that anything made of iron be removed from the church and he would drink nothing but plain water given to him by those that came to petition him. Knowing that the detestation of iron pointed to the creature being one of the fae, you snuck into the back of the church as the 'angel' spoke to his people. You watched as the congregation seemed to age the more he spoke. Rushing forward, Tulwar in hand, you attacked before the creature could react, one of its wings dropping to the ground, severed from its body by the magical touch of your blade. In its pain its visage changed from the angelic beauty it once displayed to one sinister and feral. Thought it tried to retreat it was cornered by the priest who valiantly rushed forward and iron candlestick in his hands. At the touch of iron the beasts flesh erupted into red welts and white flame, cornered between the two of you it did not last long. As it died, those on the verge of death regained their color, the sapping presence of the Fae lifted from them. Enduring the babbling and adulation that the townspeople lavished on you, you gladly collected the purse of coin that they shoved into your hands. It would be more than enough to fund the remainder of your journey towards Rome, for you too had heard whispers in taverns about the return of Vladamir Prokofski and his call for Hunters to join him in Rome. Weather worn and weary you finally made your way into the City of Rome and have now been there for 6 days. Your inquires in the local places Hunters are known to congregate, apothecaries, out of the way taverns, and old bookstores have yeilded no results, the most you have learned is that there are apparently many other Hunters in the city, all looking for Prokofski. Agitation is starting to grip you and you are wondering if this journey was worth your time.
Pieter (deathbringer): You have spent the last three months in the Maroilles Abbey in Northern France. You felt compelled to come here, but once you arrived, it seemed that your services as a Knight were not required. You knew that your journey here was somehow influenced and for several weeks you were at the ready, a sense of foreboding haunting your steps around the hallowed ground around you. But as the time passed, the quiet atmosphere, and the sense of peace that you began to feel put you at ease. Giving into it you spent a week in quiet reflection, turning your mind inward. It was then that the muse took you, the urge to paint, to pick your brushes and work color on the canvas became an longing deep that you returned to your spartan room from the small chapel in the beautiful garden the monks kept on the grounds. For four days you painted, the image of a face and a skyline emerging from the blank canvas like watching the scene emerge out of a deep fog, your hand guided by a force outside yourself. Setting your brush to oneside, you stared in shock at the face that was on the canvas. Though much older, it could have been no other man but Vladamir Prokofski, a man he had met once, decades ago but a legend among those who stood against the forces of darkness. The scene behind the man you also recognize, the Via della Conciliazione, a familiar street, in the far distance he could make out the Holy Basillica. Not seconds after you finished did the urge to begin travelling take you. Donning your armor, taking up the mighty blade Ammorochious from the stand where it rested, you bid farewell to the monks of the abbey. A little over a month later you find yourself entering the northern part of the City of Rome. There is something about being in this city that rejuvenates you, a presence, a warm glow just on the edge of your vision, as if something or someone watched over you. You are not suprised when a man, dressed in the simple brown habit of a friar appears at your stirrup, keeping pace with your slowly walking horse. He says nothing at first but hands you a small card on the back of which is the symbol for the Knights of Pythias, the Eye of Thoth. A slow smile creeps across your face. It appears that the servants of the vatican were awaiting your arrival. The friar looks up at you and with a simple request that you follow, heads of into the crowd.
Johan (Rems): You have spent most of the last year hiking your way through the Swiss Alps. Your desire to increase your knowledge of the workings of gun powder and its uses in Alchemy have compelled you to seek out the originators of the magical practice, the elusive Seelie Fae the Gnomes. Though you know that interaction with the Fae of any ilk is dangerous, the Gnomes are the most likely to work with a human mage as they find humans and their reckless ingenuity facinating. It takes you the better part of 3 months to track down a small village of the diminutive creatures and another 3 weeks to earn their trust. But finally, their leader, Egan Del, decides that you are worth keeping around, and in a display of force that almost makes you laugh they tiny leader declares that they will not kill you and eat your ears. Over the next 4 months, you exchange ideas with the highly intelligent creatures and your knowledge of the mechanics of Alchemy expands by leaps and bounds, though in the way of the fae little practical application is passed on. It is hard to follow Egan's double speak at time, and though your knowledge base has increased you will find that you will need to take sometime in your own laboratory putting the theories you have been taught into practice. Though this fact frustrates you, you find it difficult to be mad at these creatures that seem to be an incarnation of creativity made flesh. Everything they do fascinates you, despite the fact that you feel that they are just using you for your supply of honey and sugar, something that these little Fae crave but are by some strange law of their nature unable to get for themselves. In the last week of your fourth month among them, you have realized that they will tell you nothing else of their strange brand of magic and you tell Egan of your intention to leave. He shakes his head, mumbling something about the impatience of human kind, and in an offhanded remark he says something about a gathering of your kind in the City of Rome. Why he would know, or why he would care you have no clue, but he says a name, Vladamir Prokofski. You get the impression, despite the fact it is almost impossible to get a straigh answer out of the Fae, that Egan knows Vladamir personally and there is strange grudging air of respect in the way he says Vladamir's name. You of course know the name well, a legend among those who stand against the forces of darkness. Thanking your strange hosts you set off for Rome, questions burning in your breast. You have just entered the city after a grueling trek out of the mountains and a comparatively easy journey down through central Italy. You don't know where to begin, but you know of a local contact of the Mage's Council here in Rome, an Ectomancer by the name of Noemi Moretti. You figure her house is as good a place to start looking for information as any other.
[So folks in this update I want you to get a feel for how your characters think and feel and how they react to the lack of information about Prokofski despite his call for aid. With the events that occured before you arrived in Rome you can address those as events in real time before moving onto coming into Rome, or you can deal with them as a flashback, however you desire. I have for your ease color coded descriptions of characters to the color used for their name. If you find that you are pushed into an interaction with another player character you need simply compare the colors to see who that person is. If you have any questions what so ever don't hesitate to hit me up via PM, on MSN, Skype, or Facebook chat whatever you desire. I hope you all enjoy the RP!]
Exerpt from the personal journal of Vladamir Prokofski
March 19th, 1577
March 19th, 1577
Robin (Bane_of_Kings): It took you almost 3 months to get from your stomping grounds in central England to the mighty city of Rome. Along the way you have fought off bandits and cutthroats, assisted a small village inn keeper in northern France with a haunting, and even the encountered an odd vampire. It was this experience that troubled you. This vampire came upon your campsite in the beginning hours of twilight, enough sun shining just over the horizon that you would have thought yourself safe. Its behavior was brazen, careless, and totally out of character for a Vampire of the Black Court. As you journeyed onward, growing ever closer to the Holy City, you have noticed more an more signs of the presence of the supernatural, much more then you would have thought normal. Faerie rings, Troll footprints, and even an clump of Laran La Rusan fur, freshly pulled 6 nights before the full moon. All the signs you are seeing put you on edge and you feel that something is brewing. You have now been in Rome for almost 2 weeks and every inquiry you have made about Vladamir Prokofski has been a dead end. You find yourself sitting in the common room of the inn you have taken up residence in, frustration fueling the anxiety you are feeling. You wonder what to do next and you think it odd that such a man would summon other Hunters to this city and then leave no avenue of contact. As you sit brooding, scowling into the mug of mead that you have been nursing, a woman enters the common room. She wears simple clothing, but her stance and the odd staff that she carries catch your eye. It doesn't surprise you that her eyes scan the common room, coming to rest on you. She makes her way in your direction, clearly intent on speaking with you.
Freja (Karak the Unfaithful): Your journeys had taken you to the small town of Vilijandi in northern Lithuania, where you had been talking to a small group of pagans hidden within the society there. You found that this group were decendents of a viking raiding party that had made land on the coast and had some how become stranded there. They kept the old ways alive in their homes, but feared prosecution by the ever expanding reach of the Catholic Church. You had been in the town for about 3 weeks, before you heard mention of the name Vladamir Prokofski. A fellow Hunter and his wife, were passing through, tracking a pack of Lycanthropes responsible for several murders and massacres between here and a small village in northern Germany. This man, Heinrick Geunter, told you of Prokofski gathering Hunters in Rome. Bidding your good byes to the people you had met here, you packed your belongings and undertook the grueling 1700 mile journey to Rome. 2 and a half months later, tired and weary you found yourself in the beautiful city of Rome. Despite the grandeur around you you are a woman on a mission and you began to seek out this Vladamir. Your inquiries have all been met with no success. After a week in the city your are about to give up hope, but you find an apothecary, an out of the way, unmarked shop, deep within the city. She tells you that she has heard the name Vladamir Prokofski, but that she believed him to be dead. However, your first true lead materializes when she tells you that about a week before you came in, a young English man was in her shop, asking the same questions and gives you the name of the inn he had mentioned during his conversation with her. Making your way across the city, you find the inn and enter the common room. Taking in the handful of people eating and drinkin there you see a young man, dressed in a green shirt and a leather jerkin, he wears a longsword on his hip, and watches the room with a wary air. This must be the young man the apothecary mentioned. Approach him and see if he has found out anything about Prokofski.
Dragomir (yoyoyo12365): It has been two months since you heard the name Vladamir Prokofski mentioned in that small tavern in Nordenham, Germany. Over the course of your 1000 mile trek you have come across several villages that have needed your help. In Ingolstad you took the head of a rampaging adolescent troll that had been plaguing the outlying farms of the city. Outside of Mantua, Italy, you captured a single Vampire of the White Court, before killing it it told you that supernatural activity in its feeding grounds had increased. This confirmed the observations that you made during the course of your journey. Tracks and signs of the supernatural predators you Hunt had been increasing in frequency as you moved closer to your destination. Obviously whatever Prokofski has gotten involved in it is a storm brewing the likes of which you have never seen. As you enter into the great city of Rome you head directly to the house of Giovanni Mancinni, an old family friend, as well as being from an old Hunting family, he has word of Vladamir. He knows that he is in the city but he does not know where. It seems that you are going to have to do a little digging. After dropping your belongings and stabling your horse in Mancinni's saddle, you head out into the city.
Sebastian (Tyranno the Destroyer): Your dedication to the Church and your responsibilities as a Paladin have taken you far afield from that fateful little village a decade ago. As you sit in a chapel in a little village, nestled in the foot hills of the Ural mountains, you find yourself deep in prayer. The last few weeks have been hellish for you as you toiled to track and kill the monster that threatened this village. Its movements continued to elude you, but in the end you found it. One night as you stood watch over the sleepy village you heard a voice, calling out the name of the inn keepers wife and you watched her, as she wandered out into the surrounding forrest, as if in a trance. You caught up, found her kneeling in a clearing with a knife in her hand, the blade pressed against her breast. Standing over her you saw the form of a man, though wreathed in the shadow of the forrest. Watching in horror you saw the man speak, the innkeepers voice coming from its distended throat, its jaw unhinging to several times its normal size, razor sharp teeth lining the gaping maw. Roaring a challenge you rushed forward, blades flashing. In a fight that left you wounded, left arm hanging useless at your side, you defeated the beast, though its name or what manner of creature it was you never learned, your sword protruding from its back, its spine severed. As you reflected upon this event, lost deep in the meditation of prayer, you find yourself disturbed, another presence with you in the Chapel. You find that it is the village priest, Maron, with a letter clutched in his hand. The letter is for you, somehow, the sender knew of your presence in this backwater village. The letter was sealed with the symbol of the Eye of Thoth, the penmanship one that you recognize. Quickly you pack your belongings and set out on horse back. In a torturous journey that takes you the better part of 6 months, you find yourself entering the City of Rome on a direct path to the Il Gesu, home of the Jesuits, and your contact, Brother Benetio Giordano.
Eira (Lord Ramo): Word came as your family sat down to dinner. Father Benedict, your parish priest came calling, a letter clutched in his fist. You watched as your father was taken aback by the symbol that sealed the letter, you barely had the opportunity to glimpse it as your father clutched it in his powerful fist, before he stood and left the table. For almost an hour he and Father Benedict sat locked in his study, slightly raised voices coming from behind its oaken surface, before you were summoned to his side. He told that one of his contacts, a Jesuit monk in Rome, had notified him that the notorious Hunter, Vladamir Prokofski, had resurfaced after being missing for close to 20 years. He also told you that despite his better judgement, he was sending you to answer Prokofski's call for assistance. Satified with the result Father Benedict left the room to return to his chapel, but as you turned to leave your father caought you by the arm. Turning to face him, you find his steely grey eyes full of a mixture of worry and anger, "My daughter. Though I send you to aid the man claiming to be Vladamir, I have doubts that this man is who he claims to be. Be wary daughter, find out the truth. Go to Rome, meet with Brother Benetio Giordano at the Il Gesu, find out what he knows and meet with the man claiming to be Prokofski if you can." With that you packed a bag and spent the next month traveling the Holy City. Along the way you have seen signs of increased supernatural activity, the predatory beasts of the unnatural world more evident, their tracks and signs more numerous. You can tell that something is stirring these beasts to increased activity, the very air causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up even in the strongest daylight. Making all haste you find yourself entering the City or Rome, its grandeur lost on you in the face of your driven purpose, and without stopping to find food or rest or even to wipe the dust of travel from your boots and cloak you seek out the Il Gesu, mounting the stairs that lead to the stout oaken door at the front you wonder what this Brother Giordano has to tell you.
Bishop Sunesen (Anilar): It is through your contacts in the King's Court that you heard of Prokofski's return to the scene. What you have heard of the man is legendary, but according to everything you have heard he is supposed to be dead. Despite the fact that you have your reservations about the validity of the claim, you pack your bags and head off across land to the great city of Rome. Over the course of the three month journey that takes you from Copenhagen to Rome you can't help but pick up signs of increased superanatural and this is the reason that your journey took you a full month longer than it should have. You passed through several towns and villages, plagued by supernatural threats and it is not in your nature to turn aside from those who need aid. In Harburg, a small hamlet outside the city of Hamburg, you assisted a local priest in the excommunication of a Wraith that had taken possession of a 12 year old girl. In the City of Jenbach in Austira, you waylaid to wipe out a nest of Fir Darrig, a particularly nasty malicious Fae, that kills through pracitcal jokes and accidents, delighting in the pain and suffering they cause. In the Village of Carpi, Italy, you came across several Wardens of the Mage's Council hunting a human Sorcerer that had taken over the minds of over a dozen of the village's young people, turning them into a cult that served his every twisted desire. Despite the tension between the groups, the Wardens recognized the need for assistance. Your Healing abilities crucial in turning the thralls away from their master. All of these experiences, all so close together has put you on edge. You feel a storm is brewing and can't help but thing that Prokofski has stumbled upon something of grave importance. You have now been in Rome for 3 days, all your inquiries into Vladamir's location have met with little success. It is as if by chance or divine providence that you have come to the Northwest side of the city, to the massive edifice that is the Il Gesu. As you take in the imposing structure you watch as a man, resplendant in fine clothes of blue and white, symbols of the Catholic faith adorning his cloak and gloves, simple twin blades strapped to his back mounts the stairs into the Cathedral. Something about his appearance and posture calls to you. Curiosity piqued you move to follow.
Edward (Santaire): Your quest, whether it be for justice or vengence, lead you deep into the highlands of Scotland, to the small village of Thruso on the very Northern tip of the British Isles. Here with the help of a local contact, and old family friend, Carson Macpherson, you finally manage to track down and kill one of the last three remaining Vampires of the Coven that masacared your family. As you sit in the small out of the way pub that Macphereson owns, you two get to talking about old tales, hunts that both went well and that ended in tragedy. It is from Macpherson that you hear of Vladamir's return. Well into his 6th ale, Macpherson, unsteady on his feet, his speech a bit slurred, relates that he had recieved a message from a friend of his in Wales. Macpherson laughs about it and says that the message contained the most unbelievable news. He laughs, his disbelief evident, and tells you that his friend said that Vladamir had returned to the stage looking for Hunters to assist him in Rome. After 20 years of silence, 20 years of being missing, Macpherson raves that it is impossible. He is certain that Vladamir is dead and that some kook is trying to cash in on the mans name and legend. Though you laugh, more than a few ales passed your lips as well, you can't help but continue to think on the news, however unbelievable it might be. Even the next morning you cannot shake the feeling that you get when you think on Prokofski's return. You resolve to undertake the great journey to Rome to see for yourself. The journey takes you the better part of three months and along the way you can't help but notice that the supernatural is more active, the closer you get to rome. Though few things hinder your journey, every village you pass though has tales of the strange and inexplicable. Though no deaths have occured, the reports you here indicate Fae activity, a passing pair of hunting Vetala, a Spirit Manifestions in numbers that you have a hard time believing. Each months old by the time you pass through, so you need not pause in your journey, but it all puts you on edge. The beasts of the unnatural world are not acting in the way you are used to, it seems that Prokofski may have stumbled onto something, and your desire to speak with the legendary hunter causes you to move ever faster toward Rome. You have know been in the city for 1 week, staying in the home of one of your Grandfather's old friends, Abramo De Luca, and though he has heard that Vladamir is supposed to be in the city he does not know where. All of your questions meet with the same answer, that no one knows anything about Vladamir's plans or location. Your frustration is mounting and as you sit in a cafe, just down from De Luca's home, brooding into your glass of wine, you can't help but think that this was a fools errand.
Šimon (Jackinator): Your wanderings have taken you around most of Europe, but by some strange coincidence it is in your homeland that you here of Prokofski's return. Your wanderlust, a deep engrained need to keep moving, found itself stilled and the desire to return to the place of your birth and former life became a notion you could not resist. As you traversed the streets of your childhood home, you found that it did not hold the same vibrancy that it did for you in your former life, every familiar place a harsh reminder of what you have lost. The more you walk, the more you notice that things are out of place. Goosebumps raise on your arms, a chill runs up and down your spine, and you can't shake the feeling that you are being watched. Feeling it best you get off the street before full dark, you take a room at a near by inn. It is in the common room of that inn that you come across a fellow Hunter who recognizes you for what you are. Taking a seat across from you he will tell you of the increased amount of supernatural activity. Swapping stories it will immediately become evident that things are definitely becoming more dangerous, the beasts of the night seemingly having gone into overdrive. He will tell you that he heard a rumor, something that has passed from mouth to ear for sometime, so he does not know the validity of it, but he tells you that he has heard that the great Hunter Vladamir Prokofski has popped back up and despite rumors that he was dead, he is gathering Hunters in Rome. Why Vladamir was gathering Hunters, the man could not say, but he tells you that he wants nothing to do with it. You know that Quinn often spoke of other Hunters and that that name Vladamir Prokofski was one that he mentioned often, sometimes bordering on reverence. Despite the fact that he is calling for the gathering in the seat of the Holy Church, you put aside your reservations and set out for Rome the next morning, the chance to meet this Vladamir one you cannot pass up. You have been in Rome now for 4 days and most of your inquires have been met with little information. You happened to wander into an out of the way rare book shop, its owner rumored to be knowledgeable in the occult, and in speaking to him, though your Italian is a bit rusty, you are able to discern that Vladamir is in the city, but that he does not know where. He tells you to go speak with a man by the name of Abramo De Luca, a local contact for Hunters passing through Rome, that perhaps he would be able to tell you more. You are beginning to get frustrated, annoyed at the fact that this man claiming to be Vladamir would call Hunters to this City, then remain elusive. Head toward the address the book shop owner gave you, seeing that this is your only lead.
Henry (HOGGLORD): Your journeys, like most Hunters, have taken you far from home and it is in the City of Aitoliko, Greece that you first heard whisperings that the great Vladamir Prokofski had resurfaced. Just about anywhere a Hunter roams there are those that know of their calling, and for you it was no different. You had taken up residence in a small room over a friendly apothecaries shop, a man named Abiron, you had spent 6 weeks tracking and hunting a Gorgon. Unlike the mythlogical creatures of the past these vicious monsters can take human form, their magic worked through the use of snake's blood and skin, some of the more powerful ones can shape shift into giant snakes, giving rise to the ancient myths of Medusa and her sisters. They kill by turning their victim to stone, then sapping their life force for close to a decade, creating an eerie garden of 10-12 statues from which it will feed slowly. Unfortunately they only come out to hunt and capture their victims once every 25 to 30 years and all indications are that this particular beast has finished its hunt, as there are a total of 11 people missing from the area. Anger slowly consumes you as the days go by without a trace of your quarry and you are forced to relent, forced to admit the fact that this time the monster got away. As you ate supper with Abiron one evening he tells you that he recieved a letter from a friend of his in Rome. He hands you the scrap of parchement, on the back of which is embossed the Eye of Thoth. As you read, your heavy heart lightens, Abiron's friend, Vincenzo Skilini, indicates that he is now working closely with the organization housing Vladamir and that the venerated Hunter is calling those of the trade to meet him in Rome. Wishing to forget your experiences here and clutching to the thought that you will get to meet and work with the Hunter that trained your father and your uncle, you charter a ship to Italy. You have now been in the City of Rome for three weeks and the address that Vincenzo provided in the letter is a vacant warehouse on the river Tiber. All your inquiries have been met with the same lack of knowledge. Those you speak to either have never heard of Vladamir or have heard nothing save the fact that he is supposed to be somewhere in the city. As you return to the inn in which you have taken up lodging, you pass by a small restaraunt. Your belly rumbling in hunger you go in. As you take in the mostly empty room, you see that in one corner sits a brooding man, wearing huntsmans clothing of deep greens and browns, a longsword strapped to his left thigh, and if you didn't know better he looked like an Irishman. There is something familiar in the way he holds himself, eyes constantly darting around the room, the makes you think that he might be a Hunter himself, as you found out in your search that there seem to be many Hunter's in the city at the moment. Perhaps this lone stranger may have information that may be helpful.
Livoc (Romero's Own): It was in the City of Mertola, Portugal, you and another Hunter, Javier Borbinhas, a local man, had been Hunting a pair of rogue Hexenwulf. This pair, lovers, had gone mad with the feeling of power that their transformation afforded them and had found that hunting men much better sport than any of the local game. You and Borbinhas managed to track the Hexenwulf to their layer deep in the Guadiana forrest. Unfortunately the preternatural senses of your prey meant that they knew of your presence well before you knew of theirs and as dusk began to fall in the forrest they attacked. Borbinhas was killed instantly, his throat ripped out by a pair of powerful jaws. In an instant, your spell was cast, a dozen coproreal copies of yourself appearing to confuse the enemy allowing you to stab one through the spine with your silver dagger. In your triumph though your concentration wavered and the beast's mate rushed you, jaws clamping onto your leg, pulling you to the ground. The last thing you remember before you fall to blackness was an arrow erupting from the side of the beasts head and its dead weight falling ontop of you. You awoke in an unfamiliar room, noise in the corner of the room catching your attention. A young woman, folding clean bandages turns and catches your eye and in response to your question tells you that a man, dressed in woodland garb, carrying a bow of curious make, dropped you off on the door step of the abby you now rest in. She also tells you that he left a cryptic message, something about a man named Vladamir Prokofski calling for aid in the city of Rome. This news catches you by surprise, for you believed the man dead. It takes several weeks for your leg to heal properly, but as soon as it does you undertake the journey to the Holy City. You have just arrived in the city and have decided to head toward the home of a local contact for the Mage's Council, an Ectomancer by the name of Noemi Moretti, hoping that she may have information on Vladamir's location.
Cormac (Serpion5): Your travels have taken you to across the mediteranean researching a new beast that you encountered in the very southern reaches of Spain. You were assisting a village that you had taken notice of after hearing reports that people were going missing in the night and other people changing personalities completely, becoming violent or just taking off into the night. Taking up residence in a tall bell tower so that you could get a good view of the surrounding village, you watched as what appeared to be a firefly flit in through an open window across the street. It only caught your attention because it was the only moving thing in the deep hours of the night. Nothing else happened so as the hours passed your eyes grew heavy and you began to doze at your post. It was at daybreak that a commotion caught your attention. The man of the house, crashed through the front door of his home, intent on walking to the docks. His wife, in her confusion begged him to stop, but he refused. Stoicly walking on as if he did not hear her. Rushing to follow you booked passage on the same boat as the man and as you set sail you learned that the ship was heading across the Alboran Sea to Algiers. Your curiosity piqued you spent the two day journey watching the man that had so inexplicably left Torrevieja. In the two days that you watched him his condition deteriorated rapidly. The crew of the ship feared an illness, but to you he showed all the signs of being fed on by a vampire. Ashen skin, blood shot eyes, emaciated appearance. Despite your subtle investigation you found no signs of a vampire on board. Pulling into the busy port city of Algiers, you watched as the man stumbled down the gangplank of the ship, only to collapse at the bottom. Rushing to his side you arrive just in time to watch a large firefly shaped insect fly out of his mouth. You track it with your eyes as it disappears into an alley. The man, obviously dead, no longer catches your curiosity, but this wierd insect does. Rushing down the alley you find no insect, but in searching the tracks on the dusty ground you find a set of mansized footprints, bare footed in contrast to all the shoeprints, that seemingly started as if the person they belonged to suddenly appeared out of thin air. Shaken by the experience, but more than a little curious, you search out a nearby healer, a man named Mulogo, who thankfully speaks a bit of french. In asking about local lore, explaining the experience you just had, Mulogo tells you of the Adze. He tells you that they are a vampiric race that in their insect form have the power to possess a man's soul, feeding off his life blood even as they use his body. He says that when strong enough they are able to take human form to walk among their prey at will. Of course you ask him how to kill such a beast and Mugolo tells you that the only way to kill an Adze is to starve it to death. He says they can be lured in with coconut water and palm oil, things it finds a delicacy, and trapped in a jar or vial. The Adze will slowly waste away. Thanking Mugolo for his information you turn to leave, but he stops you. He asks you if you are heading to Rome and dismissing your answer he hands you a small pouch tied with a silver string. He tells you that the pouch is for his friend, a man named Vladamir Prokofski. He tells you that he would answer Prokofski's summons himself, but he fears to make the journey at his age. He asks you to give the pouch to Prokofski if you make it to the Holy City. You accede to his request and intrigued by the notion of meeting the famous Hunter you book purchase on the next ship to italy. You have just arrived in Rome, weary from your travels you decide to head to the home of a local contact for the Mage's Council, an Ectomancer by the name of Noemi Moretti, thinking her home is as good a place to start as any.
Alexander (Lord of the Night): Counting the coin from your most recent adventure you ride out of the town of Pila, Poland. Having succesfully rid the village of a Bas Celik, a powerful Fae of the Unseelie court, the Bas Celik has found that he can gain much veneration from the superstitious as his appearance closely resembles that of the Angels spoken about in the Christian Bible. He appears as a winged man, but he feeds off of the adulation he recieves, slowly sapping away the lifeforce of those venerating him. The town had experienced 10 deaths, people just dropping dead at the man's feet as he used his powerful Fae magic to heal the sick and preform 'miracles' for his congregation. The local priest, powerless to intervene sent out a plee for help through the channels of the church, one that you happened to hear about in passing. Making your way to the village, you consulted with the priest, who thankfully asked few questions of your background. He told you that the 'Angel' had demanded that anything made of iron be removed from the church and he would drink nothing but plain water given to him by those that came to petition him. Knowing that the detestation of iron pointed to the creature being one of the fae, you snuck into the back of the church as the 'angel' spoke to his people. You watched as the congregation seemed to age the more he spoke. Rushing forward, Tulwar in hand, you attacked before the creature could react, one of its wings dropping to the ground, severed from its body by the magical touch of your blade. In its pain its visage changed from the angelic beauty it once displayed to one sinister and feral. Thought it tried to retreat it was cornered by the priest who valiantly rushed forward and iron candlestick in his hands. At the touch of iron the beasts flesh erupted into red welts and white flame, cornered between the two of you it did not last long. As it died, those on the verge of death regained their color, the sapping presence of the Fae lifted from them. Enduring the babbling and adulation that the townspeople lavished on you, you gladly collected the purse of coin that they shoved into your hands. It would be more than enough to fund the remainder of your journey towards Rome, for you too had heard whispers in taverns about the return of Vladamir Prokofski and his call for Hunters to join him in Rome. Weather worn and weary you finally made your way into the City of Rome and have now been there for 6 days. Your inquires in the local places Hunters are known to congregate, apothecaries, out of the way taverns, and old bookstores have yeilded no results, the most you have learned is that there are apparently many other Hunters in the city, all looking for Prokofski. Agitation is starting to grip you and you are wondering if this journey was worth your time.
Pieter (deathbringer): You have spent the last three months in the Maroilles Abbey in Northern France. You felt compelled to come here, but once you arrived, it seemed that your services as a Knight were not required. You knew that your journey here was somehow influenced and for several weeks you were at the ready, a sense of foreboding haunting your steps around the hallowed ground around you. But as the time passed, the quiet atmosphere, and the sense of peace that you began to feel put you at ease. Giving into it you spent a week in quiet reflection, turning your mind inward. It was then that the muse took you, the urge to paint, to pick your brushes and work color on the canvas became an longing deep that you returned to your spartan room from the small chapel in the beautiful garden the monks kept on the grounds. For four days you painted, the image of a face and a skyline emerging from the blank canvas like watching the scene emerge out of a deep fog, your hand guided by a force outside yourself. Setting your brush to oneside, you stared in shock at the face that was on the canvas. Though much older, it could have been no other man but Vladamir Prokofski, a man he had met once, decades ago but a legend among those who stood against the forces of darkness. The scene behind the man you also recognize, the Via della Conciliazione, a familiar street, in the far distance he could make out the Holy Basillica. Not seconds after you finished did the urge to begin travelling take you. Donning your armor, taking up the mighty blade Ammorochious from the stand where it rested, you bid farewell to the monks of the abbey. A little over a month later you find yourself entering the northern part of the City of Rome. There is something about being in this city that rejuvenates you, a presence, a warm glow just on the edge of your vision, as if something or someone watched over you. You are not suprised when a man, dressed in the simple brown habit of a friar appears at your stirrup, keeping pace with your slowly walking horse. He says nothing at first but hands you a small card on the back of which is the symbol for the Knights of Pythias, the Eye of Thoth. A slow smile creeps across your face. It appears that the servants of the vatican were awaiting your arrival. The friar looks up at you and with a simple request that you follow, heads of into the crowd.
Johan (Rems): You have spent most of the last year hiking your way through the Swiss Alps. Your desire to increase your knowledge of the workings of gun powder and its uses in Alchemy have compelled you to seek out the originators of the magical practice, the elusive Seelie Fae the Gnomes. Though you know that interaction with the Fae of any ilk is dangerous, the Gnomes are the most likely to work with a human mage as they find humans and their reckless ingenuity facinating. It takes you the better part of 3 months to track down a small village of the diminutive creatures and another 3 weeks to earn their trust. But finally, their leader, Egan Del, decides that you are worth keeping around, and in a display of force that almost makes you laugh they tiny leader declares that they will not kill you and eat your ears. Over the next 4 months, you exchange ideas with the highly intelligent creatures and your knowledge of the mechanics of Alchemy expands by leaps and bounds, though in the way of the fae little practical application is passed on. It is hard to follow Egan's double speak at time, and though your knowledge base has increased you will find that you will need to take sometime in your own laboratory putting the theories you have been taught into practice. Though this fact frustrates you, you find it difficult to be mad at these creatures that seem to be an incarnation of creativity made flesh. Everything they do fascinates you, despite the fact that you feel that they are just using you for your supply of honey and sugar, something that these little Fae crave but are by some strange law of their nature unable to get for themselves. In the last week of your fourth month among them, you have realized that they will tell you nothing else of their strange brand of magic and you tell Egan of your intention to leave. He shakes his head, mumbling something about the impatience of human kind, and in an offhanded remark he says something about a gathering of your kind in the City of Rome. Why he would know, or why he would care you have no clue, but he says a name, Vladamir Prokofski. You get the impression, despite the fact it is almost impossible to get a straigh answer out of the Fae, that Egan knows Vladamir personally and there is strange grudging air of respect in the way he says Vladamir's name. You of course know the name well, a legend among those who stand against the forces of darkness. Thanking your strange hosts you set off for Rome, questions burning in your breast. You have just entered the city after a grueling trek out of the mountains and a comparatively easy journey down through central Italy. You don't know where to begin, but you know of a local contact of the Mage's Council here in Rome, an Ectomancer by the name of Noemi Moretti. You figure her house is as good a place to start looking for information as any other.
[So folks in this update I want you to get a feel for how your characters think and feel and how they react to the lack of information about Prokofski despite his call for aid. With the events that occured before you arrived in Rome you can address those as events in real time before moving onto coming into Rome, or you can deal with them as a flashback, however you desire. I have for your ease color coded descriptions of characters to the color used for their name. If you find that you are pushed into an interaction with another player character you need simply compare the colors to see who that person is. If you have any questions what so ever don't hesitate to hit me up via PM, on MSN, Skype, or Facebook chat whatever you desire. I hope you all enjoy the RP!]