Jaak 1206

Jaak 1206 Nov 21, 2016 16:45:42 GMT

Post by Rule Hound on Nov 21, 2016 16:45:42 GMT

The Quest For the Book if Infernal/Demons

As you were unable to garner any assistance from those who previously went down this road you had to start at the beginning and it took you the entire year.

You seek any clues relating to the supposed infernal servant that fled or the Friar that also came this way, believing that in some way they will be linked.

Clues as to where the Friar may have headed turn out to be much easier to follow and find since it was only 5 years ago that Raqa and his minions came through asking. (there is no early knowledge found on the Acolyte so you chase the Friar hoping to find something to tie them together or something about the Acolyte while you search. Where the last healings occurred. Keep in mind the Acolyte (and Friar with the lamp) fled Carthage in 146BCE (1345 years before) so it takes much time to dig up enough legends and leads to keep following.

You spend much time chasing leads around Croatia. Following rumors of miracle healings, stories of how in just the next visit this happened or that. Some of which you discount as stories suspiciously like the deeds of Jesus.

Eventually you find a remote village, isolated for the most part from the rest of the country, very independent and from what you can tell until the Omen War was under very tight control and purposely kept isolated for several centuries or perhaps even Millennia. The territory you are in would fit that of the Tzmitze quite well.

You learn of the legend of the Friar and his untimely death. His magic lamp. A one armed man smelling of brimstone killed the Friar took the lantern heading north into the mountains. Legend says he saved his wife and childs soul from being devoured by a devil.

It is dangerous to travel there. Once in their great, great, great grand dads time it is said they used to stake out both animals and Virgins to appease the Pagan Gods. Even today some families will sacrifice a goat or ox when trouble arises. They also stake out those who have committed crimes worthy of stoning.

Other fireside tales tell how he was a demon in disguise himself. Others that he was a god come down to reclaim his lost and stolen powers.

The only thin in common is that as the sun sets the mountain comes alive with eyes of fire. The demon emerged from the fiery pits or ascended to the top the mountain, the "man" and the lamp are all consistent.

You come across another legend. The Friar was supposedly sundered in two. One burned and destroyed wielding a book of knowledge where the other healed and protected using by using the light cast from the lamp of wisdom.

You are piecing together that either the two items were drawn together or the Friar was attempting to chase down the Accolyte and destroy the book. Either way the sundered man was probably in reality the Friar and Accolyte. What can say after so long. But a lead of any type is worth chasing. And this mountain with firey eyes seems another good place to look for. You remember overhearing Raqa and them talking about a mountain where they found the Lantern.

In the last hamlet before seeking out this mountain you come across a man who has travelled to see he family, the man comes from Zegrab and recently travelled here by way of a overgrown old trade route. He talks of the wonders of the mountains and of the holy place his grandfather once took him to where Perun and Veles (two opposing Slavic Gods) would descend and transform a mountain into a image of themselves. How at certain times of the year if you went to the nearby mountains and climbed a certain cliff you could see Perun reveal himself as the sunset. Casting his image onto the mountain, fiery eyes and all but shortly after as the moon rose Veles would reveal himself. By witnessing these transformations you received great blessings for the entire circle of life.

Naturally you feel that this must be the place you need to head. You hire the man as a guide to take you there and slip him a little blood to ensure he is willing to travel at night and give him your word that if possible you will prevent harm coming to him.

You travel deep into the mountains on little seen pathways, through old creek beds that are not visible from above and in deep ravines and valleys around mountains. As you approach one mountain the guide insists that you detour around. There is a Keep that is said to only bring death. In his great, great, great grandfathers day it is said that the rulers of the land lived there. They would come thundering out of the keep to the local villages and take victims. Even after the great battle when the masters stopped riding down the villagers would stake out sacrifices, usually a daughter. In recent years sacrifices are rare but it is a good way to dispose of criminals and un-savories. The strange thing is that those left out, disappear, and are literally just gone within the next few nights.

Being a little wiser to the darkness than he you are pretty sure that he speaks of a Tzmitze keep and that the battle was probably the Tremere assaulting the Keep. And it sounds like there is at least one Tzmitze still up there. No point in finding out unless you have to.

As you travel you notice that at one time in history this area may have been cultivated though it is now overgrown with towering trees. Judging by the size of the trees it has been many hundreds of years since this area was commonly used. Around the edges of the valley are steep stone and debris hills/cliffs. It can be seen that at the tops of the sides that perhaps there were a few exit paths once carved to the top and passing beyond. You take note of several winding ledges that though weathered and now looking natural may have led to the top.

Finally you come to a large cliff and your guide points to a shelf high up near the top. Since he has never been to the mountain you get directions to Zagreb and dismiss him. You can see the remains of some ropes but nothing that will help you. Your guide says he is to old to ascend, and his arms wouldn't hold him if he tried. You ascend on your own., just as described you can see a mountain in the distance. Though not light up you can see the black pits that from this angle would light up with a sunrise or possibly allow the moon to shine through.

You climb down, your guide is gone, your retainer unconscious and half healed, your militia are dead slaughtered as though attacked by several beasts. If not for the blood that was in his system your retainer would be dead also. All he remembers is that shortly after the guide left they were set on by several brown and white wolves.

It takes you a good week to work your way there, feeding on deer and anything else you can find at this point. As you approach the bottom of the mountain you find a stream that comes from up high. Offering the clearest path you follow it. Dawn gets close and you seek a shelter for the day. When you awake the next night you notice that the cave you stayed in has the remains of some wooden pens. Searching the area outside the cave you discover the overgrown remains of a cottage. Searching around you find the remains of someone clutching a read scale leather book that despite the years and weather is in perfect condition.

(sorry a little anti climatic but you found the book...lol)

You gather the book and start heading towards where your previous guide told you Zegrab stands. As you head down the mountain you come across another overgrown road. Making life easier you start following this when out of no where a bat plunges down and transforms into Fia. The three of you head towards Zagreb together.

Once you get to Zagreb you discover that there happens to be a ship docked there that will be heading back to Trieste soon. Coincidentally, it seems Galahad had chartered this ship for the round trip. You are going to have to bargain with him for a ride... I will create a board for you all.

Post by Rule Hound on Oct 7, 2016 14:59:10 GMT

Post by Rule Hound on Nov 21, 2016 16:45:42 GMT