<@Dreol> [The Tomb of Moloch, Carthage, June 25th 1261, 4:00 AM] <@Dreol> [You all entered the Tomb of Moloch only to get attacked by two ghouls and a vampire. Cosimo was flung into some rubble from which emerged a woman dressed in a spartan dress (by which I mean a dress from Sparta and not a dress that is plain and unadorned) and she proceded to attack one of the ghouls. Eliana set some people on fire and there was much killing and now you are talking to this woman who is speaking ancient Greek. She claims to be from Carthage and says her name is Anstace. There is a sarcophagus in the middle of the room that has remained untouched. That is all so far!] <@Dreol> [Begin!] #06* Eliana blinks. #01 #06* Rolf doesn't understand any of this, and nobody but Cosimo is down, so he'll go dig him out. Easy work. #06* Moriel glances from the woman whose name he doesn't know yet to Eliana. After a moment of consideration, he asks quietly in Latin, "" #06* Eliana responds in an aside to Moriel, also in Latin, "" #06* Anstace looks at Moriel. She cocks her head to the side, smiles slightly. she says in Latin. #06* Eliana starts, then responds to Anstace, also in Latin, "" #06* Moriel blinks at Anstace for a moment. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can find a gentle way to break the news, Eliana does it for him. #06* Anstace turns to look at Eliana, her face unmoved. "" #06* Eliana raises an eyebrow. "" #06* Moriel watches Anstace, concerned. "" #06* Anstace looks at each person in turn, taking in the new information. #06* Rolf is both large and in charge, technically. How's the Cosimo? #06* Cosimo looks at his wound and scowls, but then looks at Rolf with a look of 'good-to-go' #06* Rolf nods slightly and looks over at the sarcophagus. #06* Eliana laughs, because that's kind of funny. "" #06* Anstace looks down, her face still unchanged. she says softly. #06* Eliana just eyebrow raises at Anstace again, then looks to Rolf. "Do you want to check the sarcophagus?" #06* Moriel gives Eliana a faintly reproving glance, then turns back to the woman. "" #06* Anstace looks at Moriel. "" #06* Anstace nods. #06* Cosimo shakes his head. "" <@Dreol> [The sarcophagus is, for the record, is handomely adorned. It is made of a smooth stone, not unlike marble. It has several designs carved into it. Mostly symbols of war. Weapons, goblets of blood, corpses. Atop the lid is a drawing of a mixture of the Brujah and Baali crests, drawn in, what appears to be, dried blood.] #06* Moriel glances over to the sarcophagus-checking action, since that is why they're there. But then he turns back to the woman for a moment. "" #06* Rolf looks to Eliana, then knocks on it and says, looking to Anstace, "Uh... " #06* Anstace thinks for a moment. "" <@Dreol> [Victoria furrows her brows at all of this. "Can't you all just speak a language we can understand? What's going on. Who is this woman? Where did she come from? Why is she dressed like she was carved out of marble?" She says all this in anglo-norman French, of course.] #06* Moriel nods. "" And then he says to Victoria, "I don't think she speaks French or English. She's been in torpor since Carthage fell." #06* Eliana replies back to Rolf: "" #01 #06* Anstace looks at Rolf and shakes her head. "" #06* Rolf looks to Victoria with a weak smile, then goes for one of the dead soldiers, and a clean part of them, rending their armor to do so so he can wipe hs bloody hands off. #06* Eliana moves to the coffin herself, inspecting it for tracks or tricks of a mundane or magical nature, because she's had more than enough of it of late. #06* Anstace watches the others as they begin to move about. She seems to be considering everything that has been said. #06* Moriel watches the sarcophagus inspection and Anstace with equal care. #06* Cosimo looks at Anstace and then at the others. He gestures, #06* Eliana signs back: #06* Eliana goes back to inspecting the sarcophagus. #06* Cosimo nods to Eliana and then moves so that he is within striking distance should it be necessary. #06* Eliana then speaks, after a point, "" #06* Rolf finishes cleaning himself off and walks back over to the dead people suit, looking to Eliana. "" He gestures to another point of murderation. "Victoria." #06* Eliana steps out of the way. <@Dreol> [Victoria looks up and heads over to the sarcophagus, placing her hands on the lid, ready to push.] #06* Rolf makes for the opening, then! #06* Anstace watches, but sort of seems to be distant #06* Cosimo watches Anstace, and seems to be closer than before <@Dreol> [The sarcophagus slides open, the lid crashing to the ground with a loud bang! Inside, the sarcophagus is empty. It is lined with silk and is large enough for two people to lay inside of, but neither of them appear to be here now. Pierre moves forward and frowns as he looks it over. "There must be some sign as to where he was moved."] #06* Eliana waves Moriel over, as well, Cosimo's probably busy keeping an eye on Anstace. #06* Cosimo moves closer still as the sarcophagus is opened, his hands clutching his knives and the predatory gleam sparkling in the dancing firelight. #06* Moriel comes when waved over, though not without a glance at Cosimo. He looks down into the sarcophagus, frowning. #06* Moriel 's frown deepens as he looks the thing over, and he shakes his head. "<*Someone* was in here perhaps 800 years or so ago, but I couldn't tell you anything else.>" He turns to scan the rest of the room, still frowning. #06* Rolf sniffs, then growls. "Little blood. Woke someone up early?" #06* Eliana nods. She moves closer and inspects the blood. "Perhaps. I can identify whose blood it is, if you think it worthwhile." #01 But it would take me a few hours. #06* Anstace turns at looks at Moriel, her eyes refocusing, though her brow is still furrowed as if she was bothered by something, but is unsure what or why. Doubt it'd tell us much of anything. Question is, who were these knights? #06* Rolf kicks the bodies, then crouches down to search them. "I mean, they knew this was here, and weren't the right place." <@Dreol> [Pierre nods. "It may very well be worth the time, Mademoiselle Casale. If we know who woke them up, we may be able to track them."] #06* Eliana smiles thinly at Pierre. "I actually agree with you." She looks to their fearless leader. "Rolf, can we spare the time?" #06* Anstace begins turning towards each person who speaks, listening to them thoughtfully. #06* Cosimo twitches. #06* Anstace looks at Cosimo. "," she says flatly, as she looks up at him. #06* Cosimo does not budge. #06* Moriel 's gaze circles the rubble-filled room fruitlessly and returns to the blood in the sarcophagus. He frowns at it some more, and then suddenly his eyes go wide with shock and he nearly staggers despite the fact that he's standing perfectly still. He presses his hands to his temples and squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head. #06* Rolf frowns as he considers Eliana's proposal to take time, but those credits are rolling fast. Then he looks over to Moriel with slight surprise before saying, "Fight catchin' up to you?" #06* Eliana turns to the Malkavian. "Moriel?" she asks, her voice tinged with concern. #06* Moriel looks back up at Rolf, then Eliana. His eyes are still wide and he looks none too steady. "I...saw...something." He blinks rapidly and shakes his head again, trying to clear it. He spins to face Anstace - "You..." - and spins back to the sarcophagus - "...and us..." #06* Moriel shakes his head again and says abruptly, "There were twelve of them." #01 Twelve of what? #06* Anstace looks at Moriel somewhat puzzled. "" #06* Moriel 's eyes are still flickering from mental image to mental image, not quite tracking anything in front of him. "Twelve who took Troile and Moloch. They were chanting over the sarcophagus - they must have been the ones who lifted the wards you mentioned." #06* Rolf frowns and looks to Pierre. "Any ideas? Same people who moved Troile?" ...not kindly. Why...they woke the two of them, but then dragged them through the dust... #06* Eliana blinks. "Hm." #06* Anstace watches the exchange. "<6241 seconds>" #01 You don't know where. #06* Moriel shakes himself, trying to return to the present. "No. Though...perhaps these were the same as those who imprisoned Troile near Lincoln?" #01 Perhaps. #06* Eliana looks at Rolf. "" she says in Latin, "" #01 #06* Rolf nods slowly and replies, "" #06* Anstace looks at Eliana and frowns. "" #06* Eliana gives Anstace a flat look. "" #06* Moriel looks down at the knights in question, frowning more. He switches to Latin. "" #06* Cosimo looks away from the girl momentarily and spits. #06* Eliana turns back to the sarcophagus, holding her hands over the blood spilt. She begins chanting softly in a language nobody recognizes. #06* Anstace resigns herself to being guarded and sits down next to the discarded ghoul husk at her feet. #06* Anstace motions for Cosimo to take a seat if he would like. #06* Cosimo declines. #06* Anstace shakes her head and then looks at the others. #06* Anstace shrugs and then keeps herself busy poking through the rubble which was until recently her resting place. #06* Eliana she stands there, hands rigidly above the blood and gazing into nothing, for two and a half hours. Often she's chanting; sometimes she's not. But it's wise not to bother her, so it's likely nobody does. After that time, however, she finally relaxes and looks around to the rest of the room. "" she says in Latin. #01 #06* Eliana adds, "" #06* Moriel sat up waiting for Eliana to finish her ritual after they shut the entrance to the tomb. He's obviously tired, but he shakes himself a little more awake as she speaks. "" #01 #06* Rolf is totally not awake. . o O (zzzz... rolf... zzzz... rolf...) #01 #06* Moriel shakes his head. "" He glances at Anstace, then looks back up at Eliana as she continues. #06* Anstace has long settled in to rest and is laying against the rubble pile she emerged from, possibly because of familiarity. #01 <@Dreol> [Pierre perks up at that. "Atamira? Altamira I know."] #06* Eliana blinks and looks at Pierre in surprise, switching to French. "Do you. Is she with New Carthage now?" #06* Moriel blinks as Eliana continues *more*. And then glances at Pierre. "Personally?" #06* Cosimo remained awake and vigilant lest the sleeping girl prove to be laying an ambush. <@Dreol> [He shakes his head. "I don't think she's alive anymore. She was an Iberian Brujah. Very old, as old as Menele... actually, about as old as our friend here." He motions to Anstace. "She supposedly moved to the British Isles in the 1st century. No one had heard much about her after that. She sired a few childer, but none of note that I was aware. I do not know her sire, but she was supposedly <@Dreol> killed by a group of Celtic Hunters in the 4th century."] #06* Eliana raises an eyebrow. "Well, it seems one of her childer was active enough to have sired whoever gave Troile and Moloch blood." #01 Interesting that she moved to the Isles. Perhaps one of her childer did as well. Though... given New Carthage... #01 It won't necessarily make finding Cadeyrn any easier. <@Dreol> [Pierre nods. "Eóghan and Cadeyrn are both celtic names."] #06* Eliana frowns. "Yes, well. A start." She looks at Cosimo. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when you need rest and I'll watch our new acquaintance." <@Dreol> [The next night, you all awaken, and Pierre is already leafing through a book he brought with him. "I would bet based on where you found Troile and the information that Belit-Sheri provided about the Romans sealing her in her tomb, that Moloch was taken to the Isles as well, but was not captured, at least not at the same time, or else Troile would know where he is."] #06* Anstace is awake too, being an early riser helps. she has started to pull things out of the rubble pile and is carefully stacking them up and assessing how badly damaged they are. #06* Cosimo spits at the sound of the name. #06* Eliana runs her fingers through her hair, scowling as they hit snags. "Ireland, then, would be the first place to look. At the very least we can start gathering information once we get back to London." #06* Rolf wakes up slowly, growlingly. As he rubs his head he looks at Eliana and murmurs, "So... how we keep them from followin' this blood trail?" #06* Eliana snorts. #06* Moriel shrugs. "Burn it." #06* Cosimo motions towards the girl. "what do we do with her?" <@Dreol> [Pierre nods to Eliana. "Yes. At least we should return to the Court of Love and inform Matriarch Salianna about what we have found."] #01 Unless they have Tremere working for them, which I *highly* doubt, they shouldn't be able to. Beyond that, yes, I suggest incinerating what we can. <@Dreol> [Pierre looks at Anstace. "A True Brujah is hardly a bad ally to have, especially considering our enemy."] #06* Anstace looks at a small pointed piece of metal and shakes her head, tossing it aside. <@Dreol> [Pierre has his reasons for knowing Anstaces lineage.] #06* Eliana keeps messing with her hair. It's dumb, okay. #06* Moriel pulls a comb from his pocket and hands it to Eliana wordlessly. "It's true. And she might well consider Troile and Moloch her enemies as well." #06* Eliana takes the comb by its end and starts untangling her hair in earnest. She focuses on Anstace as she does so and asks, in Latin, "" #06* Rolf looks over at Anstace, then growls at Moriel with, "Can you all get her to stay quiet without being staked and carried? We still gotta get off this island." <@Dreol> [Pierre looks over to Anstace. "I would have a hard time believing that any of her clan would not think Troile an enemy."] #06* Cosimo spits Without her willing cooperation, you mean? I cannot. Mistress Casale might be capable, however. <@Dreol> [Pierre shrugs. "True Brujah do not generally have a tendency to be loud and disruptive."] #06* Anstace looks up. "" #06* Anstace looks back down at the things she had pulled from the rubble. <@Dreol> [Session End]