Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Dinh AaronMk
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A ship traveled across a ink dark sea. Trailing behind it the unraveling rope of its silver wake. Ruby sails, pregnant with the winds pulled the boat ever on wards into the sunset and towards a darkened land.

In the cabin a lime-green light glowed from within an oil lamp. Flickering faintly it combined with the fire light of candles to throw dancing shadows across the cabin wall as within the ship's passenger was stirring to wake, throwing off his covers and open the curtains. The dying light of the sun was ahead of him, and in the skies behind him out the window the sky was bright with the dying colors of day and the birthing shades of night. Oranges and reds gave way to purples and blues as the first stars shone bright in the sky.

In his cabin, Semiane was hardly alone. He had brought with him a portion of his harem. Still laying in bed, a pair of naked young girls lay curled around themselves. He brushed their pale arms with a finger and turned away as they stirred sleepily.

At a far dresser he threw over his shoulders a long blood red robe and wrapped it tight to hide his naked form. A long low sigh escaped his throat as he stepped to a table, where stacks of copied papers lay. These represented the collected knowledge the outside world had of the royal family of the Xelwyth Empire. He sat down at them, and meditated on his potential clients.

Zachaeus, Semiane found did not have that long a history to him. Despite ruling for a thousand years, to the nobility and leadership that lived outside his Empire scant was known, even though the known imperial vampire had reigned for a near millennium and seen so many lesser kings and emperors die around him. He was however peculiar to his race, a vampire that could tolerate the sun, and possessed great magics. It was supposed to Semiane that Zacheus' role was like that of a God, benevolent with terrible under tones. Few had sought to test him, and there was much ado about his terror when it had occurred. Much so to his staff. He put that aside for later.

Zachaeus' sons had much the same, though others better known.

His eldest, Ulrik was by far the most prestigious in the world by force of his character and accomplishments, turning the backwater duchy of the Great Weald into an admirable center of economic activity. Many had sought to deal with the baron directly, and lauded his ability. Though he was a known recluse and at odds with much of the rest of the family. Speculation abounded in the aristocratic rumor mills if the family was jealous of the baron who had accomplished so many times more than his peers in such poor country. There was considerable reason to believe among all that he would have been the heir to take control of the country when the vampiric god-emperor finally found himself a shriveled hulk after an over-ambitious vampire hunter finally managed to infiltrate his domain or so other calamity. Semiane could only imagine the number of plots that circulated in high courts to see a change of power, if simply to see the Empire shaken to its core and for it to partake in the dynamic power shifts that accompanied the rest of the world. Semiane could only see in confidence that only the damned gods could ever know the full scope!

But what was the divine to his race.

The others in the lot were known as half-breeds born from mortal women. Edward and Rory Bathory of note. Edward was commonly believed to be flat as a board, with a penchant for being knightly, but deluded in it. It was widely whispered that Rory was homosexual.

Semiane could divine no new information from the assorted information he had on the royal family which he found frustrating. And so far continued to primarily affirm his present predictions for the current political circus brewing in the Empire. That in the end – unless some other prince put himself on the board – the contest would ultimately boil down as a battle between Ulrik and Edward.

Semiane knew what he needed. First of all being a house. No good man went without a house. But this should be the easy thing to accomplish. On acquiring the house, and decorating it came time to insinuate himself into the society. A party, perhaps. Something grand and broad, with the largest crowd of the high society. An excuse to meet the princes themselves, talk, play match maker if they were unmatched. A salon later perhaps? That required he knew them at all.

And if it turned rough, if blood was let out: he was positioned to supply capital, make loans, purchase equipment, hire mercenaries. A third party that could delay collection on dues until late. He thought about his financial network, the many guilds and associations that still operated within his web. How many was it? He would need to send back for those if he wanted a count, but he could imagine. By the gods! Could he finance a full five wars? Six? He was tempted to undervalue...

There was a knock at the cabin door. He looked up as the young girls stirred. “What is it?” he called out in a deep throaty voice.

“Your honor, the captain would like to inform you we are a day's away from the Lands Under Twilight. We may be there by midnight tomorrow.” a page shouted.

“Very well, thank you.” Semiane called back.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED jdl3932
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DELETED jdl3932 Sok Il-Seong / (Second Initiation)

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Emily sighed. Her father frowned.
"Her opinion is of no concern. She knows her place. She knows her duties. I was already married at her age to a lovely duchess. She and my other children were a result. It is time for her to marry. She can not remain unwed for much longer."
Emily remained silent.

Edward blinked and frowned. He felt bad for the girl. He wished that she'd be allowed more freedom than this. He glanced towards his father, the king. He had a saddened look upon his face. He wished that there was something that he could do.


Zachaeus noticed the saddened expression on his son's face and made a complex gesture with his right hand that was the equivalent of saying, "You wish to see such a practice ended in all kingdoms don't you?" While he was doing this, Zachaeus simultaneously kept the king and his daughter occupied with talk of politics and potential trade agreements in order to keep them from noticing the wordless conversation currently unfolding between him and his son.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Vampiretwilight
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Edward managed not to sigh. He could not stand seeing a young lady looking so miserable. He felt that she deserved more free will.
He looked at his father. He gave a silent nod. He did wish that. However, his powers did not reach that far. He wished that he could put an end to arranged marriages once and for all.
Edward finally sighed after a few moments. He continued to frown. Soon enough, he and the princess had made eye contact.

Emily blinked. She looked away. She fought a blush. Luckily, her rather did not notice this. He kept talking with the vampire king.
Erik gave simple replies. He spoke of allies and power. He spoke of fear that his kingdom could be conquered by an enemy. He spoke of the need for powerful armies.
Emily heard all of it. She sighed but did not respond to what her father said. She kept her thoughts to herself.
The human king kept bringing up traditions. He hated seeing them break for any reason at all.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED jdl3932
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Edward managed not to sigh. He could not stand seeing a young lady looking so miserable. He felt that she deserved more free will.
He looked at his father. He gave a silent nod. He did wish that. However, his powers did not reach that far. He wished that he could put an end to arranged marriages once and for all.
Edward finally sighed after a few moments. He continued to frown. Soon enough, he and the princess had made eye contact.

Emily blinked. She looked away. She fought a blush. Luckily, her rather did not notice this. He kept talking with the vampire king.
Erik gave simple replies. He spoke of allies and power. He spoke of fear that his kingdom could be conquered by an enemy. He spoke of the need for powerful armies.
Emily heard all of it. She sighed but did not respond to what her father said. She kept her thoughts to herself.
The human king kept bringing up traditions. He hated seeing them break for any reason at all.


Zachaeus continued to engage the human king in conversation but the way the mans daughter became flustered when she looked at his son did not go unnoticed by the vampire king. "Perhaps you will have a chance to end them after all." He signed.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Vampiretwilight
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Edward blinked. He looked at his father. He nodded. Perhaps he did have a chance. He glanced at Emily when he noticed her glancing at him again and quickly look away. He assumed that she was a rather shy girl. He looked towards his father again. There was a question in his eyes. He wondered if he should get Emily out of the room for a time. He needed an excuse though.

Emily had glanced at Edward. But, she kept glancing away. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so shy. She had met other princes before. She wondered what was wrong with her.
She was lost in her own thoughts as her father continued to talk with the vampire king. He spoke of his own ancestors and how he needed them to be proud of his family. His family has ruled their lands for many generations after all.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED jdl3932
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Edward blinked. He looked at his father. He nodded. Perhaps he did have a chance. He glanced at Emily when he noticed her glancing at him again and quickly look away. He assumed that she was a rather shy girl. He looked towards his father again. There was a question in his eyes. He wondered if he should get Emily out of the room for a time. He needed an excuse though.

Emily had glanced at Edward. But, she kept glancing away. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so shy. She had met other princes before. She wondered what was wrong with her.
She was lost in her own thoughts as her father continued to talk with the vampire king. He spoke of his own ancestors and how he needed them to be proud of his family. His family has ruled their lands for many generations after all.


Zachaeus continued to engage the king before deciding to break their current line of conversation with a question.

"You said your daughter must marry, correct? Would you consider my son Edward- He gestures to his son. -as a potential suitor for her?" He asked inquisitively.
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Edward blinked. His eyes shot towards his father upon hearing him say that. He held his breath. Did his father really mean that? Did he intend to play matchmaker, or something or other, in order to help Edward somehow? Edward was very much confused.

He did not know what to make of it.

Emily blinked. She was confused as well. She frowned. Was the vampire king playing matchmaker or something other?

The king blinked. He cleared his throat.
"Perhaps. I intend to secure the safety of my kingdom and its' people. The marriage would ensure a strong political alliance. The suitor must be of noble blood, yes. Perhaps your Edward may he a suitable match, if proven to be so."
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Edward blinked. His eyes shot towards his father upon hearing him say that. He held his breath. Did his father really mean that? Did he intend to play matchmaker, or something or other, in order to help Edward somehow? Edward was very much confused.

He did not know what to make of it.

Emily blinked. She was confused as well. She frowned. Was the vampire king playing matchmaker or something other?

The king blinked. He cleared his throat.
"Perhaps. I intend to secure the safety of my kingdom and its' people. The marriage would ensure a strong political alliance. The suitor must be of noble blood, yes. Perhaps your Edward may he a suitable match, if proven to be so."


"Well, what do you think about such an arrangement?" Zachaeus asked both his son and Emily whilst carefully watching their reactions.
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Edward blinked. He frowned and shook his head.
"You can't force love. They may seem like a good match, but are they truly happy? Even if you approve the groom or the bride, will the people approve?"
He spoke honestly. He hoped his father didn't disagree.

Emily frowned. She sighed. She looked away. She noticed her father watching her closely all of a sudden. Emily shrugged a bit.
"As my father said. Tradition is important."
Her father nodded. When he looked away, Emily sniffed. She fought a tear.
"See? She knows what is expected of her."
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Edward blinked. He frowned and shook his head.
"You can't force love. They may seem like a good match, but are they truly happy? Even if you approve the groom or the bride, will the people approve?"
He spoke honestly. He hoped his father didn't disagree.

Emily frowned. She sighed. She looked away. She noticed her father watching her closely all of a sudden. Emily shrugged a bit.
"As my father said. Tradition is important."
Her father nodded. When he looked away, Emily sniffed. She fought a tear.
"See? She knows what is expected of her."


Zachaeus nodded both in understanding of what the king had said and in affirmation of his son's views. "It is important for the people to approve of their leaders. For if they do not they will grow discontented and might move to revolt." He said as he steepled his hands underneath his chin and leaned forward slightly. "But back to the matter at hand. Would you mind-" Zachaeus began. "-if my son gave your daughter a tour of the city? I promise that no harm will come to her." He said, arching an eyebrow.
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Edward blinked. He glanced at the princess and her father. He anticipated the response that was to come.

Emily glanced at her father. She could not help but be a little hopeful. Even a short time away from her father would be paradise.
Her father frowned as he thought about it. A few moments or so passed. He sighed and finally spoke.

"Very well. But there are conditions of course."
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED32084
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Solomon had always found that patience was his greatest weapon when it came to hunting Vampires. The creatures, feral or otherwise, always tended to get a bit sloppy in their routine and would eventually reveal a weakness to a patient man. And so it was with Prince Matteas, the fourth son of the King, who travelled nightly from his Castle of Solleck to the nearby city where he would visit his soon to be bride. Solomon had made enquiries and learned that while the young lady fancied the Vampire Princes position and power, the idea of "true love" seemed far away. Still, the young Vampire was thinking more with his dick than his head these days and that suited Solomon well enough.

For several days he had slept out on the moor, observing the comings and goings of the Princes carriage to the city. He always travelled with two men-at-arms and four crossbowmen for protection, and only at night, as one might expect for a Vampire. The nights had been dark and with heavy cloud cover, hardly an ideal time to attempt an attack on an undead creature. But Solomon was practiced at predicting when the cloud free days his presence inspired would arrive. That day was today. Even now he knew dawn was not far off even though a heavy cloud cover still hung over the land. It would not do so for long, he could already feel a breeze strengthening from the north, tugging at the tops of the small battered trees in which he had lain for three days.

Below him a wooden bridge spanned a steep sided ravine that filled with water after every rain, running like a river for a short while before dropping away to nothing. The lack of rain the previous day had allowed Solomon to slip down and inspect the piling, unseen by anyone above. He had begun working at the pilings with a saw. The people of the region were poor enough that the Princes carriage was the only wheeled vehicle to use the road. Solomon had spent the better part of the day sawing through the struts of the bridge. His biceps and forearms were on fire but the damage was done. He had returned to his hiding place where he stretched carefully before loading four crossbows purchased in Baron Ulreks village. He was fairly certain that the old Vampire Baron had never seen so much economic activity in his life.

He thought back to the initial meeting. Ulrek was the first Vampire he had ever not immediately tried to drive stake through upon meeting. He had felt the gentle caress as the Vampire Lord tried to read his mind and seen the flicker of surprise on the ancient face. Still, one did not underestimate a Vampire and live to tell of it. When the old bastard had ordered his guards to leave, Solomon had been surprised and suspicious. Either Ulrek was very brave, very stupid, or far more powerful than his reputation allowed for. The fact that the reek of the garlic from the hunters seemed not to have bothered him at all made Solomon rethink how he might have to kill the Baron. It had been a long time since any Vampire had led Solomon Kane to second guess his killing techniques. It was not a comfortable feeling.

The wind began to freshen and strength. Solomon shifted his gaze toward the distant city. He could see a pair of golden lights bobbing toward him across an otherwise almost completely pitch black landscape. That would be the carriage. It was still a great distance off and, as he had every night, the Vampire Prince had left his journey home until the very last moment. Couldn't get enough of his ladies pasty white flesh apparently.

Solomon looked round as the vehicle drew closer and could see the sky was beginning to lighten in the East. The wind was starting to rip at the tree tops and, for the first time in generations, the thick cloud cover that traditionally blanketed the Kingdom, was being torn to pieces. The lights had picked up pace as the guards realized what was happening and the rattle of the carriage wheels carried easily with the wind to the waiting hunter.

Easing his shoulders back, he slid the first crossbow forward, eyes on the approaching riders as they drew closer. The first two riders were crossbowmen and they passed across the long span without any issue. The heavy coach however was a different story. The minute all four wheels touched the planking the bridge gave a sickening lurch. The horses, four beautiful black mares, immediately shied and staggered. Solomon felt a genuine pang of pity for the poor creatures as they screamed in terror. The bridge gave another lurch and then collapsed into the ravine, taking the carriage and both men-at-arms with it.

The two crossbowmen who had led the party were turning in amazement just as the first crossbow bolt lifted one of them out of the saddle and hurled him to the ground. His partner was staring in amazement when a second crossbow bolt cut his shield strap in half, burying itself up to its fledgling in his chest. Blood erupted from the mans mouth and he gave a cough before collapsing across his horses neck. The creature, startled and spooked by the eruption of blood, threw the body before bolting into the surrounding moor.

The two remaining crossbowmen had jumped from their horses and were desperately trying to crank their weapons when Solomon buried a third bolt in the gut of one of them. The other took a single look, dropped his weapon, leapt back onto his horse and screamed as the fourth and final bolt slammed into his lower back, leaving him paralyzed as his horse threw him to the ground and took off running down the road.

Above them the clouds were being slashed and torn by the wind. Solomon waited, eyes fixed on the carriage. It lay on its side, two wheels still spinning slowly. The door with its gold trimmed crest opened and a white hand appeared followed by a head of white hair with the face of a boy beneath it. Prince Matteas. He looked around at the devastation and then called, presumably for his guards. When no one replied he began to climb onto the carriage. At that moment, as Solomon had predicted, the sun shot its first golden rays across the moor. The Vampire Prince gave a cry of pain and spoke into his carriage before dropping back inside.

Interesting. Someone else was with him. Solomon stood from his position, picked up his small pack, and began to jog down toward the carriage. He reached the edge of the ravine and looked down. Ten feet below, their bodies twisted at horrible angles and trapped beneath dying horses were the two men at arms. Solomon took his time to reload a crossbow before carefully shooting the dying horses one by one. The sun began to creep higher as he did and it now filled the ravine with glorious sunlight. Though Solomon had not spoken, he was listening the a conversation within the carriage. He couldn't make out individual words but he knew that at least two people were inside.

As the final horse died Solomon tossed the crossbow into the heap of wreckage and then jumped down, landing on the carriage with a thud. The hushed tones within ceased at once. He knew he would have to be careful, he was no match for a full grown Vampire physically. His mirror shield, the one he had employed so successfully in the past, was slung on his back with a cover over it's reflective surface. He slung it onto his arm and then pulled off the cover. It flashed in the sunlight and he maneuvered so that the sunlight was being focused on the carriage door. Then he leaned forward hurled the door open.

The Vampire Prince was no fool, waiting patiently beneath the door to strike. He lunged right into the concentrated sunlight being reflected by the shield and gave a horrible scream as his skin burnt immediately. His finger turned to horrible claws and his features melted into a horrendous approximation of Baron Ulreks. His eyes were turned to white orbs in an instant. He was blind. He retreated into the darkness of the carriage but the damage was done. A female voice added to the din from inside the carriage and Solomon became more curious still.

He used his sword to smash the windows of the carriage allowing more daylight to illuminate the interior. The Vampire hissed, but he was alive. It was the girl however who caught Solomon's attention. She was blonde, about his own height, and undoubtedly pretty. She clutched at her arm as though it was broken, presumably in the crash.

"You're going to die slowly if you don't feed, your majesty." Solomon spoke at last, staring at the burnt figure curled in the darkest part of the carriage. The girls eyes rolled up to him in horror.

"He wouldn't..." She said, glaring at the Vampire Hunter. "Matty loves me."

"Matty!?" Solomon began to laugh. "You call him fucking Matty?" His laugh became full bodied and he slapped a hand on his leg.

"It's not funny! You will die, insolent wretch!"

Her indignant anger turned to a scream of pure terror as "Matty" suddenly lunged from his corner, seizing her about the neck. She tried to fight him off but even in his injured state he was far stronger than her. Her one good arm tried to beat him back as she screamed at him.

"NO! Matty! You said you would never do this! You told me it was my choice! Nooooooooo!" The last scream came as the blackened creature sank its fangs into her neck. The Prince began to drink and her protestations became weaker and weaker until she collapsed limply against the bottom of the carriage. The blood had a miraculous effect on the Prince as he quickly began to regain his human looks. As he did he knelt over the body and Solomon could hear him weeping.

"I am sorry my love... But I had to live. Soon you will as well, forever. You will forgive me in time."

"Not bloody likely." Scoffed Solomon.

The Vampire turned his face upward, squinting against the growing daylight at the black shape that loomed above him.

"What do you want? Money? Immortality?"

"No, no, my lord. I want something much more. I want a world free of your kind."

"Who are you?" The Vampire was trying to get a look at him and Solomon felt a feral grin cross his face.

"I am the monster who haunts your kind. I am Kane."

"Kane..." The Vampire's eyes opened wide as he realized he was going to die. He gave a scream of rage and launched himself upward. Solomons sword flashed one and the Princes head spun into the ditch, turning to dust in an instant beneath the onslaught of the sun. The body collapsed back into the carriage where it began to smoke before slowly shrivelling into nothing.

Solomon sheathed the sword, carefully recovered his shield, and placed it on top of the carriage. Beneath him the girl was starting to stir again. She was turning. He couldn't have that. He knew better than to go into the enclosed space and instead pulled a small vial from his jacket, sprinkling the liquid over the girls face and body. It began to burn and hiss at once. The creature, no longer human, twisted and trashed as the Holy Water burnt through the greying skin and destroyed the vital organs, mostly importantly the brain.

Solomon waited until he was certain she was dead before dropping into the carriage and hacking her head from her body, tossing it out into the sunlight. He collected a small pendant that had fallen from the Princes shrivelled corpse to prove the boys death. He clambered back into the sunshine and quickly made his rounds of the fallen crossbowmen and men-at-arms, hacking off their heads as well, tossing them into the carriage.

Certain all was taken care off, he set off at a jog into the moor. In a short time he could come to his own horse, stolen from the city. He would return to the Vampire capital and vanish into the throng along with everyone else. Behind him the crows were already descending on the dead, climbing into the carriage to peck at the heads.

Soldiers would find the dead and maimed but more importantly they would find no witnesses. The other Vampires would hear of the ambush and they would come to fear the daylight and know that a monster stalked their kind.

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Edward blinked. He glanced at the princess and her father. He anticipated the response that was to come.

Emily glanced at her father. She could not help but be a little hopeful. Even a short time away from her father would be paradise.
Her father frowned as he thought about it. A few moments or so passed. He sighed and finally spoke.

"Very well. But there are conditions of course."


"Of course and I'm willing to hear them." Zachaeus replied as he rested his chin in the palm of his right hand and leaned against the right armrest of his throne as he gestured for the foreign king to continue.
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Edward looked at his father as the human king spoke. He glanced at Emily to make sure that she was alright.
Emily was looking between her father, Edward, and the vampire king. Her father spoke almost firmly.
"There will be political implications if something were to happen to my daughter. She must never be alone, not even for a moment. I am to receive reports of their time, and during their time. They are not to get intimate unless there is to be an engagement."
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With the vampire slayers went the uncharacteristically pleasant weather that the Great Weald had been enjoying for the past several days. Dusk came early that night as dark stormclouds rolled overhead from north of the Felmurg Mountains. Cold, heavy rains fell upon the moor in oppressive sheets. The rains fell upon Felboge Keep's chiseled facades, coating the edifice in a dribbling curtain of water that coursed off the cornices of colonnades and the chins of monstrous gargoyles. Bright blue peals from within the tempest above illuminated the dismal fortress for brief moments, followed immediately by chest-vibrating cracks of nearby thunder. Deep within Felboge Keep, even underneath many layers of thick stone, the storm outside could still be heard if only as distant and muted rumbling.

Baron Ulrek sat upon his throne in the great hall, holding within his slender fingers a wooden box containing a potato-sized lump of silvery metal packed in wads of hay. Argstone, the Felmurg Dwarves called it. It was an ore rich in silver, shining with veins and bubbles of silver metal within a matrix of gray stone and other minerals. Sturin's Folk had already begun delivering prodigious quantities of Argstone and other ores to Felboge Keep, carting off equal amounts of mithril and gold back to their hoards in their mountain homes in accordance with their agreement with the vampire lord. The dwarves surely thought Baron Ulrek an utter fool for trading precious gold and mithril for comparatively mundane silver. But Ulrek knew that greed compelled dwarfkind far more than any sense of honor or loyalty. When the time came to fight, Ulrek knew he could count on his dwarven allies to support him and, by extension, their lucrative mining agreement. Let the dwarves have their mithril, Ulrek thought. With enough silver, the Xelwyth Imperium would be his alone.

Thunder rumbled outside as Ulrek stared into the box, hesitating. His finger slowly lowered around the silver ore, his bony digits still burned and blistered from previous attempts at holding silver. His hands hovered above the sparkling rock, fingers already trembling in anticipation of the tremendous pain to which they would soon be subjected. Ulrek inhaled through gritted fangs and finally laid his hands upon the silver ore. He lifted the stone up out of the box, supporting its weight completely. Sharp, burning pain radiated through the Baron's fingers as smoke trailed upward from his hands once again. The feeling of silver on his flesh was excruciating, but already not as traumatic as his first attempts at handling silver, nor was there yellow fire during this attempt either. Ulrek's plan seemed to be working: already he was building a tolerance to silver.

Tolerance was one thing, but Ulrek wanted immunity. Thunder rumbled once again as Ulrek gritted his teeth, denying himself from letting go of the rock and relieving himself of the pain. His hands were giving off a considerable amount of smoke and shaking vigorously under the pain. Ulrek believed that if he held this silver for long enough, he might gain complete immunity. Focusing completely on keeping his hands on the silver ore, Ulrek resolved to push himself to the very limits of his newfound tolerance.




Driving rain and lightning had made the ramparts of Felboge Keep an unpleasant place to be. The keep's guards, while technically required to conduct routine rounds along the battlements of the keep regardless of inclement weather, were now taking shelter under any roof or structure they could stand under to find some shelter from the storm. With the ramparts unguarded, and the Baron preoccupied with his strange rituals, the head chamberlain of Felboge Keep was afforded perhaps the best opportunity he would ever have of escaping this place.

The chamberlain, his courtly robe matted to his body from the pouring rain, thoroughly surveyed his surroundings to ensure he was alone. Save for the occasional peal of lightning, it was completely dark. So heavy was the rain that the torches had been extinguished in their sconces. And there was not a single guard to be seen on this lonely stretch of the rampart. This was it.

The chamberlain produced from under his robe a thick, solid beam of wood one cubit long with a length of rope tied snugly around the middle. He uncoiled the rope from around the wooden beam and placed it between two battlements of the rampart and allowed the unfurled rope to fall down the keep's wall to the moat some twenty feet below. Each flash of lightning illuminated the daunting descent the chamberlain would have to make in order to make his escape, revealing a muddy moat full of sharpened pikes that would certainly skewer him should he make a single false move during his descent. The dizzying descent repulsed the chamberlain, and he backed away into the wall of the keep. The escape would prove a frightful ordeal, but the chamberlain knew he could not expect to survive in Felboge Keep much longer. He sometimes felt the disconcerting sensation that he was not alone in his own mind, and suspected the Baron was probing it. It would only be a matter of time before Ulrek discovered the chamberlain's disdain for his own master. But more importantly than his own fate, King Zachaeus had to be notified of Ulrek's treasonous deeds.

The chamberlain returned to the battlements and took the rope in his hands. He prayed that the mortar holding the stone battlements in place did not fail under his weight, and stepped over the edge. His breaths were furious and fast, rainwater spraying off his lips with every terrified exhalation. He dared not look down below him and only took short, deliberate steps down the face of the wall. Step by terrifying step, the chamberlain watched the keep above get smaller and smaller. As he neared the bottom, the chamberlain was startled to feel something tugging at his shoulder. Surprised by the tugging sensation, he lost his grip on the rain-soaked rope, and fell. The sleeve of his robe tore away from him, and he fell only a short distance into the muddy water of the moat. He emerged from the filthy moat with much of his robe torn off of his body, and discovered much of it snagged on the point of a pike he was fortunate to not have landed upon. Save for ropeburn on his palms and a scrape on his shoulder, the chamberlain had survived the descent unscathed. He gave a swift, whipping jerk on the rope, freeing the wooden block from the battlements and sending it plunging down into the moat with a splash that was barely audible over the pouring rain and thunder. He waded through the moat and pikes and flopped onto the muddy bank of the moat, panting with exhaustion. The chamberlain looked back up to see the dread keep behind him after spending so much of his life within its walls. He had only a moment to savor his newfound freedom, for the storm would soon pass and Baron Ulrek would discover his head chamberlain missing.

The chamberlain staggered down the hillside into the moor, slippered feet squishing into the mud with every step as he proceeded toward a village he knew to be located nearly a stone's-throw from Felboge Keep. It would be the first place Ulrek's men would check once they began their search for the missing chamberlain, but he would be able to acquire there some basic necessities for his journey to the Capital.

After an hour stumbling through the storm, the chamberlain encountered the hamlet known as Felboge Shadow: a collection of wattle-and-daub huts gathered along a muddy road that went east and west across the Weald. No sign of the town's denizens, unsurprising given the weather and late hour. The chamberlain came up to a crude, thatched-roof inn in the middle of the village and slammed his fist upon the door to be let in. Three knockings and still no sign of stirring from within. The proprietor of this inn either was either fast asleep, or had no intention of seeing visitors at this odd hour.

"Spare a coin, suh?" Said a raspy, croaking voice that startled the chamberlain. Sitting in the mud under the eave of the inn was a wretched soul, dressed in a filthy hooded robe and cloak who appeared to own nothing beside a pair of holey shoes and a walking stick.

"I ain't eat in two days, suh," the vagabond pleaded again, his palms outstretched. "Two pence an' I kin get some soup 'ere in the mornin'."

The chamberlain produced a coin and threw it into the vagabond's palm. The beggar's jaw dropped open when he discovered it was a golden vesper - more money than this depauperate man had ever seen in his entire life.

"Give me your robe, your staff, and your word that you will never speak of having seen me here tonight."
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED jdl3932
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DELETED jdl3932 Sok Il-Seong / (Second Initiation)

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Edward looked at his father as the human king spoke. He glanced at Emily to make sure that she was alright.
Emily was looking between her father, Edward, and the vampire king. Her father spoke almost firmly.
"There will be political implications if something were to happen to my daughter. She must never be alone, not even for a moment. I am to receive reports of their time, and during their time. They are not to get intimate unless there is to be an engagement."


"That is acceptable." Zachaeus said with a nod as his mind went back over what his son Ulrek might be planning. Zachaeus knew the boy was crafty and wouldn't dare to attack the city head on. Rather he would rely on stealth and subterfuge to accomplish his goals. The only problem was exactly how Ulrek planned to go about this. He knew the boy was cruel, so him targeting his other siblings seemed like a real possibility and it had been a while since he had gotten a letter from Matteas, which was troubling.

Zachaeus let out a small sigh as he leaned back in his throne and decided upon a course of action. His plan was simple. He would prepare and let things unfold as they would. Eventually those plotting against him would end up here where he could dispose of them and go back to guiding his empire. While many would consider his cold, detached, view of his eldest son abhorrent Zachaeus did not.

Any love they had for each other had died a long time ago.
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Edward kept his eyes on all three of them. Emily took a breath and waited.

The king nodded.
"Very well. I shall remain her so long as my daughter does."
He looked at Emily. He nodded at her.

Emily walked up to Edward. She blushed.
Edward blushed a bit as well.
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"What a shit heap..." Solomon was muttering to himself as he walked quickly through the city streets. It was raining, as it usually did, in great sheets of misery that soaked everyone and everything. Anyone who had the money or will to leave had already done so, leaving the dredges of humanity to serve their undead overloads. He had been forced to adopt the local dress of plain black leather pants, linen shirt, and tarred trench coat and hat to blend in. The large coat at least made it easy to conceal whatever he wanted.

The streets were running ankle deep with water which at least served to wash away the filth of the people who lived with no sewer system to speak of. He almost found himself missing the Eastern Kingdoms who took cleanliness seriously. He was genuinely concerned that if to many pleasant days became to arrive in the region that there would an outbreak of plague when no one bothered to clean up all the human filth thrown into the streets.

He leapt a small stream running out of a tannery, the water a reddish brown in colour. He half expected to see some vampire hopefuls lapping it up for the blood content but alas, no one seemed interested. Ahead of him a tall house, a whole three stories, one of the largest on the street, boasted real glass windows and a solid wood door studded with metal. He took the steps two at a time and burst into the entryway.

A startled butler shuffled toward him but Solomon waved the man away. "No thank you Bertram. Where is her ladyship?"

"Upstairs, m'lord." The mans voice creaked like an old chair and Solomon was not entirely convinced that he wasn't just an undead minion.

The stairs were made of black marble, one of the few building materials plentiful in this godforsaken Kingdom. The steps and railing were polished smooth by an ever suffering host of servants who existed only to please their mistress. It was clear that none of them liked her but what else could you do? A roof over your head and a bit of money to spend on Friday. They were doing much better than many of their fellow citizens.

"Is that you Josias?" A female voice floated out from a sitting room where the flicker of fire light was starkly warm against the chill in the rest of the house.

"It is indeed!" He called out and gave his head a small shake before he stepped into the room. He had long ago told himself he would do whatever it took to accomplish his task of destroying evil.

Two high backed sitting chairs were facing a large fireplace that blazed with heat. The rest of the room was in darkness save for two torches that illuminated a pair of girls who were chained to the wall by a wrist each. One was reading a book and the other sewing, both looked up as he came in and smiled. The small red marks on their necks indicated where their mistress had fed off of them. In order for a human to become fully transformed by a vampire they had to be literally bled to death. Partial bleeding would eventually pass, as it would with any wound.

A woman sat in one chair, her long glorious black hair hanging down about her shoulder blades. She wore a red dress with a silver necklace studded with jewels. She was a vampire, and his current lover. Like any Vampire, she had promised that she would not turn him nor feed on him until he wished to join her forever. Standard vampire nonsense when they found a new plaything. Though it was just as well, for his blood would be the death of her for no vampire could feed on a holy man and live. One small advantage to having suffered years of choir practice and attempted molestation by elder priests.

She flew into his arms and kissed him deeply. Despite himself he found her dangerously attractive and the bulge in his breeches soon told her just how much. She smiled as she ran a hand over him, her tongue gently travelling across his lower lip. She stared up at him out of deep brown, almost black eyes, and he knew that there was no better place to hide from your enemies then in their own bed.

"Take off those awful clothes and come and tell me about your day." She purred in his ear, sliding a hand into his pants to give him a squeeze of promise.

"As your ladyship commands." He swept off his hat in a small bow and stepped into the next room. He quickly stripped down, carefully extracting a small package labelled "snuff" from his clothes and placing it in his pack. It was anything but. His time in the East had introduced him to a wonderful weapon called "black powder", an unheard of tool here in the West. It would help him with the next part of his plan.

But that would have to wait until the next day and until then he would enjoy the pleasures awaiting him in the next room. He stepped back into the parlour and found the lady of the house already naked, kneeling in the chair with her back to him. She smiled over her shoulder and gave her flawless backside a little wiggle. The two girls chained to the wall were staring at him. He had always enjoyed an audience and he smiled as stepped forward to claim what was offered.
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Edward kept his eyes on all three of them. Emily took a breath and waited.

The king nodded.
"Very well. I shall remain her so long as my daughter does."
He looked at Emily. He nodded at her.

Emily walked up to Edward. She blushed.
Edward blushed a bit as well.


Zachaeus nodded at the man before looking over at the pair. "Well, now that this has been taken care of, would you like to take her on a tour of our fair city now?" He asked waving his arms in a vast sweeping gesture, as if to encompass the entire city around them.
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"He's gone, yer majesty,"

Baron Ulrek's expression was exceptionally dour today. Early in the morning, Ulrek Bathory had summoned his chamberlain to the great hall to perform a number of routine chores before the vampire lord began his slumber through the daylight hours. But the chamberlain never arrived. Hours passed, and at dawn Ulrek ordered the keep's guards to seize the chamberlain and bring him before the throne. Now it was early in the afternoon, and nearly the entirety of the keep's guard contingent had been mobilized to search every conceivable hiding place.

"You are certain of this?"

"Aye, yer majesty," affirmed the guard commander. "We've gone through the undercroft, looked in every barrel, and every space we thought a man could try to hide within. I'm certain he's gone."

Ulrek listened through the thoughts of his numerous guards and retainers throughout the fortress. Felboge Keep was rank with fear and anxiety today, even more so than usual, but as Ulrek scoured the minds of his servants, he found no trace of disloyalty. The traitorous thoughts he had been sensing were notably absent. Ulrek knew now that his chamberlain was gone, and worse still, that he harbored ill will for his former master. Ulrek cursed himself for not making a greater effort to hunt down the traitor while he had the chance.

"Where could he have gone?" Ulrek wondered aloud.

"Impossible to say, yer majesty. Probably made off with some jewels and coins and hiding in some crag on the moor now. Fret not, sire, he'll spend the rest of his miserable days a wretch on the lam, but he can't hide forever. His hide'll be staked to the walls soon enough."

"'Soon enough'? Soon enough is not good enough." Ulrek was well aware that his missing chamberlain did not leave for a handful of golden vespers. The chamberlain knew too much, and if his knowledge reached the wrong ears, then Ulrek's wish for the throne of the Imperium was in jeopardy. "Nothing enters or leaves without my approval. How was this even allowed to happen?"

"You see, sire..." the commander gulped, "there was a terrible storm last night. In all the thunder and rain, he must've gotten through somehow."

Before Ulrek could chastise his guard captain, the door to the great hall was thrown open by another guard, his boots and greaves caked in mud.

"Sire!" The new arrival announced as he made his way up to Baron Ulrek's throne. "We found these in the moat!"

The guard laid at Ulrek's feet a soaking wet scrap of silk from a robe as well as a long length of rope tied around a muddy beam of wood. The chamberlain's escape had been confirmed.

"Looks like he used that to rappel down the wall in the storm," mused the commander.

"We also found some tracks in the mud, leading away from the keep into the moor."

"Take these to the houndkeeper," Ulrek ordered the mud-stained guard. "Allow his dogs to acquire his scent and follow those tracks. "I want the borders closed to anyone without written permission to enter or leave these lands. Anyone matching a rough description of this man is to be arrested and brought in for identification."

"As you wish, sire."

"Find him quickly," Ulrek ordered his guard captain, "or your skin will be nailed to the keep in his stead."




He was roused from his sleep by the snorting and grunting of hogs. A wet, muddy snout prodded under his thigh; bringing to an end a fitful and restless night of sleep. He shooed the pig away and sat up from what had passed for a bed that night - a bed of weeds and straw laid over the muddy floor of a sty house. It was a wretched place to spend an evening, but the warmth of the hogs and a crude roof over his head made it preferable to sleeping out on the moor. He crawled through the doorway of the hut into a muddy pig sty. With his walking stick in hand, the former chamberlain of Felboge Keep waded through the filth and climbed over the low fence, making his way onto the street of the town.

He was a positively wretched figure, clad in a tattered robe and hood of coarse wool caked with mud and hog shit. When assuming a hobbling, staff-dependent limp, the former chamberlain was indistinguishable from a lowly, unremarkable vagabond. It was a disguise that would attract little attention as he made his way out of the Great Weald to the fringes of the Imperial Heartlands and ultimately the capital and Castle Bathory.

It would be nearly a week at his current pace to pass the borders of the Great Weald and be free of the wrath of his former master, who by now had certainly recognized his absence. Once in the Imperial Heartlands, the former chamberlain could travel by horseback, but so long as apprehension by Ulrek's men was a possibility, he had to maintain a low profile. Under the frayed woolen hood, passersby never suspected that the destitute man ambling down the southern road toward the borderlands had once been among the closest advisers of the horrifying master of this realm. No one could have imagined that the forgettablr drifter was in fact a courier bearing a secret that would set the Xelwyth Imperium ablaze.
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