[IC] The Black of Night - Urban Shadows

[rush99999]

At the mention of what the thieves had been after, what once had been mild annoyance shifted into a fury that not even the most violently enraged great wyrm could hope to match as all previous thoughts fled the vampire's mind. Whoever did this, they were most likely from Power. With Power's tendency to snap up resources vulnerable or exposed, January knew all manner of mage and mystic would come running from miles in every direction at the prospect of resources as rich as Harold's ripe for the taking now that he was no longer there to defend them. But going so far as to steal his will? January knew few people outside the Robinson family would respect it, but the contents of his late friend's will was just as much his last words as the ones he spoke with his last breath. They detailed his dying wishes, conveyed fond final messages to those he was close to in life, left behind instructions regarding matters of family and possessions that Power would have no interest in whatsoever.

And just as he could hazard a guess as to who would go after Harold's will, January had an inkling of an idea as to why they went for it as well. If someone got their hands on the will, they could alter it and lend a level of legitimacy to their designs on Harold's worldly possessions. The thought of someone who wasn't Harold making even the smallest altaration to his will made January want to break something. Preferably something that would scream when he broke it.

After a moment, January took a breath. His face settling into a calm expression as he looked back at the woman. "If I may ask, why tell me any of this?" January said. "If somebody took what was yours, why take the time to meet with me when you could be tracking down the thieves and recovering what they took?"

Synopsis

January attempts to figure the woman out with the intention of learning what she's hoping to get from him and what she worries might happen. He rolls a 7 in the attempt.

[Penny]

@rush99999

Smoke began trailing from the woman's nostrils in earnest now.

"In the past I would have laid waste to this city of mortal insects to recover what was mine," she said. The words were simple and matter of fact but as she spoke them the light level in the room seemed to dim and shadows flickered and danced as though cast by burning torches. The shadow behind the woman was not of a slim human in business dress but something vast and winged and terrible. A second shadow joins the first, another winged form although this one is avian. The seem to battle in a conflict of flashing shadow talons for a few seconds. January remembers the story of the ancient conflicts of Old King Crow and the Wyrm.

"But I may not, not until the item is recovered at any rate," she continued once again a woman, with a woman's shadow. There is a slight concern injected into the word 'item' as though the dragon is concerned it might come to harm.

"You will want to track down and ... chastise the thieves for your own reasons, Yuki may assist you, it wont provoke any... rash actions," she continued inscrutably. At the mention of the girls name the dragon pivoted her head to observe the girls antics.

"Yuki, stop befouling Lady Venus with your mortal feromancy," she scolded. Yuki looked surprised to have been spoken to.

"But I like the statue better armed," she quiped, clearly proud of the pun at the armless statues expense. The dragon said something in an tongue the January didn't understand. Yuki's eyes widened and she snatched the gun away without further complaint.

"I will respect it in the future mistress," she said with downcast eyes.

Synopsis

What she is hoping to get from January - She wants to use him to track down the theives so that Yuki can recover her item.
What is she afraid might happen - She is worried that the item might be damaged or destroyed.

[rush99999]

When the dragon brought up the possibility of having Yuki assist him, January seemed somewhat uneasy about it. His playbook was a subtle one, and he hadn't really seen much of that from Yuki so far. Even so, January could see her being of some use should he need backup in a tough fight where discretion was not an issue. Her attire and loadout would have to be altered to something that would blend in a little more though. A magical girl cosplayer blasting j-pop and toting a heavy caliber machine gun was bound to draw unwanted attention.

January smiled and nodded gratefully to the dragon when she scolded Yuki for her disrespect of the statue of Venus before making her remove the gun and promise to treat the statue with respect befitting the likeness of a goddess from then on. "The gods will remember that, and so too shall I." January said. "But I digress. Is there anything you can tell me about these thieves or any leads I should keep in mind during my search? And if I may ask, do you have any thoughts as to why the thieves would come rooting around your hoard in search of Harold's will? I get why they'd want it, but I don't get why they'd come looking for it here. In all the time I'd been his friend, he never mentioned knowing any dragons well enough to trust them with his will."

[Penny]

@rush99999
"Rooting around in my hoard?" the dragon asked seemingly puzzled, then she began to chuckle, or something like chuckle. The commonalities between human and dragon laughter were few. It somehow seemed to call up crashing tides and shattering rocks.

"It wasn't in my hoard when it was stolen, if it had been the thieves would be in my belly," she replied, smiling and suddenly seeming to have far too many perfect pearly teeth.

"The will and my...the item, were both stolen from the vault of the Cathedral of St Anthony the Illuminated."

[rush99999]

"The Cathedral of St Anthony the Illuminated." January said with a bothered look on his face. "I suppose that means I should start my search there... Just my luck." Ever since the Roman Empire turned to Christ, January had despised the Christians for, in his mind, ruining the Empire. As such, he hated everything associated with the religion in question, especially the temples dedicated to the Lord. Needless to say, January did not relish the thought of visiting a cathedral. "Why didn't you keep this item of yours with the rest of your hoard? Is it something dangerous?" January asked. He noticed that the dragon didn't seem to want to tell January what her stolen item was, so he decided against asking her to tell him what exactly had been stolen.

[Penny]

"The item was... being held for me, you might say," the dragon/woman replied, the sibilance in her voice growing more pronounced and something hot and elemental kindling in her eyes.

"And no, it is not dangerous as it is. It is a fragile thing however and I am concerned it might be damaged or destroyed, by accident as much as on purpose," she continued the heat of a moment before dipping to a smolder.

"Yuki will know it when she sees it, I have no... pictures of it? Is that the mortal term?" she asked before making a dismissive gesture with a quick puff of smoke.

[rush99999]

"Yes. Pictures. You got it right" January said with a nod. "But I digress. The Cathedral of St Anthony the Illuminated is where the search begins yes? I'll get right on that then." With that said, January rose to his feet and turned to Yuki. "Let's get going." January said. "The sooner we're there, the sooner we can leave. And I'd rather we spend as little time in any of that irrumator praetor's houses as possible."

[Penny]

America was not known for its great churches in the same way the Old World was. Church here usually meant a dilapidated white washed building with a single spire or perhaps the stadium come exploitation center of a mega churches garishness. Corvis Bay had an unusual number of impressive churches however. St Anthony's rose towards the sky in the towering gothic style, its vast steeple plated with polished bras that glinted in the moonlight like struck gold. Gargoyles coiled from its lofty arches and stained glass shone with inner light. The splendor of the arcitecture was somewhat offset by the utilitarian parking lot infront of it. Despite the lateness of the hour several cars were pulled up close to the building when Yuki pulled in, her bubblegum pink sports car anything but inconspicuous, the more so for the HK laying across the back seat and the omnipresent pop music pumping.

Yuki's Car

[Penny]

@POOHEAD189

"Perhaps now is not the time," the woman responded, her voice carrying a slightly lilt of an Irish accent. Barely flinches at the mention of the word time and casts a look back to the bar. The blue collar monster hunters are confused for now but there is little doubt that they will come boiling out into the alley at any moment. As if to punctuate the point, several shots rip through the door behind you. A scream from inside suggests at least one ricochet has taught these thugs a few things about firing into a metal surface at close range.

Synopsis

From the way Barliman is looking at her he is just as scared of her as he was of the Ordo. She wants something he dosent want to give.
It seems clear to you that the Ordo came in when something was going down between Barliman and the woman. She only wants to get away.

She is going to keep her hold for now.

If you want more info you could try to put a face to a name, but probably not a great idea to stand around in the street and get gunned down while doing so.

[rush99999]

As Yuki's car pulled into the cathedral parking lot, a cloud of mist descended from above and solidified into the ancient Roman vampire known as January by the stairs leading up to the front door. January had decided against riding with Yuki, electing instead to make his own way to the cathedral in his mist form. That woman had no subtlety whatsoever.

January had no idea how he was going to find the thieves with his companion making so much noise. On the bright side, Yuki's massive machinegun would come in handy in the event that they had to deal with any unwanted attention. Something January figured would be very likely to happen given how much attention Yuki was liable to draw.

January looked up at the looming structure of the cathedral as he waited for Yuki to exit her car and approach him, speaking up when she was within talking distance. "Try not to cause too much of a ruckus in there." January requested. "We'll probably have our hands full contending with Power while searching for the boss lady's stuff. No need to give the Thousand Churches cause while we're at it unless it becomes a necessity."

When January turned to look back at Yuki, his jaw dropped when he saw that the woman had brought along her machinegun. "Juno inferna!" January cursed as he quickly looked about to see if anyone was watching. Once he'd confirmed that no one had seen them, January took a breath, collected himself and looked once more at Yuki.

"Yuki, please put that back in the car before somebody sees it and calls the police." January said. "We aren't shooting people just yet. We're only here to look for clues."

Synopsis

January attempts to persuade Yuki to leave her gun in the car. He rolls a 6, but uses Irresistible to have his machinations succeed as though he rolled a 7-9, at the expense of attracting the attention of a rival or enemy.

[Penny]

Yuki stared at January for several seconds, her face drooping in comic disappointment. With a sigh she made a pirouette turn that made her skirt fan out theatrically. She tossed the gun underhand onto the back seat of the car. Clearly Juno or someone like her was watching out for the pair because the gun didn't go off. She turned and skipped back to January's side. Although she gave every outward sign of her usual indifference, she hadn't turned the music back on.

The interior of the cathedral was a vast open chamber hall with two lines of simple pews bisected by the central isle. Moonlight slanted in through stained glass windows portraying images of St Anthony. An ornate cross hung at the far end before an altar that appeared to be constructed from a single piece of marble. Darkened archways led off to other areas of the cathedral and stairs in the rear corners coiled up in spirals of wrought iron to an overcroft above. A man in priestly vestments was rising from a position of prayer in front of the altar. He turned to face the door, the white of his clerical collar catching the moonlight.

"Welcome friends, the Lord be with you."

[POOHEAD189]

Caber cocked his head to the side, very reminiscent of a passing fox. He nodded in acceptance, understanding her logic with it. Caber turned to Barliman, seeing the man was relatively alright. Good, the fellow was a useful sort, and fun when the moment caught him.

"Very well. We can go to my apartment." Caber offered, making a wave-like gesture with his hand. It likely surprised Barliman the impish Fae had an apartment, but it paid to keep up appearances. As long as he stole enough money every month, he could keep it. What did the young humans say nowadays? 'Capitalism'? "I suggest we hurry, lest you want buckshot up your ass."

The flat appeared small, but cozy. Located on 83rd street next to a laundrymat, it hardly seemed the whimsical paradise one might imagine a Fae like caber resided in. However, once you opened the door, the warm foyer with a bright lamp led into a hall that seemed to stretch a bit further than it should have, the main door leading into a snug, almost decadent living area with cushioned seats, a warm fireplace, and coins dating back a millennia were strewn here or there like a dog leaving crumbs, only it made the placed a bit more spruced up.

"Please, make yourselves warm and rest your weary feet." He said, all but floating to the kitchen area attached to the room, hoping to make the drinks he couldn't get at Barliman's.

@Penny

[Penny]

@rush99999

The priest walked confidently down the isle his face open and friendly. He was a tall striking man of dark Hispanic features. He was dressed in traditional Jesuit black.

"St Anthony welcomes all those who are lost," he said glancing between Yuki and January. They made quite the contrast.

"I am Father Ramon, can I be of service to you?"

[rush99999]

January sighed in relief when his stare down with Yuki ended with the magical girl heading back to her car to drop off her weapon. The old vampire winced as Yuki simply tossed her gun onto the back seat and offered a short prayer of thanks to Fortuna for deciding against having the gun go off from the impact. "Thank you for understanding." January said to Yuki once she had returned. "Let's head in."

January led the way into the church while quietly muttering a prayer to his gods under his breath for the will power and patience to not crucify any servants of Christ he found in the cathedral until he had the information he needed at the very least. As he entered, January knew immediately that Power was at work here. The various holy symbols and decor gave off a vibe only present in places where a religion's more... esoteric traditions haven't been forgotten. And nothing gave off more of those vibes than the priest who had greeted them upon entry. But more than that January could not say. He did not know the priest and the priest did not know him.

"The name's January." January said once the priest was done talking. "This is Yuki. We're looking to track down the thieves that broke into this cathedral recently. Would you happen to know where we might find any clues that could lead us to them?"

[Penny]

The priest looked between January and Yuki, clearly skeptical.

"St Anthony is the Patron of Lost Things," he said after a long moment, turning to look at one of the stained glass windows that depicted a tonsured man reading from a book while performing some kind of alchemical experiment.

"Things are brought here to be Lost, not to be found," he continued, his voice contemplative.

"Perhaps, in His wisdom, He allowed that which was brought to us to be lost to be found," the priest pondered.

"I'm sorry, even as things stand, I cannot allow members of the public to the private areas of the Cathedral."

[rush99999]

"As things stand, all of Corvus Bay will be in some seriously hot water unless we can recover what the thieves have stolen." January said. "Ever heard the story of Old King Crow and the Dragon? Well the story is true and the dragon is still here. The thieves took something of hers that was kept in this cathedral. She didn't tell me what it was that was stolen from her, but after picking up from how she acted that she was worried about it breaking, I can hazard a guess as to what it could be. Tell me, Pater, what's the first thing that springs to mind when you think of something breakable that a female dragon values?"

January paused to let a mix of the priest's own thoughts and January's innate vampiric influence lead Father Ramon to the inevitable conclusion. Dragons were known for being very protective of their treasure and for becoming very angry when forced to part with even a single coin. But while dragons were capable of doing some serious damage after losing their treasure, a mother dragon could bring about full on catastrophes in her desperation to find her egg if parted from it for too long.

Synopsis

January attempts to persuade Father Ramon to allow investigation for the good of the city. He rolls a 9, but uses Irresistible to treat his 9 as a 10+ result.

[Penny]

"Perhaps you speak wisely my son," Ramon said after a moment, his eyes cut towards Yuki again as she blew an improbably large bubble with a wad of pink gum she was working. He clearly viewed the strange girl with more than a little suspicion. Regardless he placed his hands together in an attitude of prayer. Without speaking further he turned and led the way down to the nave. Ramon paused in front of the cross and genuflected, crossing himself as he did so. It might have been January's imagination but it seemed there was a slight reverberation in the room as the priest did so.

"Over the years St Anthony has provide storage and sanctuary for many," he explained as he rose to his feet and turned into the sacristry. Inside another pair of priests were sitting at a table playing a complicated game of cards with a tarot desk. They both looked up as Ramon entered. They were big for priests with knuckles swollen with old scar tissue and eyes which had seen more than the mercy of their god.

"Peace be with you brothers," Ramon told them and was answered with nods as the pair turned back to their game. Ramon led them down a series of curving iron stairs. They coiled down and down until they were several stories below the earth. Here a vast corridor opened in a series of baroque sculpted arches which stretched off into the distance. Along the corridor small alcoves were set off with iron doors each inscribed with a strange rune.

"Welcome to the Vault of Lost Things," Ramon told them as he led them along the corridor to a section where the pearl inlaid walls had been blackened and scorched as though by fire or some strange blights. The runes on the doors hear pulsed angrily and in places the pearlesenct finish seemed to be regrowing. At the center of the strange discoloration several alcove doors had be completely unhinged, their runes cold and silent.

"These were the vaults which were defiled," Ramon admitted, a touch of old testament anger coloring the last word.

[rush99999]

January hid it well, but it never failed to amuse him when mortals referred to him in terms one would use for someone younger than they were despite the fact that January himself was closing in on two thousand years of age. "I'm glad you think so." January said in response to Father Ramon relenting as he followed the priest deeper into the cathedral. The vampire tensed slightly as he watched Ramon pause to show respect to the cross. Once that cross had been a symbol of an empire's might and the painful consequences of defying them. Now, those who should be cowering in fear of it gather about the cross as they pay homage to their prophet. January shook his head clear of those dark thoughts and returned his focus to the task at hand as whatever wards protected this place fell to let them pass and Ramon led them on.

"Over the years St Anthony has provided storage and sanctuary for many." Father Ramon explained as he walked.

"A church with a side gig in storage." January commented curiously. "What will they think of next?"

When he followed Father Ramon into the sacristy, January was met with a sight that caused a wide, predatory grin to pull itself across his face. Seated at a table, tarot cards in hand, were a pair of burly priests that had fallen into January's web not too long ago. January always loved having power over Christians. It reminded him of the good old days.

"Peace be with you brothers." Ramon said to the priests as he passed them.

"Keep you're phones close and your cars closer, boys." January added as he walked by. "I may have need of you this night."

January followed Father Ramon deeper still into the depths of St Anthony's, down a set of iron spiral stairs, and into a long corridor of archways and runic doors.

"Welcome to the Vault of Lost Things." Ramon told them as he led them on.

'Called it.' January thought to himself as he continued to follow. Eventually, they came to a stop at a number of blackened and blasted doors.

"These were the vaults which were defiled." Ramon admitted, a touch of old testament anger coloring the last word.

January let out a low whistle at the sight. "Whoever did this meant business." January said before turning to Father Ramon. "Are any of the defences still working or will we be able to investigate without having to watch for traps?"

Synopsis

January attempts to name the faces of the burly priests. He rolls an 11 for one and a 10 for the other. He opts to have both priests in his debt.

Having Marked all four factions, January increases Mind by 1.