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“What the f-” Raph snapped from his murderous intent as he saw two lifeless bodies rise from the ground, reanimated by the peculiar powers of Enzo's blood. It was the exact kind of supernatural freaky stuff that Raph still had not wrapped his head around in this world of darkness, despite having travelled so far and wide since his embrace. Even he could not help feeling a chill run through his spine at the sight of actual zombies.

He then heard Ian’s voice calling out to Elizabeth. It took Raph a moment to understand what was going on, but once he saw the Brujah motioning towards the door it became clear that a certain Tzimisce was about to do a big no-no.

Oh, bordel de merde! What are you doing?!” Raph snarled in frustration as he dashed towards Elizabeth. He thought about pulling her back, though that could very well end with his throat ripped by Elizabeth’s claws. Instead, he attempted to place himself in front of the Tzimisce, running with his arm extended against the door in order to prevent Elizabeth from opening it.

“Aaagh!... Putain! The impact of his arm on the door sent shockwaves of pain from his mangled shoulder, where the shotgun pellets were still lodged. Raph hoped he had done enough to stop Elizabeth from making a rash decision, though in that moment of lacerating pain he had no way of stopping her from pushing him aside and walk through that door.



“Merd-”

A loud discharge squashed every other noise for a moment. It was the sound of a shotgun, firing at Raph from a close distance; the Ravnos was sent aback by the instant impact of dozens of pellets lodging into his chest and neck, which prompted Djobi to immediately pounce on the armed thug as he attempted to reload for a second shot.

For Raph, the initial shock gave way to ire. A shot that would have seriously injured most Kindred neonates – and even a few ancillae – had done more to rile the Beast inside Raph than actually harm him. His high stamina and supernatural Fortitude had soaked most of the lethal damage, but the stinging pain, enhanced by the element of surprise, now brought the Beast to the forefront. It took a great deal of self-control for Raph to quiet down the monster in him.

Fortunately for the French vampire, the thug was never able to repeat his earlier deed. Once knocked down by the massive Shepherd, he could not resist having his throat ripped out by the animal’s vicious bites. His life ebbed away just as fast as his blood spurted from the torn arteries, and in moments the man went limp.

By now Raph had regained enough composure to assess the situation: Ian had performed masterfully by taking out the thug threatening Enzo and drawing attention to himself, allowing Raph and Djobi to charge almost unnoticed. The Brujah had dared the attackers to fight or flee, but the Ravnos was not going to give them the option.





Raph’s attempt at a witty entrance fell flat as his siblings were quick to point out his obvious tardiness. After all, this was not a social visit – they were gathering in that old apartment to save their missing surrogate father. Time and expediency were of essence.

“Well, I don’t wanna wait around any more. Ludwig needs our help. I think we should just go in and wing it. We ain’t helping much, just chit-chatting. We just gotta be careful, that’s all.” Elizabeth brought the focus back on the mission ahead. She had placed herself beside Enzo and was going to keep the Giovanni boy safe should things get messy. The rest of the gameplan, however, was still up for discussion.

Ever the analytical fighter, Ian suggested Raph to take the vanguard: "You mind going in first? Use your discipline just in case. I'll go in after and engage our opposition if any.”

Raph nodded in agreement. He was hardly the stereotypical Deceiver, but “resilience” was practically his middle name, more so thanks to the gift of supernatural Fortitude in the Ravnos blood. Still, he was not at all excited about being the first to walk past that door. God knows what or who was standing on the other side, and getting torn to pieces was hardly on Raph’s plans for the night.

With a subtle hand motion, the Ravnos beckoned Djobi to come to him. Staring her right in her light brown eyes, Raph knelt before the Anatolian Shepherd, running his fingers across the light brown hair in the back of her head while whispering: "Reste derrière moi. Attaque seulement quand je te le dirai." Djobi obeyed without question and positioned herself behind her regnant.

Raph stood back up and turned to his siblings. He spoke softly, though stealth and discretion seemed useless at this point. Alors, just in case shit hits the fan: I go in first. Ian and Djobi will come right behind me and engage if we come under attack. Beth follows in with Enzo. But what about Steele?” Raph looked towards the Caitiff, unsure of where he might be more useful. “What says you, mon frère? I know you’re used to being the frontman, but it might be good to have someone covering our undead hides once we pass through that door.”
Finally posted! Sorry for taking so long, guys 🙏



Raph let out a shallow breath – more of a mechanical reflex from his past life than a voluntary action of his present one. As a rule, the dead don’t breathe unless they’re pretending to be one of the living. Yet some habits do not die when their owners do.

Looking to his right, Raph instantly locked eyes with his gigantic dog, her massive head sticking out from the little space between the Hyundai’s front seats. Djobi sensed her owner’s discomfort and stared up at him with a look of both inquiry and apprehension. A fraction of a smile crept up in Raph’s face, trying to reassure his canine ghoul that everything was okay – and trying to reassure himself as well in the process.

“Don’t worry, old friend. I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” Raph said as he gently stroked the thick hair of the dog’s neck. Djobi did not protest, but she was hardly convinced. Whether it was the blood bond or just pure animal intuition speaking, Djobi knew that Raph’s words did not match what was going on in his heart.

Raph sunk back to the driver’s seat as he pulled out his phone, his slender fingers working their way back to that cryptic email – Edwina reaching out to him at this time of the year? And what’s this “urgent matter” meant to be?

For all the time that had passed since his departure from the manor, Raph could not posit that his “adoptive parents of the night” could be in some sort of danger there. Their estate seemed like the safest place on earth for a vampire like him after decades spent on the road and barely surviving to see the next sundown.

By the looks of it, the manor remained as impregnable as it was when he last left it. A small reassurance, he thought, one that yet made him question the urgency of Edwina’s invitation even more. The possibilities racked his brain as he finally opened the door of his car, parked before a long and very familiar driveway. After he let Djobi out, the two made their way to the grandiose manor. A face they both had not seen in a long time greeted them by the front door.

Monsieur Quentin! Mon Dieu, it’s been so long!” The French vampire immediately rushed to hug the proud butler, who for all his unnatural strength would not break from the tight hold. Djobi was much more reserved in her greetings, as she usually is towards vampires, but even she could not fully hide her excitement at seeing an old acquaintance. “My apologies for being late, the traffic in Brooklyn is a mess tonight. Edwina's home, I presume?”

With a nod, Quentin stepped aside and motioned toward the door. Dog and Ravnos entered the closest thing New York City had to a Kindred “orphanage,” a safe haven for the weary and disenfranchised. Raph fit that bill all too well in the past; walking into the living room released a flood of memories, an acute nostalgia mixed with a sense of the helplessness he felt when he first walked into that home.

And then he saw her. Edwina. The matriarch. The motherly figure in this atypical vampire family.

For an instant, Raph forgot everything and everyone and just stood in awe, the flood of memories snuffed out by the Toreador’s sheer presence. He could swear he felt his long-dead heart contract at that moment. Djobi stood beside the young Ravnos unimpressed, proving yet again she was actually the more sensible of the two.

“Hello, Edwina.” Raph opened his arms wide, inviting the matriarch for a hug he hasn’t had in years.



Raph came out of the manor even more tense than he was when he went in. Tears of blood swelled in the corner of his eyes as he tried not to think about what could have happened to Ludwig. The patriarch of the family had been a mentor to him; he was – is – a powerful Brujah in his own right. Who in New York could rival Ludwig in strength and age? The Prince? An elder from the Sabbat? An ancient Methuselah? Or perhaps even-

Raph shuddered to think of an answer. Ever since he arrived in the city, he had heard rumors about what kind of monsters New York was harboring. Could it be that one of these creatures was behind Ludwig’s disappearance?

With a soft purr, the grey Hyundai moved away from the manor, its new destination being this club named Sheol. Raph struggled to remember if he had been there before; the way seemed familiar to him anyways. His foot squeezed the accelerator as he deliberately ignored stop signs and traffic lights. Reuniting with his “siblings” and finding Ludwig was paramount; US traffic law would have to take a back seat this time.



“What do you mean, they left?” Raph’s voice struggled to rise above the loud music, even as he stood right in front of the bartender. A back-and-forth of helpless yelling and hand motions left Raph with a bare hint – according to the bartender, he heard the group mention going to Lower East Side after nearly getting in a fight with some of the patrons. Raph left the club just as fast as he came in and drove out into the night once again, hoping to reach the other four vampires before they could go somewhere else.

The trip to the old apartment was quick, in no small part due to Raph’s determined (read “reckless”) driving style. The black Toyota he saw did not ring any bells in the Ravnos’ mind, but Elizabeth’s old Honda Civic was unmistakable. Parking a little ways ahead, Raph hopped out of the Sonata and allowed a rather bored Djobi to do the same. The Anatolian Shepherd lunged out of the car and in the direction of the other Kindred, following a particular scent of undead she had not come across in a very long time.

“Djobi, arrête!” Raph followed his ghoul in suit, trying to keep Djobi from launching herself into danger. The mad race seemed to have drawn the attention of a man in the black Toyota, but Raph could not be sure.

Turning into the apartment, both dog and Deceiver appeared just in time to witness Enzo cry out in pain as he clutched an afflicted hand. The poor boy offered an explanation to Ian while trying to recover from the daunting experience.

Djobi interjected with gruff barking, as if sensing the violation of natural law in the air. Raph walked right behind with a smirk.

Bonsoir, my brothers. Sister.” He glanced at each of his “siblings,” as kids do to measure how much the others grew since they last saw one another. “I have to say, I expected a much better venue for our little reunion.” Raph did not want to admit it, but he was happy to see them all together again – even in a place as old and decrepit as that one.
@eviledd1984 just went through the IC thread, you guys have a really interesting story going on! Is there room for another Kindred in this "family"?
Hey everyone! Adam here to scratch a roleplaying itch that's been building up for a few years now. Used to do this a lot more in my mid-to-late teens (I'm 28 now) so bear with me, I might be a bit rusty after all this time 😅

Goal is still the same though: to have fun, connect with other people and collaborate in some awesome RP storytelling! I'm a fan of Vampire: The Masquerade, Star Wars and ASOIAF, but I'm also down for something in an original setting. Probably will limit myself to 1-2 RP threads at a time due to time constraints and the simple fact that I write very, very s l o w l y.

That being said, I look forward to meeting the good folk of the guild! Feel free to PM me about your RP idea, talk about fandoms or just say hi 😁
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