VtM Part Two - The Owl's Debt

Due to his legal background, a bit of quick thinking and Romanian's closeness to Latin, Lysander manages a fluid conversation.

"So, what brings you here foreigner, coming here from Rome, did his holiness Anacletus send you?"

"Did he now, arrogant enough...Catalda.." he clicks his fingers and a servant girl approaches.

"Take my soup, I will finish it later...come Diplomat, I will show you."

He leads Lysander into a hall further into the manor, checks the corridor and then slowly opens the door.

Inside is a woman, a victim of a particularly hungry vampire, Lysander can tell that at but a glance.

"The woman was exsanguinated my physicians tell me. His holiness said he would send an expert on such matters, indeed I can tell from your accent you are Transylvanian, or Wallacian, am I right? These beasts plague your land, I would appreciate your expertise."

Lysander finds an area on the tongue that has been prcisely rotted into a pattern.



The symbol of the extinct clan Cappadocian, mostly wiped out by the Giovanni in the 1400s.

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander turns to the lord with a grave look on his face.

'Yes... very serious. A particularly dangerous breed too if I am not mistaken. Can I ask, when did this happen exactly? I fear, my Lord... the beasts may have infiltrated your servants.'

"They may have....never mind...it occurred several weeks ago, the frightening thing is the body has not decayed"

"Shall I do this now?"

"Certainly the main hall, where I was eating just now. Do not worry, I will keep them focused enough that they will not suspect or notice you. Commoners can be inured to all else when unemployment hangs over their heads."

He goes out the door.

The Lord begins by making a claim of money stolen from the manor coffers, asking the servants to line up and the one who performed the thievery to come forth.

There seems to be quite a bit of crying from the older members of staff concerned that they'll be losing their pay.

His intuition for his own kind tells him that all the servants are just mortals. He can hear their hearts racing at the fear of losing their jobs.

The young woman heads off in the direction of the kitchen.

Lysander can hear her speaking a very corrupted version of Latin to another member of the serving staff. No entirely understandable, but roughly just local gossip.

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander follows towards the kitchen. He keeps an eye out on his surroundings, trying to take in the features of the manor.

The manor is wealthy enough looking, though it seems as if the owners have not yet fully moved in. Boxes and crates containing goods line some of the halls.

Eventually he arrives just outside the main kitchen. Catalda having stepped into the small parlour behind a table.

It seems the other servant who had been speaking to Catalda has stepped out.

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander slips through the kitchen as quietly as possible and into the parlour, pausing at the entrance briefly to check inside.

There is only Catalda and various foodstuffs, mainly stores of oat and wheat. Catalda seems to be gathering oats for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Catalda drops the bowl of oats and freezes rigid. She speaks at a pace slow enough for him to work out the contents.

"The hag from the lake came by, said Gerlanda owed her.

The Lord is a kind enough man, his family have not ruled us for long, they are foreigners, from Frankish lands.

Most of those who come to the manor are locals, or other men of the Lords race here to discuss war."

Necrominus wrote: »

He holds her gaze still.

'This hag. What else can you tell me about her?'

"I'm very lucky, I live in the Lord's household, I have access to doctors with leeches when I am sick. My parents and most other commoners live down in the village or houses nearby, they are not so lucky. For many years people have visited the Hag. She lives in a hit, two miles from here, on the banks of the Salsu river."