Expendable

Blackguards!

Painting an unfamiliar place can be hard, too.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Jack Mallory, X.O.

"Wodan," Jack asks, an idea stirring in his mind, "Are you analyzing this music? Do you think you can bring up the ship's entertainment database and find something close to this style of music?"

The Ascendancy valued skills. Did they value music as well?

There was, of course, risks. What if they had some restriction in how music was to be played? Might they see their music to be a heresy? Especially if they could not see any musicians?

"I wish the autofacs were up," Jack sighs. "It would be interesting to see the locals reaction to a hand-cranked music box."

They could break out one of the projectors and show movies... but that might make Silbermine want them all the more.

Blackguards!

How long she laid in her casket, Cian didn't know. There was always the thirst, made worse by the ever present drain that left her unable to move in the slightest. From time to time, animal's blood would drip into her mouth, providing brief relief but without the essence, and never enough to satisfy.

And then one day, something else dripped in her mouth, cold, wet, cloying, with a flavor she hadn't had since... since...

Wordless agony ripped through her as her body cramped against this vile, disgusting fluid, this... milk?! And yet there was nothing she could do, frozen, as it continued to drip into her mouth!

Yet in the midst of this torture, her tongue picked up a hint, a bare trace of the essence she hadn't tasted in ages...! Human blood.

The iron lid of her casket protested as it was pushed away, and she could feel her strength starting to return. Opening her eyes in the torchlight, she could see three human faces peering down at her. The ever-present thirst roared in her and she latched onto the nearest throat...

---

Something bit her. By reflex, she grabbed it, coming face to face with a rat. Instinct took over as she bit it, ignoring its anguished squeal, and began feeding. Sitting up, she took in the dim room and the other rats.

"This... isn't the crypt," she muttered, wringing its neck before tossing the rat away and catching the next one. All their eyes were on her, watching despite themselves as she broke the neck of the second before tossing it at the first, then reaching for the the next to feed on.

---

In the dim light, Cian examined the door. This had to be one of the doors down from the punishment room underneath Mor's house, what the staff whispered were the cells. It wasn't much, a mattress stuffed with straw, a bucket in the corner, and a sturdy door bolted on the other side. Had she not been wearing the necklace bearing the seal of the Dead God, she might have easily battered it down, fortified as she were with human and rat blood.

"Does she really think I would turn one of the girls...?" the vampire said softly, shaking her head. It was clear Mor wasn't going to let her out until she was ready. But she needed no mirror to know she and her leathers were caked with filth.

"Attendant!" Cian calls out, banging on the door. "Attendant! I need a bath! Lots of hot water! Soap! My box with the combs and brushes! Attendant! Where are you?"

---

It may have been hours or days, she couldn't be sure, when something heavy rolled past outside the door before stopping. The flap at the bottom of the door was unbolted and latched up.

"Bucket," orders the man on the other side.
"Attendant! Where have you been?" Cian demands. "I called for a bath hours..."

The flap slams shut then bolted.

"Where are you going?" Cian demands angrily. "I told you I need a bath! Clean clothes! My combs and brushes...!"

The cart rolls on.

---

The next time the flap opens, she wordlessly passes through the bucket and the dead rats. The empty bucket was slid back, then she got a small jug of water and a cracked bowl with a hunk of coarse bread and a lump of hard cheese. Cian scowls at the vile lump, then sets it aside on the floor, waiting for the next rat to show up.

Let Mor play her games.

---

She'd lost count of the times the flap opened, but this time only two rats crawled through the crack in the wall and were mesmerized. After draining the first, Cian studies the second one, a gravid female, before placing it on the floor and gave it a kick to the rump. It wakes up with a squeal and darts for the crack. Fetching the lump of moldering cheese, she shoves it in the crack after it.

"Go have babies," she orders. "I grow thirs..."

Sleep.

Cian's eyes roll up and she falls to the floor, unmoving.

---

There was buzzing, like some fly near her ear. Cian's hand jerked, but the buzzing continues. She scowls as consciousness slowly returns. This wasn't buzzing, this was words...!

She bolts upright, hearing the jangling of her necklace.

There were others around her, stirring like she had been, but her eyes were on the woman.

"Who are you?" she demands. "Where is Mor? Do you know how long I've been waiting for a...."

Be silent.

To the vampire's horror, her mouth clamps shut. Her hands fly to her face, but she couldn't open her mouth! Cian stares with horror at the woman standing there.

Blackguards!

@Red Wizard
So, I'm going to assume she's in a very basic cell - solid stone or masonry walls, stout hardwood door with iron straps and bolts, a flap to pass things through, possibly a grill or a slot in the door for talking? A straw mattress for sleeping, perhaps a bed frame or just a wooden shelf built much like the door that it rests on? A bucket in the corner for relieving oneself? Perhaps a spy hole?

Or is this one of your fancy cells?

Blackguards!

Cian was brought here from the crypt. Has she just arrived, or has she been here a while? She may need some freshing up.

And not just the dried blood. The warden may want to stay upwind.

Blackguards!

When raising the dead, please remember Cian's morning begins after sunset.

Blackguards!

Cian would see it as a shame if something was to happen to her emergency food supply... er, team.

@red wizard
Forgot to put in her adventurer's satchel that holds some basic supplies - in the pockets, her tinderbox (with flint and steel), small glass vials holding blood, metsubushi, and the satchel itself would hold her other essentials - a hairbrush, a comb, a nail file, scissors, a small mirror, jasmine soap in a wooden box, a sponge, a chewing stick, tooth powder, a razor, a shaving brush in a cup, shaving powder, scented oils and salves, fragrances, a deck of cards in a leather case, a small book of poetry, a small book of literature.

Metsubushi

Blown out and cleaned chicken eggs, painted black. Each are filed with either fine sand, ash, ground pepper, ground glass, or a mixure of whatever irritants are available, then sealed. Meant to be crushed in the hand before throwing into the face as a temporary blinding agent.

Please let me know if that would be okay to add to her sheet?

Blackguards!

Cian

Cian

"Forgive me, but I'm so terribly thirsty..."

---

---

Name: Ciannait Duanei
Race: Dark Elf Vampire
Gender: Female
Age: Two centuries
Appearance:

Cian

This girl reminds you of a dangerous spider. She has almond-shaped eyes the color of blood. Her fine, straight, neck-length hair is the color of fine china, and is worn in a severe style. She is tall and has a lithe build. Her skin is a bluish-gray. She has thick eyebrows, pointed ears, and thin lips hidden by an iron half-mask covering the lower half of her face. It keeps her from feeding or talking above a whisper, and it locks in the back.

On her chest is an ancient slave brand, marking her as the property of House Donovani.

Cian wears a strangely repellant metal seal as a pendant on a necklace. A hard tug on the necklace will cause it to break away, she is forbidden from removing the seal herself.

Her wardrobe is a dark hooded woolen cloak, leather armor styled in some ancient pattern, and an adventurer's satchel, with pockets along its wide strap.

Personality:
Cian is lazy and will argue about everything, but is always concerned about her appearance being immaculate and keeping things organized.

Background:

Born to Brianan and Saibh Duanei when the warmth was just returning to the world, her father worked as a gardener to a wealthy family. Previous in life, he had been a sea captain with many jilted ex-lovers.

When Cian was ten, her parents discovered her ability to mimic other people's voices, providing some hours of entertainment.

She was fourteen when an occasional night visitor of her father's pressed a map and a note into her hands to give to him, telling her he would be in the ruins outside of town. On reading the note, Brianan turned pale, then gave her some coins to take to him, and bolted as soon as she was out of sight. When Cian gave the man the coins, town guards rushed in and captured them both. She was hauled in front of the sheriff, who ordered her enslaved for aiding a pirate.

At the slave market, she was surprised to be purchased by an elegant woman, Mor Donovani, who she soon discovered was the chief advisor to the king. On her arrival to her house in the capital, she learned she was to be an attendant to the courtesans, until she was of age to join them. Part of that included telling Mor everything she could gleam from the guests. Impressed with her attention to details, she had her taught as a scribe, so she could write up the reports from the courtesans.

When she became one of the courtesans, a frequent guest, however, tormented her whenever he visited. One night, she struck back at Neasan Hyland and attempted to escape, but was easily captured and beaten by the guards. Mor was furious, and had her branded on the chest, forever marking Cian as her property.

After she recovered, Mor escorted Cian personally to the rooms of Dughlas Dubhghlass, a very important guest. However, Dughlas was not desiring companionship, he was merely... thirsty. He turned her, that night, gifting the young vampire back to her mistress.

A witch in debt to Mor placed a geas on Cian so she would obey Mor or her lieutenants' commands, and provided the Seals of the Dead God to keep Cian weak and manageable.

However, in letting her resume her 'duties', her first guest was Neasan, eager to get revenge for the previous visit. He made the mistake of yanking off her necklace with the seal and discarding it. Attendants before dawn found him drained to the last drop and Cian passed out in a stupor.

An iron casket was built to hold Cian, and she was placed into an unmarked crypt in the city cemetery. A servant would come once a week to feed her blood, pouring it into a small bowl on the lid that would drip it into her mouth.

Occasionally, she would be released by Mor to attack one of her enemies, only to be ordered back into the crypt.

After Mor's death, Cian's existence was almost forgotten except by the servants who still carried out the ancient orders. One tried pouring milk into her dripping bowl, only to hear her screaming and moaning in agony. Fearing he would be punished, he cut his hand and squeezed his own blood into the bowl.

Hearing the cries coming from the crypt, three drunken thugs jumped the servant as he exited, only to find the casket inside. Believing it held treasure, they managed to break the locks of the chains and pushing the lid to the side, they found what they thought at first was a shrunken corpse.

Then it opened its eyes.

After draining the three men dry, Cian once again fell into stupor, aided no doubt by the alcohol heavy in their blood, so it was easy for the servant to get her back into the iron coffin and use the broken locks to secure it, before running back to the house to tell the young lord what had happened.

When Cian awoke, restored and refreshed, she was already in the Maw, some two hundred years since the passing of her mistress. At least she was free of that casket, except no bed no matter how soft felt right....

Talents:

Supernatural Strength

With the strength of five men, Cian is able to lift a horse, or she can punch her way through a stone wall.

Hypnotic Eyes

If she locks eyes with another, Cian can slowly pull them into a light hypnotic state, able to obey basic commands. However, if contact is lost before that state is achieved, or the subject is shaken or experiences sharp pain, the hypnosis is broken and they wake up.

Poison bite

A vampire's bite can quickly numb and paralyze their victim, leaving them helpless as the vampire feeds.

Immunity to Disease

They're unaffected by viruses or bacteria, but it can make the blood taste strange. The black plague gives blood a smoky flavor.

Regeneration

A vampire can recover from even grave injuries. Small injuries may be completely healed in a few days, a stake in the heart a month or two. Eyes and limbs may take a couple years. It's why they do not age.

Flaws:

Geas

A word in an ancient language was engraved into the lid of her iron coffin. On hearing that word, she must obey any command given to her. However, pronunciation is important.

Sunlight

Exposure to full sunlight, a vampire's flesh will start to smoke. After a few moments, their flesh catches fire, burning them to ash if they are unable to find shelter or a body of water. However, if a little blood was to fall on the ash, they will be revived. Some vampires keep a small vial of blood on their person for just this purpose.

Blood

While a vampire can hibernate for many years after a heavy feeding, an active vampire must feed on a pint of blood at least once a week to maintain its strength. Blood from a heavy drinker or habitual drug user will affect the vampire as well. If starved for blood, a vampire can become a wild thing, driven by its unquenchable thirst. The smell of blood can be mildly intoxicating, one has to guard their reaction around minor cuts.

Food

While a vampire can tolerate water, wine, tea, and coffee, most food tastes disgusting to them. For the unprepared, they can become violently ill.

Dairy

Lactose intolerant.

Equipment:

Seal of the Dead God

A small medallion that resembles (yet isn't) lead, bearing the ancient mark of the Dead God. It feeds constantly on magic, or perhaps the soul? It makes the skin crawl if one gets too close. To wear one is an almost unbearable torture. There were three on Cian's iron casket. One is enough to make her as weak as a child.

Iron Casket

This heavy metal coffin has chains to keep it locked up, preventing Cian's escape and allowing her to be safely transported. A shallow bowl in the lid allows blood to drip into her mouth.

leather armor

It is simply boiled leather, patterned after what she was wearing in the casket.

Miscellaneous:

Stake

It's often believed that a wooden stake driven through the heart of a vampire will kill it. As they're undead, you've only pissed them off. Do you know how hard it is to find a seamstress or tailor willing to work after dark?

Mirror

Vampires can see themselves in mirrors - they just hate them. If the vampire has cast a glamor on itself to hide, their actual appearance is revealed when glanced at in a mirror. One of the forgotten reasons why mirrors are often placed in entryways.

Crusnik (Krsnik)

Some vampires believe themselves to be on the top of the food chain. They're not. A Crusnik is a type of vampire that preys on vampires.

Heathens

Shatter Me

Blackguards!

This is like a DnD Evil campaign from Hell. We've got such an eclectic group here. I can only imagine who's going to end up butting heads against who.

And I'm all for it.

EDIT: Found a picture for Bors! Woot Woot!

@BigPapaBelial

You should read Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward. The last chaos gate has been sealed and someone is going around brainwashing all the villains to be good, so it's up to a handful of villains to restore the balance before it's too late.

Should be interesting with this lively cast.

Blackguards!

@Red Wizard

Cian

Cian

"Forgive me, but I'm so terribly thirsty..."

---

---

Name: Ciannait Duanei
Race: Dark Elf Vampire
Gender: Female
Age: Two centuries
Appearance:

Cian

This girl reminds you of a dangerous spider. She has almond-shaped eyes the color of blood. Her fine, straight, neck-length hair is the color of fine china, and is worn in a severe style. She is tall and has a lithe build. Her skin is a bluish-gray. She has thick eyebrows, pointed ears, and thin lips hidden by an iron half-mask covering the lower half of her face. It keeps her from feeding or talking above a whisper, and it locks in the back.

On her chest is an ancient slave brand, marking her as the property of House Donovani.

Cian wears a strangely repellant metal seal as a pendant on a necklace. A hard tug on the necklace will cause it to break away, she is forbidden from removing the seal herself.

Her wardrobe is a dark hooded woolen cloak, leather armor styled in some ancient pattern, and an adventurer's satchel, with pockets along its wide strap.

Personality:
Cian is lazy and will argue about everything, but is always concerned about her appearance immaculate and keeping things organized.

Background:

Born to Brianan and Saibh Duanei when the warmth was just returning to the world, her father worked as a gardener to a wealthy family. Previous in life, he had been a sea captain with many jilted ex-lovers.

When Cian was ten, her parents discovered her ability to mimic other people's voices, providing some hours of entertainment.

She was fourteen when an occasional night visitor of her father's pressed a map and a note into her hands to give to him, telling her he would be in the ruins outside of town. On reading the note, Brianan turned pale, then gave her some coins to take to him, and bolted as soon as she was out of sight. When Cian gave the man the coins, town guards rushed in and captured them both. She was hauled in front of the sheriff, who ordered her enslaved for aiding a pirate.

At the slave market, she was surprised to be purchased by an elegant woman, Mor Donovani, who she soon discovered was the chief advisor to the king. On her arrival to her house in the capital, she learned she was to be an attendant to the courtesans, until she was of age to join them. Part of that included telling Mor everything she could gleam from the guests. Impressed with her attention to details, she had her taught as a scribe, so she could write up the reports from the courtesans.

When she became one of the courtesans, a frequent guest, however, tormented her whenever he visited. One night, she struck back at Neasan Hyland and attempted to escape, but was easily captured and beaten by the guards. Mor was furious, and had her branded on the chest, forever marking Cian as her property.

After she recovered, Mor escorted Cian personally to the rooms of Dughlas Dubhghlass, a very important guest. However, Dughlas was not desiring companionship, he was merely... thirsty. He turned her, that night, gifting the young vampire back to her mistress.

A witch in debt to Mor placed a geas on Cian so she would obey Mor or her lieutenants' commands, and provided the Seals of the Dead God to keep Cian weak and manageable.

However, in letting her resume her 'duties', her first guest was Neasan, eager to get revenge for the previous visit. He made the mistake of yanking off her necklace with the seal and discarding it. Attendants before dawn found him drained to the last drop and Cian passed out in a stupor.

An iron casket was built to hold Cian, and she was placed into an unmarked crypt in the city cemetery. A servant would come once a week to feed her blood, pouring it into a small bowl on the lid that would drip it into her mouth.

Occasionally, she would be released by Mor to attack one of her enemies, only to be ordered back into the crypt.

After Mor's death, Cian's existence was almost forgotten except by the servants who still carried out the ancient orders. One tried pouring milk into her dripping bowl, only to hear her screaming and moaning in agony. Fearing he would be punished, he cut his hand and squeezed his own blood into the bowl.

Hearing the cries coming from the crypt, three drunken thugs jumped the servant as he exited, only to find the casket inside. Believing it held treasure, they managed to break the locks of the chains and pushing the lid to the side, they found what they thought at first was a shrunken corpse.

Then it opened its eyes.

After draining the three men dry, Cian once again fell into stupor, aided no doubt by the alcohol heavy in their blood, so it was easy for the servant to get her back into the iron coffin and use the broken locks to secure it, before running back to the house to tell the young lord what had happened.

When Cian awoke, restored and refreshed, she was already in the Maw, some two hundred years since the passing of her mistress. At least she was free of that casket, except no bed no matter how soft felt right....

Talents:

Supernatural Strength

With the strength of five men, Cian is able to lift a horse, or she can punch her way through a stone wall.

Hypnotic Eyes

If she locks eyes with another, Cian can slowly pull them into a light hypnotic state, able to obey basic commands. However, if contact is lost before that state is achieved, or the subject is shaken or experiences sharp pain, the hypnosis is broken and they wake up.

Poison bite

A vampire's bite can quickly numb and paralyze their victim, leaving them helpless as the vampire feeds.

Immunity to Disease

They're unaffected by viruses or bacteria, but it can make the blood taste strange. The black plague gives blood a smoky flavor.

Regeneration

A vampire can recover from even grave injuries. Small injuries may be completely healed in a few days, a stake in the heart a month or two. Eyes and limbs may take a couple years. It's why they do not age.

Flaws:

Geas

A word in an ancient language was engraved into the lid of her iron coffin. On hearing that word, she must obey any command given to her. However, pronunciation is important.

Sunlight

Exposure to full sunlight, a vampire's flesh will start to smoke. After a few moments, their flesh catches fire, burning them to ash if they are unable to find shelter or a body of water. However, if a little blood was to fall on the ash, they will be revived. Some vampires keep a small vial of blood on their person for just this purpose.

Blood

While a vampire can hibernate for many years after a heavy feeding, an active vampire must feed on a pint of blood at least once a week to maintain its strength. Blood from a heavy drinker or habitual drug user will affect the vampire as well. If starved for blood, a vampire can become a wild thing, driven by its unquenchable thirst. The smell of blood can be mildly intoxicating, one has to guard their reaction around minor cuts.

Food

While a vampire can tolerate water, wine, tea, and coffee, most food tastes disgusting to them. For the unprepared, they can become violently ill.

Dairy

Lactose intolerant.

Equipment:

Seal of the Dead God

A small medallion that resembles (yet isn't) lead, bearing the ancient mark of the Dead God. It feeds constantly on magic, or perhaps the soul? It makes the skin crawl if one gets too close. To wear one is an almost unbearable torture. There were three on Cian's iron casket. One is enough to make her as weak as a child.

Iron Casket

This heavy metal coffin has chains to keep it locked up, preventing Cian's escape and allowing her to be safely transported. A shallow bowl in the lid allows blood to drip into her mouth.

leather armor

It is simply boiled leather, patterned after what she was wearing in the casket.

Miscellaneous:

Stake

It's often believed that a wooden stake driven through the heart of a vampire will kill it. As they're undead, you've only pissed them off. Do you know how hard it is to find a seamstress or tailor willing to work after dark?

Mirror

Vampires can see themselves in mirrors - they just hate them. If the vampire has cast a glamor on itself to hide, their actual appearance is revealed when glanced at in a mirror. One of the forgotten reasons why mirrors are often placed in entryways.

Crusnik (Krsnik)

Some vampires believe themselves to be on the top of the food chain. They're not. A Crusnik is a type of vampire that preys on vampires.

Heathens

Shatter Me

I should say, what I have here are the restrictions Cian must work under. Technically, she's still a young vampire.

Let me know if this is okay?