Narses meets with the Lasambra 1198

[Alfonso Valencia]

Alfonso falls into in a stuffed high back chair and waits for the others.

[Antonio Galanzia]

Sits anxiously in wait.
His face ever hidden but it feels as if he watches over the room and it's patrons.

[Storyteller]

The fireplace dims as a small black portal opens from the wall slowly growing into a five foot high by about three feet wide door shaped portal. Out steps a short fail looking man about the age of 90 with white wiry hair around the side for his head with a shiny bald patch on top. He is dressed in the vestments of an archbishop of the church with a large onyx and gold brooch holding his cape over his shoulders. His warm smile is grandfatherly and his demeanour is jovial as he shuffles over toward one of the overstuffed chairs that he sinks into making him look even smaller.

"Brothers, it is good of you to come. My lover Saraphina has informed me of what transpired here and it worries me deeply. Nicomedes was a good man he was as they say the best of clan Brujah a noble warrior and a great scholar. I shall be sending an offer of assistance to your liege for something like this must be stopped before it can spread to other domains."

Narses reaches into his vestments a pulls out a small scroll which he rolls open in his left hand

"Though the troubles in Didaskalos lands are high on the agenda I have other news we must discuss, a more pressing matter."

"My informants within the Papal States have with a high degree of subterfuge gathered most of Pope Innocent's plan for his crusade."

He pauses a waits for any questions or response.

[Alfonso Valencia]

Alfonso motions with his hand to continue.

"Oh? Is it something other than the subjugation of the moslem heathens?"

[Rule Hound]

A small knock on the door interrupts. The door cracks open, a head pops in then the door opens.

Two servants bring in a 5th over stuffed chair.

The original servant brings forth a finely crafted crystal bottle Places it on the side board with 5 glasses.

"Chronicler has left instructions that this is a gift at no charge, a sampling of his finest Blood Wine."

He then brings a Glass to Lucien, bows and retreats from the room, just before the door closes his head pops back in.

"Oh, perhaps a little more discretion when order Blood beverages while standing in a Tap room that contains mortals."

NOTE: on tasting it this is one of the finest blood Wines you have tasted.

[Storyteller]

Narses tilts his head slightly at the interruption and waits patiently for the unwelcome visitors to leave before continuing.

"Innocent has managed to secure a strong hold over the Curia and has convinced them an attack on the Holy Land through Eygpt is the best course of action. However he faces a huge challenge as the mortal kings of Europe are either killing each other's men in the vain of England and France. Or have just returned from the last disaster in the Holy Land that failed to capture Jerusalem. The foolish bastard is planning to lead the whole thing himself!"

Narses looks toward the fire waiting for any response.

[Antonio Galanzia]

Antonio lifts his head slightly andball but a faint whisper comes out.
"What would you have us do? We are currently but few in number again an army of many."

[Storyteller]

Narses looks sceptical about the level of intelligence his brothers have shown toward this news.

"I will be attempting to convince the Curia to block Innocent from actually leading the charge himself. I will be asking that one of you gather the domain of Didaskalos in April of 1200 the settle the logistics of what will I am sure will be the greatest most successful pilgrimage to the Holy Land on record. I feel it should be our goal to guide the crusade personally to finally claim Jerusalem as a Lasombra domain. This will require many moving parts including subverting the faithful to our cause, convincing the mortal nobles that the crusade is worthy and they should fight and finally insuring victory by leading the Cainite cause ourselves."

Narses picks up a vessel of blood wine and pours a flute for himself waiting for your response.

[Alfonso Valencia]

"Pope Innocent the Third will do as he wishes. Living as close to Rome as I do one tends to get a sense of the day-to-day at the Holy See, and from my understanding the level of control he now exercises over the Curia and Kings of Europe is unprecedented. Trying to block the man from doing anything is an exercise in futility that is simply likely to embolden him in the other direction."

"Now, my code prevents me from engaging in such tactics myself, but if I were you I would convince the man to hand off leadership to someone more pliable. You have men within the Curia, use them to manipulate Innocent into handing off control to one of your agents. Play on his fear of mortality, convince him that he is needed in Europe to keep the peace, whatever it takes."

"Or just kill him. Powerful men drop dead of sudden maladies all the time."

[Storyteller]

Narses seems the calculate ever word Valencia speaks measuring each thought for its worthiness.

"Ah, brother Valencia I can see your point of view on this matter. Innocent has too many influential allies at this time to just remove him from this plane of existence, my idea was more forcing him to stay in Rome proper and taking control from the outside which is close to yours. At the coming council meeting in April 1200 I will be needing all your support to help make Venice the key jumping off point for this crusade. Once we can secure the mortal leaders we can more easily bend them toward our goals this is why we must have them come to Venice. The council meeting shall be the Cainites of Europes chance to decide just what we will do to those Settites in Eygpt and the Assimites in Jerusalem, it will also be our chance to convince them that Venice is the best route and my fleet is the most capable."

[Alfonso Valencia]

"Well, I do not command such influence amongst the mortals of the Church to make them consider Venice directly, but it will be a small thing to have the mortal traders and soldiers my domain commands spread the word of your fleet."

[Antonio Galanzia]

I'm not strategist by far but would it not make more sense to talk down the size of the fleet. To this end they do not expect the utter defeat they would encounter

[Ezio]

*Lucien takes a sip from his glass*

"If Pope Innocent the third is as important/influential as you say then killing him would prove pointless as would using connections to scare him into stepping down, Instead why don't we get one of us by his side and from there we can manipulate this crusade as we see fit. They take control with out truly taking it, They get it so Innocent trust their advice over anyone else's and from there our control over this crusade will come."

[Ezio]

"there are many Options to those that are able to see all the pieces. One must simply view this as a game and take their time arranging all the piece to fall where they choose."

[Storyteller]

Narses grows wide eyed in amazement

"I will neutralize Innocent that is not the problem. What we need to do is at the coming gathering in April 1200 one of us must secure a gathering place and during this meeting we must work together in convincing the Cainites of Europe that Venice is the place to jump off from. If we can secure the heads of the crusade and control them then by extension the crusade becomes ours."

Narses looks to the scroll again and the back up

"Nobody has this information outside of Rome yet. Thus we have the inside track to make this plan happen. The Papal Legate shall be passing thru Trieste in the up coming months to restore the church of the True Cross he shall be drumming up support for the up coming crusade as well. It is my understanding that he has little to no understanding of our kind so Silence is of the highest order when dealing with him."

Narses folds his hands and waits for a response