[color=blue][h2]The Craven Estate[/h2] [b]Sir Thomas Craven[/b] [h3]6pm[/h3][/color]

The townhouse in London proper had come to life a few days prior to the carriages arrival. Servants had returned, furniture had been cleaned, the entirety of the house had been returned to a liveable state. Most of the staff had been moved from the estate in Salisbury with almost no new faces. Training new staff on such a short notice would have been all but impossible given that they would have had to been introduced to the fact that their master was a vampire. So instead the staff moved to the London townhouse.

The carriage arrived in front of the house a full thirty minutes before dinner was ready. Right on time. A servant standing on the back of the carriage dismounted and walked around to the side of the carriage holding it open. The man inside stepped out into the cold London night. Black overcoat buttoned closed and top hat to complete his appearance. As soon as he was in the door he removed the hat, it always made him feel like a target. Then again appearances were important. One of the servants helped him out of the coat as the butler approached. “Welcome home Master Craven, how was your trip to India?” The man smiled “Enlightening as always Henry, although I’m really glad to be home. Nothing like dreary Old London.” The smile clung to the man’s face as he tugged off his gloves walking down the hallway. “Did I miss anything important? I assume that if something had happened I would have received a missive?” 

Henry cleared his throat “Actually sir, apparently High Lord Vlad is stepping down, he has set a challenge to the elders. A letter just came in from Lord Ravnos, shall I fetch it?” Thomas turned and nodded to Henry, “Yes, and would you mind bringing the tea I sent home from china in 1301? I think this is an appropriately auspicious night for that.” Henry bowed ever so slightly and left Thomas standing in the study. A pair of servants came in and deposited a chest on the ground next to the Master of the house’s desk. Opening it, Sir Thomas sorted through the various items, extracting a thick volume and a wooden cane from it. Leaning the walking cane against the desk Thomas began to page through the book. A gift for Lord Ravnos, it was a codex of the Dervish fighting techniques he had been in India to study, it had taken nearly twenty years to complete the codex but it had been worth it. Setting it down before wrapping it in a silken cloth he had picked up in Istanbul on his way home. 

With that Henry returned with the tea and a letter. Sipping at the tea Thomas opened the letter and read over it. A summons, and a request for an idea as to what would impress the vampire lord sufficiently to hand over the throne of London. Thomas smiled into the mug as he drank the tea, reading over the letter a second time. [i]Looks like I came home just in time to see something quite interesting[/i]

“Henry! I won’t be taking dinner tonight, I have an engagement. I need you to bring around the carriage and bring me a change of clothes, preferably the layered leathers. I’m going to see Lord Ravnos.” With that Thomas wrapped up the codex and picked up the cane. [i]Time to go.[/i]

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[color=blue][h2]The Ravnos Coven[/h2] [b]Sir Thomas Craven[/b] [h3]8 pm[/h3][/color]

No top hat this time, just the long black hair pulled back off his shoulders and confined. Stepping into the library as the others filed out he smiled, most of them wouldn’t recognize him. It had simply been too long. Wandering in Thomas found a seat and set the book down before producing a flask and opening it as well, setting it on the table next to him and settled in to wait for something interesting.