TVC - Chapter 52 - A Pirate's Life

[TMS]

Helena followed the Duke in his musings.

"I must also disagree with lord Banespike on this matter. While the Von Carsteins have acted and treated us in an appalling way, it would still be wise for us to view them as a means to an end to stop the greater threat. We must, however, take care not to leave ourself as prone to our "allies" scheming again..."

 

[Trevy the Great]

Vekarin snorted at the Duke's comments, a sound issuing from his helm like that of a great boulder scraping along some ancient, cobbled road.
The foolish observe not what lies before them, for they are trapped within their own stupidity to truly see.
The Blood Dragon shook his head slightly as if trying in vain to clear the incessant voice from it.
"Speak not to me, brother." He ground, "You are weak to not take heed of the gifts of your enemies. Though I clothe myself in the riches of the enemy, think not I have no courage to stand before you, for your skill is no match for mine." His eyes swept back to the council.
"Is your mind made up then, oh covenant of the damned? Will you follow blindly like sheep into the jaws of the very wolf that would hunt you? I will not act so naively, for no good can spring from it."

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

"If you skill is not lacking, then surely you have no need of the riches of your enemy," the Duke sneered, "at least I know my victories are by my own strength, not due to the power of daemons. So what will you have us do then? Are you saying unless we agree to attack then you will not support the Council? Is your arrogance such that you can see no way other than your own?"

 

[TMS]

Helena argued with Vekarin over his declaration of intent.

"And what good would you hope to spring from alienating ourselves from the only other faction that could possibly help us in this situation? Try though you might, I doubt that there is any other realistic option open to us. Regardless of which side emerges victorious after this struggle - be it the Von Carsteins, the Legions of the Dark Lord or perhaps even the Empire itself - we will surely find ourselves between a rock and a hard place if we haven't managed to gain closer control of the transpirings."

 

[Trevy the Great]

"If you are so confident in your abilities, Duke of blood, then why do you profess that we need the aid of the von Carsteins? You have armies and knights with apparently no peer in the world, so why ally yourself with these traitorous dogs?" Vekarin sneered, "But it is not as if my support will sway your decision. I have no legions or armies to contribute. No, these were destroyed in the service of the council's goals."
He snorted again.
You are more powerful than these fools, why do you let them defy you. You have seen the possible futures, the probable outcomes in the strands of time. The Red Duke wil f....

Be silent.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

“I profess that we need help because I am not blinded by arrogance,” the Duke returned, “I know what were are capable of and what we are are not, and without the Carsteins we do not have the numbers needed.” Turning to Sweeney he described Saul. As he finished he looked around at the rest of the vampires, “so are we agreed? We will send this to Saul, and if possible seek a diplomatic solution with the Carsteins?”

 

[Sweeney Todd]

"Ah, that fellow." Todd said softly, more to himself that anyone else. Too long had he remained silent while Vekarin argued with the Duke and Helena. While he very much wanted to do as Vekarin suggested, he wasn't unable to see reason. The rational voice in his head had long since forced him to admit that they needed the Carsteins for the time being.

His fist clenched and unclenched once, and with a great sigh he continued to speak

"So we are agreed on contacting Saul?" He said, pointedly ignoring the prior heated argument. His distaste for such activities was printed clearly on his face.

 

[Mr Nightwere]

As Jason sat perched and leaning on the upper mast of the ship he watched over the water before them, the distant cathedral of Darkenhof looming ominously over the far and distant horizon. His ears picking up the conversation of the other members below.

He cocked his head from side to side stretching his neck as he looked headlong into the coming storm which lay before them, Nagash. the serpent could be compared to a god among men and as fruitful as his down fall would be he doubted the capabilities of the council. For now he would deal with the issues at hand, he had felt the waves of power spreading from Sylvania something had been awoken, something which Jason knew would be a deciding factor in the future of vampire kind if not the factor in the deciding of the old world.

Jason continued to look towards the skies, his hand dipping into the energy of the winds around him as the ship sailed on.

_______________________________________________________________________

Vaskatchi stood in the meeting room silent as he looked to the duke and Vekarin. who had taken up most of the floor, he paid little attention only focusing on thoughts of his gets had they escaped the city had they gone back to Telia, and most importantly had they been followed?
Troubling troubling he thought to himself, as he looked to the duke, who raised his voice for attention.

"I disagree." he said simply as he lent against the far wall of the meeting chamber where the other council members sat in attendance.
"The Carstiens have betrayed us, and knowing them will unlikely care at all. They look to only their goals and their benefit, and after they no longer need us, they will either cast us out, or exterminate us. That's how I see it, and through I don't doubt we will join them any way, the Nightwere clan is keeping their eyes to the backs, and a dagger up their sleeves from now on."

 

[TMS]

"Yes, proceed with our original plan.", said Helena to Sweeney Todd, "We are fast approaching our destination and we need to act."

"It is unfortunate that we'll have to seek the company of such untrustworthy individuals, indeed," she continued, following Vaskatchi's input. "but with some luck and perseverence it just might be us who get to punish them the next time around.."

 

[wraith]

Markus sighed, and thought to himself /remmember brother, however much we hate it, we need them/ nagash was th least of his worries he wanted the lahmian queen dead.
he walked out of the meeting and onto the deck, once again not exscusing himself.
he looked over the coast line.

 

[Sweeney Todd]

"Very well then." Sweeney Todd replied to Helena, before giving Mrs. Lovette a nod. A faint tingle of sorcery could be felt by those who present who were more attuned to the Winds of Magic, as Mrs. Lovette instilled a telepathic message into the Black Albatross.

From the deck of the ship the Albatross launched into the sky with a flap of unliving wings and a minute click of clockwork. The reluctance on Mrs. Lovette's face that the suspicion and anger within as she stared out at the waters of the Reik were exactly the same things going through her sire's head. Todd however chose simply to look at Vaskatchi silently, in a way that made it plain that he agreed with his sentiments.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

As the Albatross flew of the Duke stared after it for a moment, burning turning to leave,

"I will instruct the captain to anchor the ship a safe distance from Drakenhof," he said, "we should maintain a safe distance until we know what lies ahead." With that he stepped out of the room, but not before his eyes flickered to Victarias, longing flaring in his eyes for the moment before he was gone.

Aubervillier stepped away from the wall where he had been listening silently, deferring to his lord. Now the meeting was over he should really check on his armour, but whilst there was time.....

"Milady,l" he murmured to Helena, "if it would please you, perhaps you would take a walk with me on deck?"

 

[TMS]

Helena answered Aubervillier with the faintest hint of a smile, "Since we appear to be done here, I would be happy to oblige you." and together they left the meeting room on to the deck outside.

 

[Trevy the Great]

Vekarin swept from the tiny room without a word, his long cloak trailing behind him as he ducked under the short door. He stepped out onto the deck, the cold, salt air enough to chill any mortal's skin - but encased in his daemonic armor, Vekarin was anything but mortal. He stalked to the bow of the ship, rocking slightly with each wave that passed under it, and his mailed fist clutched the low rail that encircled it. The wood cracked and splintered under his grip, his fingers digging into, releasing great splinters of the ship and letting them fall into sea as he watched the horizon with a gaze filled with fury and hate.

Victarias slid past the remainder of the council members still present in the cabin, lithely jogging out of the door and after the Duke. She called his name, quietly, but she soon found that she had no real reason to. It was against every fibre of her being to seek his presence now, but she still craved it. With this battle raging inside her, she waited for him, and hoped he would turn.

 

[Lord of Ravens]

As the various Council members went there seperate ways, Peter drew Sweeny aside.

"Lord Todd, there is something we have not planned for. I did not want to raise it in front of the rest of the Council in case it fractured our ranks further. But as one of the few I trust on board this ship, I thought it prudent to discuss the matter with yourself," Peter drew a deep breath, and then continued.

"The Carsteins are arrogant. They do not think they need us. Even if they accept us back into there ranks, they will take every oppurtunity to get us killed. We are nothing but pawns to them. We need some kind of leverage to use against them. Any ideas?"

************************************

Lucia left Peter deep in discussion with the barber, and left to find Nightwere.

She found the Lahmian deep in thought at the top of the mast.

"I would like to thank you for your help in the Cathedral, Lord Nightwere," she said with a nod, "And I would also like to thank you for keeping my Lord von Krahe safe during his time with the Council."

 

[Sweeney Todd]

Todd respected Peter as a straight-talking Blood Dragon who was neither so bloated with arrogance like many of the elder vampires nor a weakling. However 'awkward' would be an understatement if he were to say that out loud, so he opted to frown thoughtfully instead.

"Unfortunately, I'm out of ideas at the moment. The only thing I can think of is to turn the Empire against them, but that will hurt you yourself as much as the Carsteins. Let us wait for further news instead." He suggested. At that moment Mrs. Lovette casually strode up to them with the Albatross in hand. Making sure that they wouldn't be overheard, she passed on Saul's short and cryptic reply.

Todd's frown did not ease.

 

[Mr Nightwere]

Jason smiled slightly as Lucia stood next to him, balancing perfectly on the mast as they looked out onto the waters below.
"There is no need for thanks Peter is a capable member of this council and shall always retain my respect for his own service to me in Nuln, he is a brave sort I shall give him that, misguided perhaps but still trustworthy in my eyes. through most blood dragons are but I admit it is refreshing to not have a honor crazed maniac demanding a duel every 3 minutes..."
Jason thought for a moment weather he should divulge his real reason for joining in on the prison break, but preferred instead to keep it to him self for now at least.

"What do you know of Vladamir Von Carstien, Miss Lucia?"

 

[Lord of Ravens]

"Your messenger did not carry good news, my friend," said the Blood Dragon with a sad smile.

"I do not want to enter Drakenhof blind and alone, but we need to take the risk if we are going to survive this war with Nagash. I will summon the Council on deck and order the Captain to moor the ship at the docks. Lets hope ha there is not a Carstein army there to greet us."
********************************

"Vlad, was both a monster and a hero," stated Lucia, "As my grand sire, I owe him my alliegence, but I must always be loyal to Isabella before her husband."

"He may have been a general and war monger, but he loved Isabella and she loved him. He showed us all whilst we are creatures of Dark Magic, we do not need to be servants of it."

Seeing Peter gathering the Council on deck, the pair of Vampires descended to join them.

As the ship approached the dock, Lucia felt a feeling of mild dread wash over her as she looked up at the towering citadel.

 

[Mr Nightwere]

Jason looked upwards feeling the wind cut through him as the weighed anchor at Darkenhof. Jason looked down to the council members gathering there gear and making their way to the upper deck as many looked towards the looming cathedral with a mix of dread and fear. Jason on the other hand smiled as he pulled his hood over and focused on the energies of the winds and the power of his blood, then with a sickly glow his robes grew darker as if darkness was dripping from the threads themselves and lept head long towards the castle.
The Council, Barely noticing as the magics emitting from Jason's robes rendered him completely invisible even to their super human vision.
Jason looked back towards them only for a moment as he thought of Lucias statement about her grand sire. Monster? hero? no to Jason Vladamir was more akin to a intellectual He understood things and viewed them in different shades of gray. This still did not sway Jason's mind about him through he had alloyed Jason to be betrayed once, and held the vampire count with a mild disdain. Still Jason admired the man's intelligence and respected Vladamir's power over his gets, a trait which was deadly to the Alchemic master's plans.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Harrindir looked skywards to see Jason dissipate from view and set about simply gathering the few supplies Jason had left behind and walked out to the deck with a sling on his back containing his bow and the few supplies from the cabin. He looked to the council members and then to Darkenhof watching the cathedral approach he looked to it for the first time in his unlife despite it being a capital for all vamperic activity in the old world. Harrindir had always wondered why Jason had never brought him there Now feeling the energy of the place wash over him he understood.

He moved over towards Vekarin, and spoke quietly the the lumbering iron Blood knight.
"as I saw in the meeting you Distrust the Von Carstien's, I was wondering why that is exactly? And weather you would be interested in disposing of them more permanently?"

 

[Simon von Carstein]

The Red Duke stood on the deck looking out towards Drakenhof his mind occupied when a voice spoke behind him "Good day Duke. I've been expecting you."

If the Duke had been alive and not as powerful then his blood would have run cold. He whirled around hand on sword hilt to be met by one of the undead crewman. "Please do not do anything to attract attention Duke otherwise certain secrets may be divulged." it said with Simon's voice.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

The Duke simply stared at the construct before replying in a low voice,

“You have severely misjudged me Carstein, if you think to control me with blackmail. I will let you tell all my secrets to the world before I would bend to your will. I only work with you out of my own choice and that can easily change, remember that.” Looking up he saw Victarias looking for him at the other side of the ship, and as their eyes met he could not help but smile at her. Watching as she made her way across the deck he spoke to the possessed undead,

“What do you have to say? I have managed to convince the Council that diplomatic relations with the Carsteins would be best for us all, however the situation is very……sensitive. It would not take much to turn the Council against you.”

 

[Simon von Carstein]

"I have no interest in controlling you Duke. I simply need a counterweight to Vekarin. Bring your ship into the dock Mistress Lesa will be waiting to meet you." said the walking corpse "As for the Council I predict some defections to our cause. You can be part of that Duke. Especially as Victarias is likely to be a widow soon if Vekarin doesn't fall in line."

 

[Trevy the Great]

Vekarin turned towards the tall vampire who leaned in towards him. A short hiss of breath escaped the inlaid teeth of the Mask of Skulls as the Blood Dragon took in the aristocratic airs of Nightwere's son.
"Why would any hate that cursed bloodline?" Vekarin whispered, his quiet rasp echoing eerily, "They are cowardly and false - nothing they say can be trusted and they will betray us at the earliest opportunity. They are a thorn in the side of the council that we cannot afford at this moment, and a chance to rid the world of their wretched kind would be most gratifying."

 

[Mr Nightwere]

Vaskatchi smiled slightly and continued
"Then we may have a common goal, I too believe that the Von Carstiens Cannot me trusted through i usually give every man i meet a chance to be trusted the Von carstiens have disrespected both me and my sire, a slight that will be punished. I do not deny however they may have their uses, a you do But in the end their bloodline will undoubtedly Attempt to take us out. So i ask what resources do you have what kind of man can i assume you are and... most importantly... Can you defeat mistress Lesa and should it come to it, my own sire to ensure the Von Carstiens defeat?"
A small silence set in As Vekarin shot Vaskatchi a glance.

 

[Trevy the Great]

Vekarin's eyes flashed at Vaskatchi's question.
"Resources?" He spat, "I once had the resources to leve nations - to leave armies stamped into the dust of their own bones. I have nothing now..."
...
You have me...
Be silent.

Vekarin shook his head, as if clearing it of influence. He turned his gaze back to Vaskatchi.
"Do you know where my armies lie now!? Do you know where the children and grandchilren of the great Vekarin are buried. So many fell, and for what!? For the victory of this council, a victory actively being usurped by the Carstein traitors."
He leaned back.
"I have my sword and my arm to speak for me. As for Lesa - she and I are evenly matched; her powers of the arcane against mine of the martial. I cannot speak entirely truthfully if I told you I could best her as the outcome would uncertain. That conflict is one I wish to avoid for many other reasons as well, so if we could acheive our goals without it, that would be most preferable."