VAU: Tale of Quitzal; IC Thread

[The Dread King]

Omnilosa absorbed what the others were saying. He was not stupid, merely foolish, and he knew that some sort of horrible voting process was going on to determine who was a vampire within the room. He also inferred from this that they were all in danger, for the vampire(s) could try to attack any of them in the night. Ah well, he thought, I've been in stickier situations before. Time to pull my weight around here, before they start giving me suspicious looks.

"I have heard what ye said..." he announced, "and though there may be vampires, there is also a PIRATE! But I am an honourable pirate - I will not tolerate chaos worshippers, I will not tolerate vampires..." He stepped up to Torormr, "yet most of all, I will not tolerate some scumbag landlubber attacking a child!" he shouted indignantly. "Ye should be ashamed of yerselves! No man should attack a young 'un, whether he has doubts about that boy's humanity or not! I fer one -think this is not human!" He tapped Torormr on the chest to emphasise the lowliness of his sin.

"Whilst I may have my suspicions about our aggressive friend here-" Omnilosa gestured at Toromr, "I think we should prove our doubts, with a jar of good ol' jam!" He fished a jar with a greenish substance within out of his pocket and pulled a wad of ships' biscuits out of the other. "The last of me' non-jam rations, this is," he noted, then muttered under his breath, "and the first". Omnilosa had bought these recently from a village stall, before making the final part of his journey to Lustria.

"We'll see who enjoys this food," Omnilosa explained to the group, "and everybody who doesn't is a vampire...or they've just gone mad after being marooned for a very long time," he conceded. He sat down and offered the ships' biscuit and jam to the various prisoners, "Well? Want a bite?"

 

[Wolfen]

Torormr laughed at the elf's words.

"We shall see."

Suddenly another man was yelling at him and poking him in the chest. Torormr glanced at the new figure with disgust.

"Touch me again and I will break that hand off," he growled menacingly. "And if you think this is a child then you are an idiot. I call monster in a child's body. He still hasn't related his last experience with vampires. I don't like him, he is 'off' as I said. I expect an elf to be strange but a child should be a child. That isn't."

Vote Mihael/Mello

 

[Bounce]

Syntath
You place the key in the lock and at first nothing happens then there is a bright flash and a swirl of rainbow colours and you disappear.

To everyone
Upon the dining table is a selection of fruits. A few you recognise as being harmless and can eat whenever you want.
Others you can try with unknown effects.
There is a cross between a blueberry and an apple
A bright red triangular piecet he size of a peanut.
A spike ball which could be cut open with a cleaver
Some white slug like creatures which move slowly

 

[Lord_Mortis]

Clementine winced from the bright flash and when her vision was righted, Syntath was gone. She turned back to the rest of the people with a bewildered look. "Was- Did anyone else see that?" she exclaimed.
She turned back to where Syntath had been. "Or is this place just sending me mad..." Clementine muttered.

 

[Mello]

Mihael smiled despite the death threats and looked at his two accusers.

"You... two probably already know each other, you sided extremely fast against me. But that doesn't matter anyway, just an observation."

Mihael opened up a new bar of chocolate with relish before biting the corner off.

"I'll make you two a deal. I'm almost certain one of our group is a vampire hunter, indeed it could be one of you two. If you use today's voting for someone who actually has evidence against them, which there is a few, the witch hunter can visit me in the night and ascertain whether I am vampiric or not. If I'm not a vampire, then you'll gain one human voter to help you escape, if I am a vampire, then you can kill me in the night."

A second corner was snapped off loudly as Mihael smirked.

"That seems fair to me, we get to vote more suspicious people who could be vampires and you can ascertain whether I am vampiric tonight, for certain."

 

[Malochai]

"There is none as suspicious as you, who would attempt to throw off people into his vampiric nature by flippantly suggesting to be a member of one of the Dark God's cults. And who do you think there is more evidence against? None! You are the likely choice," Cailas said, before turning on his heel and heading for the observatory.

Cailas interacts with the observatory

 

[Lord_Mortis]

"CEASE THIS SAVAGERY!!" Clementine screeched on her tip-toes, her fists balled at her sides and her eyes tightly shut, "What is wrong with you people?! With all this sudden attacking of people I would not be surprised if you were ALL undead!! You Elf, you should at least have some humility! He may not be part of your "master race" but he is, or is possibly, a human child! What would you do if a group of men were to start attacking your own child? Would sit as smugly as you have here?" She turned to the large man, "And you should have some shred of honour, or am I the only one here to have any?"

"We have been given the opportunity to return home safe and sound if we can root out these foul undead and kill them, so can we PLEASE remain HUMAN while we do this!" her voice slowly rose in tension as the statement progressed.
She sighed and closed her eyes, opening them again after a moment. She turned to the boy.
"Now, you need to come up with some evidence as to why you know so much about vampires or else they will throw you to whatever hideous creatures these lizards have out there. So, do you have any?"

 

[The Dread King]

"I find the elf's aggression and willingness to kill a child alarming!" Omnilosa exclaimed. "Elves are meant to be courteous favourers of diplomacy; so far, he has acted with a bloodthirsty arrogance that is downright suspicious! And now he walks out on us, before things turn sour for him! Only a vampire could have such contempt for humans! Well, ye pointy-eared arrogant bloodsucker, who opts to kill a child who is simply perceived as 'the likely choice' - ye'll regret this!"

Omnilosa's face registered a less indignant expression than before. "Now, why don't we all do what the good lady says?" he suggested. "In Mihael's defence, I say that a vampire would not limp from a wound as small as the one he has on his leg. His vulnerability proves his humanity. And a vampire would not eat chocolate either. We all know that vampires can't stomach human foods, only blood."

Vote: Cailas/Malochai.

 

[Lord_Mortis]

Brushing hair out of her face she addressed the newcomer, her face still flustered from her outburst.
"As far as I know... sir, those of elvish blood can't be vampiric, I'd assume a vampire of any nature would not want to taste blood as sour as theirs." She mostly said this to Cailas as he departed. "And legends tell of a type of vampire who have learnt to deal with human foods to keep up the charade. I wasn't saying not to vote for him, I'm saying we need more evidence against him before he can be proven guilty of undeath." She sat at the table and picked up one of the more recognizable foods. She took a bite out of what appeared to be an apple and swallowed seconds later. "And before any claims are made against me, my birthplace is surrounded with the stories of these "lords of death", this is where my little knowledge comes from. Ask for names of vampires from my lands and I can only tell you of the most infamous, such as the Red Duke."

 

[The Dread King]

"Arrr, whilst elf vampires are rare, they do exist...I have heard tales on the seas on vampires looking for potential thralls of a higher nature and choosing elves for their apparent intellect, speed and discipline, among other qualities. I don't see many pleasing qualities in Cailas, but perhaps he was one of the only elves stupid enough to get caught by a vampire. Turning elves may be difficult, but it is possible, according to what I've read, though there isn't very much experience in this field...not many can witness a vampire turning an elf and live to tell the tale."

He pointed to the observatory, "Cailas has boycotted a debating system designed to save those who are alive, walking out on us...he shows no respect for our aims to escape the vampires, and this alone means he should be voted off before anyone else, vampire or not. At least the rest of us seem to be trying to help stop the vampires."

Omnilosa carefully prodded the blueberry-apple fruit with his stick. "I haven't seen one of these before," he remarked. "Might be good in a jam." The man had done many risky things in his time, and learnt from some of them, so was careful not to touch the fruit directly until it had come under deeper inspection. He raised a pair of glasses to his eyes and squinted at the fruit through them. Let's see now, he thought, focused on his examination, Hmmm. Might try this later. It could give a nasty stomach pain, though.
Omnilosa examines cross-between-blueberry-and-apple-fruit for signs of dangerous or mysterious properties, touching it with his staff but not with his hands.

 

[Mello]

Mihael laughed, a harsh, grating noise.

"So my 'unusually' high knowledge of vampires seems to be not so unusually high after all, both the girl and the pirate know things I certainly didn't, like the nature of elves being able to be vampires."

Mihael leant backwards against the wall, one leg sprawled out and the other tucked in neatly.

"Don't worry you two" he slowly pointed the edge of his chocolate bar at his two accusers. "who have voted for me, I don't plan on revenge voting merely because you accused me, that'd be petty. To be honest none of us really have any evidence conclusive enough against us yet. I'm merely uhm.. popular because I'm 'off'."

He smiled as an omniscient crack reverberated from the chocolate as he snapped it apart.

"To be honest the vampires we should fear are the vampires who act totally human... blend into the background."

He grinned boyishly as his eyes looked down at his chocolate, examining it carefully.

 

[Aren]

With another flash of light Syntath reappears on the scene, again just behind Mihael, his eyes burning into the back of the kid's head. Yet lo and behold, Syntath bears a mighty flaming sword in his hand and a steely look of determination in his eyes, his lips curled back in a snarl he announces to the group:

"Carnasaur's Fang, Flame of the North-East, forged from the shards of Nartulis. Given to me by the Oracle, to ensure the eradication of vampire kind. That same Oracle has shown me that this beast before me which you sick beings dare to call child is indeed a vampire."

"From your creepy looks to your disturbing acts, you have proven yourself rotten through with the curse of Undeath, I call you VAMPIRE!"

Syntath makes a dramatic accusation against Mihael, note this is instead of the vote for Mihael.

 

[Mello]

Mihael said nothing, simply looking at his accuser before raising an eyebrow, his large feline eyes looking up at the imposing figure with nothing but interest.

"That seemed.... over the top?" he said softly, the corner of his mouth turning up.

 

[Duluoz]

Alex'zor watched the unfolding spectacle with great interest. The flaming sword now wielded and its owners dramatic entrance, coupled with the ongoing argument that was growing with each and every outburst, prompted his own response.

"Mihael. Your story changes as quickly as the wind. It smacks of desperation.

And you have flippantly claimed to worship chaos whether true or not. That alone is damming.

What I find most damming however, is you have not once protested your innocence. You have given convoluted circular arguments - 'if I'm a vampire then anyone who votes for me could be a vampire' - really? - but you haven't declared that you're innocent at all!

Every time you open your mouth I am more and more convinced you are not who, or what, you weakly claim. And why would we wait until tomorrow to find out? You claim there is a vampire hunter among us and he can determine your innocence - but we only have your word for it one is even here.

Why wait for night, to give you another chance to strike if you are one of the undead? I agree with the elf and warrior. The eleven races are ancient and require no need of vampirism, therefore he is one we should listen to, though I do so resrvedly.

And now Syntath returns with a mighty weapon and knowledge of your nature. You of course will dispute this as is your nature to do so. But I make my statement clear - I believe you to be a vampire!"

Alex'zor takes a step back, breathless from his outburst. He had grown weary of the twisted tales and, used to dealing with lies and liars from the mean streets of Middenheim, trusted his gut instinct that Mihael was lying through his teeth.

VOTE MIHAEL/MELLO

 

[Bounce]

You prod the blueberries/ apple with your staff. Nothing dramatic happens. It is a piece of fruit and not a landmine.

Cailas enters the observatory but there are no new secrets to discover since last time.

Note:While no one was looking Syntath passed the key to a friend. If you can get hold of it you can find out where he went. His shiny new sword is also clearly magical.

 

[Lord_Mortis]

"Sir! You have returned! What was in there? What did you see?" Clementine asked Syntath excitedly, her eyes glustening with anticipation. Anything magical intrigued her, possibly why she had had so many friends who were Wood Elves and preferred the company of the Damsels rather than other noble daughters. Her father had always said that she should lead the life of a prophetess, and although she would have liked the most part, she wouldn't like being kept in a tower, never getting out to see the world bar the battlefields, using her magic to reap lives. This was not like her at all.

 

[Wolfen]

"By the gods that is an impressive blade. Looks like it will do quite the job of destroying any vampires here. Now this Oracle, was she pretty?" Torormr chuckled to himself, thinking bawdy thoughts.

 

[Bounce]

Note: The key has now been hidden again. Places you might want to consider searching include the snake pit Mihael mentioned, the sacred pool, the bedrooms, the observatory and the library (which can also be found through the unlocked door)

 

[Mello]

Mihael's demeanour snapped.

"Are you really this childish?" he exclaimed, waving his arms about. Calming down instantly, he sighed and slumped against the wall.

"What would you like me to do to convince you I'm not vampiric, evidently the approach I've taken before isn't working.

I only suggested being a follower of the dark gods as an example, for all you know I could be capable of ressurecting you when you die, or even protecting you from the vampires if they attack you, it would certainly explain my knowledge of vampires in both cases."

He solemnly threw the final parts of a bar into his mouth, chewing slowly.

"As for my 'suspiciousness' that's just how I act. You're going to condemn me because I don't act like your average child?"

Somehow Mihael seemed smaller and so much more vulnerable than before.

"Please, I implore you, let the vampire hunter visit me tonight, then the vampire hunter anonymously tells all of you that I'm human so that you don't give away his identity. That way you get an extra human to help you vote, and you will know I'm human for sure."

He fiddled with his hair.

"Isn't that reasonable?"

 

[Lord_Mortis]

Clementine, aggravated from the recent events storms off in search of... Well, anything that could help really. She wanders into the vast library, surely something of use would be found in a place of knowledge.
Clementine searches the library

 

[Duluoz]

Tenacious like a dog with a bone, unwilling to let his words go ignored, Alex'zor replied to Mihael's latest twisted tale.

Once again you resort to the 'if there is a vampire hunter he will prove my innocence!' - when we have no proof save only your word that one is among us. I have already stated this, and you ignored it. You have no answer to give because you have no proof.

Have you ever heard of the folk tale of the scorpion and the frog? A scorpion wishes to cross a river but cannot do so. So he requests of a frog, "carry me across the river upon your back."

The frog of course replied, "Why would I do such a thing? You are a scorpion. You will sting and kill me."

The scorpion replies "If I do that across the river, then I too will drown and die."

The frog agrees with this logic and permits the scorpion to climb upon his back and swims out into the river. Halfway across, at the deepest part, the scorpion stings the frog.

"Why have you done such a thing?" The frog asked with his dying breaths. "Now we will both die."

"Because I am a scorpion. It is my nature." And the river took them both.

Replace the scorpion with a vampire, and the frog with a human, and the river with the coming night. Then we find ourselves in the same predicament. Why should we permit you to survive through the night, when you will be able to attack once more? I believe you to be vampire. I will not stand to listen to any more of your lies.

Alex'zor stepped back to the entrance of the temple, several paces from the statuesque guards, removing his half cloak and letting it fall to the floor, its weight and heat a burden to him in this humid place. He had been quiet enough long enough to take in the arguments before him and now he had made up his mind for his vote that day. The street kid from Middenheim within him, grown to a man of a hard life and concerned with survival, took in the sight of the slowly fading sun. Never before had he seen such a glorious site, so very different from the sun and home he knew, of dirty streets and a sky forever hidden behind great buildings that rose high above him and the pollution of a city that tainted the air.

Night would be here soon, and he only hoped he would survive it. The temple guards stood silent in the entrance, and gave no signs that they were at all concerned with the happenings within, the matter of life and death before them all.

 

[Mello]

Mihael's eyes narrowed, then suddenly bloomed outwards, his pupils soaring open. His posture changed slightly.

"Well.. Looks like it's time for the other plan then."

He stalked off into the library and emerged later with some old battered book, looking at Clementine and Alex from under his hair.

He walked slowly to the table and picked up seven of the half-blueberries, half-apples, laying them in a neat line on the ground. He stuffed his choclate in his pocket.

"I am a vampire." he stated, smiling twistedly as his now apparant fangs glinted in the setting sunlight.

He shrugged "Not an evil vampire, just a vampire who feeds on criminals and tries to live as normall as possible, but a vampire nonetheless."

He slid down the wall and had his leg stick out at an odd angle again, his hair shadowing most of his face.

"These fruits here are called pongleberries. If you are human and you consume them, you glow blue for a few hours. If you are vampire...." his teeth flashed silently as he ate the fruit in one go.

"You don't glow." no visible effect happened to Mihael, and he smiled and slowly started unwrapping a chocolate bar with his teeth.

"If you don't believe me, read this book, Quitzal can confirm it. If you STILL don't believe me, then everyone eat of the fruit.

Myself, Clementine and Alex are vampires. I turned Clementine last night. Us three will not glow. The rest of you are most likely human so you will."

"you certainly have no reason to trust me and I accept my death tonight. At least let me help you kill the remaining two vampires."

He closed his eyes and smiled to himself, evidently satisfied.

 

[Lord_Mortis]

Clementine watched as Mihael came in through the doors swiftly and search for a book in the library. She tilted her head at him as he left the room. She closed the book she had been reading and followed him out to where he was being interrogated. Catching what he had said about her, her jaw dropped.
"Y- you are one of them? I stood up for you, elected for you to have a fair trial, and now you accuse me of being as sick as you??" Her eyes widened in fear and disgust, she then threw her arms in the air in exasperation and placed them on her hips, "Fine, if you apparently only feed on criminals then why pretend that you had infected me? You could ask anyone I knew if they were here, I am the most pure of heart. I have never hurt anything or anyone! I have even been trying to protect people here!" She turned to the rest of the group in distress. "Do you really believe what he's saying?! Do you think I would ever let him near me, let alone feed from me??"
She began to break down, muttering incomprehensible words, tears streaming down her face. She sat down at the table folded her arms across it and slammed her head down into them.
"I only wanted to go home and now I'm somehow part of some kind of... damned vampire plot!" She cried into her arms.
All she could do now was cry, as was her nature, and see what would happen to her. Unfortunately, she knew that sick child had sealed her fate. They would all believe him, as he had just admitted to being vampiric. Soon she'd be reunited with her father.
"You sadistic bastard! she screamed through tears and ran to a room. Any room. Anything to get away from the audience she would have obviously attracted by now. Before disappearing she shouted: "AND WHAT'S WITH THE CHOCOLATE THING?!"

 

[Duluoz]

Alex'zor was surprised and raging at such an accusation.

'So with your death near at hand you spout more lies? Everything you have said is a damned lie.

And how on earth do you know what foreign and unknown fruit does before inspecting such items?

Your knowledge of simply everything seems very overwhelming'

 

[Duluoz]

'Also' Alex'zor addes as an after thought 'what you say makes no sense. If I am a vampire, which im not, why on earth would I have voted for you (as you now claim to be one) .

You say you have knowledge of two other vampires but how? And why would one of them vote for another vampire if they were aware of each other? '

Alex'zor shook his head.

'Pointless discussion now. If what you say is true, which it isn't, you must have god-like abilities and knowledge of everything and everyone in this room'