Fantasy The Black Rose Files

[Jodyguru]

The city of Grand Nocturne was a sprawling metropolis where magic and faith collide. The priests of Mitra share power with the wizards of Phoenixblood at the old castle called Dominion. Much labor goes into keeping the city operating at a functional level that they can satisfy the city's purpose of trade. Among the specialists and curiosities was a young mage by the name of Denu. She was a fresh graduate of the arcane arts, and has recently inherited her grandfather's tinker shop where she spent a lot of years acting as his assistant. The tinkerer's life was one of solitude behind the magnifying glasses and protractors, but fulfilling for the magically gifted who could make people's lives a little easier for a price.

An old man was in her shop today, asking Denu to take a look at his pocket watch. This was the third time this week the old man was in the shop. His watch wasn't even imbued with magic. It was becoming quite obvious why he was here. Denu was not only gifted with magical talent, but stunning beauty in both face and body.

"I- I know it was working when you handed it to me Wednesday, but the darn thing just wont keep time for me." He swallowed dryly, peering just over the counter as the short little old gnome that he was.

 

[Uasal]

Danu sat comfortably behind her desk with her smoking pipe in one hand and the old gnome's pocket watch firmly gripped within the other. Danu was by no means an idiot, she was well aware of the gnomes unsavoury reasoning for frequenting her shop. Still, she was surprised the creature thought breaking the exact same item three times in a row was somehow a subtle means of acquiring her attention. Then again gnomes were strange creatures, to begin with...

Taking a drag from her pipe Danu moved to dismantle the device with great care, her eyes focused entirely on what she was doing and nothing else. The watch was old, a relic of a time long forgotten. A relic from before even her grandfathers time. It wasn't magical in any way, shape or form but still, it was an interesting piece of equipment to work on none the less. Even if it was being forcefully broken. "Mr. Appricot, you seem to be growing mighty fond of my little shop. I'm going to have to start charging you double seeing as you're so danger prone...". Danu spoke softly, clearly and with a hint of seduction. Her eyes and focus, however, remained steadfast in her workings.

 

[Jodyguru]

The old gnome wasn't paying attention to her voice, and was focused entirely on her cleavage. Perched on a ledge in the corner of the room was a mechanical parrot that shrugged its wings, mostly because it was a stationary machine. It squawked and repeated in a high pitched voice, "charge him double, danger prone" and squawked again. The old man caught himself staring and shook his head.
"Eh, wot? That's preposterous! If anything I should get a discount for being a frequent customer. You wont be in business for long with policies like that, young lady." Indeed he was very attracted to her, but a gnome's instincts lied in his coin pouch. Once she finished the job he snatched the watch with a grumble and paid her.

As he left the store, a tall elf with languid yellow skin entered the shop. He wore a sleek black suit with an insignia from The Circle on it, denoting he was a ranking government official.
"Another satisfied customer, hm?" He spoke with pure smugness radiating off of him. His name was Aleks Gareffe. He was somewhat acquainted with the sorceress. Their families attended the same parties. They knew each other's parents better than they themselves. All the Gareffes had that annoying air of superiority, almost like it was bred into him. You wouldn't call it a broad trait among elves, though.

"I'm surprised if you haven't caught a persistent cough working in this dusty old workshop, Ms. Theresia. You may welcome a change of pace, no?" He held his arms behind his back like he was hiding something in his hands, but he was only stretching. The monotony of office work made him feel stiff in his joints.

 

[Uasal]

Aleks Gareffe. Today was going to be one of those days...
Moving from her chair Danu paid little attention to the elf that had entered her shop, instead, she moved to focus on the parrot that had spoken out of turn. The stationary magic replica was perhaps the very first magical project Danu ever really got to help her grandfather with, it was by no means a perfect piece and it had its quirks but when a twelve-year-old is the head tinkerer what else could one expect. The contraption had a lot of sentimental value but Danu could help but grin when she thought of the fact this device happened to randomly start up right before Aleks entered her store. It was almost as if her grandfather himself was giving her a warning. Alas, Danu didn't buy into that thought in the slightest, it was merely just an amusing set of circumstances.

After tinkering with the parrot for a couple of minutes Danu turned her gaze to Aleks, taking a long and exaggerated drag from her pipe as she did so.
"If I were to ever catch a persistent cough I'd more easily blame my pipe than the dust in my shop." Offering the man a smile Danu continued "Mr. Gareffe, when you say a change of pace I do oh so hope you're not here with yet another proposed marriage. You really must learn to take no for an answer, as must your parents...".

Taking the parrot under arm Danu returned to her desk and began prepping the device for a proper inspection, with her focus no longer fixated on the elf Danu continued "Your joints seem stiffer than usual, I'd love to insult your age but alas I believe my reference to your many proposals was insult enough. Hand me your jacket"

 

[Jodyguru]

Aleks’ face contorted to look more irritated by what the sorceress brought up. He wouldn’t admit that he had zero interest in females, because that would force him to come out to his parents and thus lose his inheritance. Still her taunting was demeaning.

“I’ve just come from the office is all, I’m quite fine. No, I actually came here for work, not play. A case came across my desk that I have no time nor desire to pursue. My boss said I can hand it over to any state registered mage, and I thought of you. I thought it’s so sad that you shut yourself off from the rest of the guild just to tinker with useless machines. Do you want to see it?”

From behind his back he produced a yellow envelope almost out of thin air. Denú could hear the snapping of magic pixels in his hands before seeing the case file. He placed it on the counter and rolled his shoulders.

“There have been rumblings in the underground about strange killings taking place in dark alleys. I’d be careful, and definitely don’t travel alone.”

 

[Uasal]

Danu's hands came to an abrupt halt when Alek mentioned the fact he wasn't here for 'play'. What an asshole, as if she'd even consider such an invitation in the first place, her offer to take his jacket was most certainly not in relation to such a promiscuous activity. Danu simply wished to enchant the jacket so as to relieve some tension in the elves joints. He most certainly wasn't going to be getting that service in the future! After her momentary break, Danu returned to her tinkering. She cared little for the guild and even less for the same speech she'd been forced to listen to no less than a dozen times now. Why couldn't a respectable mage and researcher just live happily in a small shop tinkering away at magical gear day in and day out? Sure the pay wasn't as high as a circle members pay but it was by no means a low salary! Plus Danu got to see plenty of unique m-circle structures while working on items in her shop. Plenty more than she would have out in the field where everything has to be 'by the book'.

When Alek placed the folder on her desk Danu ignored it and continued to work on her parrot "I'm quite happy tinkering away in my 'dusty' little shop. I've no need to work on a case as boring as this. And for the record, I'm more than capable of handling myself... I wouldn't need anyone to accompany me on such a mundane task. Statistically the killers a necromancer or soul magic-user whos out looking for either powerful magic souls or people with a strong magic affinity to resurrect/dissect. Statistically, they'll be hiding out in a secluded section of the underground and statistically, if left alone for long enough they'll blow their own cover by misjudging their own ability with such dangerous magic."

Pausing to take a drag from her pipe Danu continued with her tinkering shortly after "Besides I can't just go swooping into the underground to conduct an investigation. Too many influential inhabitants frequent my shop for repairs. I've got a business to run here".

 

[Jodyguru]

Aleks Gareffe had little patience for this woman. He just wanted to dump this case off so he could get back to more interesting matters to him. He knew there was one thing in the file that might pique her wizardly curiosity.

"Well, I'd give the case notes a gander before deciding against this one. There is a man connected to the case who you may find vastly interesting. He goes by the name St. Leore, an ancient family name dating back to the first era, a thousand years ago. A vampire family." His smirk returned to his face at the mention of a vampire.

Most of the vampires in the world were wiped out by the turn of the second era. By the third they were mere folktales. Stories used to scare children from going out at night. Yet it was possible, by some strange turn of events, that a vampire could still be alive in the fourth era of Paladina.

"I know its statistically impossible, but that's why we call statistics one of the great lies of society. What do you think? As a fellow academic you must have a million questions for him."

 

[Uasal]

Danu continued to work on her parrot as Alek spoke but when vampires came into the equation her hands abruptly stopped and her focus changed rather swiftly to the file sat upon her desk. Danu quietly and gently moved her parrot aside and moved to inspect the file with great care. Aleks wasn't the kind of man to hand out assignments as interesting as this without any catch being attached. Vampires were an extreme rarity in Paladina and naturally, any researcher would hop at the chance to question such a creature, heck even to just witness the genuine article. Why then was Alek just tossing this assignment her way? Something about this whole set up was amiss.

Reading through the file Danu took yet another hit from her pipe, the vast majority of the information within was textbook. People were dying in mysterious ways, killed in dark and secluded areas with no witnesses around. Literally the only interesting part of the file was the fact a vampire by the name of Lautrec was/is heavily involved with the case. It would appear that the vampire in question was once a suspect but was cleared via an alibi. Despite his clearance, it would, however, seem he's very keen on having the case pursued. Quite interesting.

"Why me? Why was I selected for this case, you're not nice enough to randomly toss such a case my way..."

 

[Jodyguru]

Aleks was just about done here now that she was reading the case notes. He shrugged and turned his back on her. "Maybe I'm hoping Leore will bite your head off and save me the burden of having to listen to you prattle on? In all honesty, vampires aren't interesting to me. They're blood sucking worms like any other leech, and die under direct sunlight. Lautrec himself is a paranoid conspiracy nut, and I'd rather force you to listen to his malarkey than entertain him myself."

He turned back around. "Oh, and one other thing. Please get a boyfriend. That isn't related to the case, I just want my mother to leave me in peace. Good day." He exited the tinker shop with the jingle of the door bell behind him.

 

[Uasal]

Once Aleks had left the store Danu closed the file and tossed it down upon her desk with an evergrowing grin. "What a piece of work... I'll get myself a suiter when I'm good and ready!" Moving to lock up the shop Danu was eager to get moving on the case at hand. If there was anything in the file that warranted her immediate attention it was the location of Lautrec's home, it wasn't in the kind of location a woman would be comfortable travelling through at night on her lonesome no matter what Danu may have said beforehand. "A vampire, this is going to be most entertaining...". "Most entertaining, most entertaining Squawk!!"

End of Act 1: Introduction​

 

[Jodyguru]

The sun was setting behind the walls of Grand Nocturne. A long shadow was cast upon the sorceress as she approached the address listed in Lautrec's case file. Oddly enough, the file had brought her to a laundromat. The building had a crooked roof by design and glass windows. The machines inside were whirling and vibrating with the dull hum of magi-electric engines. She wasn't mistaken. This was the right place. Through the alley beside the laundromat, Denu found a back door leading to the basement. She was fully engulfed in shadows by this point. If the vampire wanted to attack he'd be able to.

The air was still. The man known as Lautrec St. Leore must have been home. Where else could an undead being hide from the deadly ultraviolet light?

 

[Uasal]

Taking a minute to adjust her clothing after the long walk Danu wrapped upon the hard metal door she had found within the alleyway. As darkness shrouded her entire being a single thought filled her mind 'drop the case'. There were far too many unknown variables when it came to this case, meeting a vampire was a once in a lifetime opportunity but if it was the last thing she did in her life well she'd rather leave it till last. Of course, after accepting an investigation Danu would rather die than turn it in incomplete so really there was a mix of opinions going through her head. Wrapping upon the door one final time Danu let out a call "Mr. St. Leore, I'm here to speak with you regarding a case you seem eagre to have pursued. Could you spare me some of your time!"

 

[Jodyguru]

In the moments between her approaching the door and announcing herself, Danu would likely try to remember the history lessons taught when she was young. In the first era, vampires were the rulers of the land. They were cruel, merciless, and self serving Lords. They did, however, produce some of the most influential architecture in the land. The castle Dominion was built with similar aesthetics to the long-since collapsed castle of Dracula St. Leore. Their clothing was also very stylish, as it has been depicted in paintings. Black surcoats with shoulderpads, white frills of lace and high boots.

A loud mechanism like a bolt lock was heard, and the door opened. She was greeted by a pale face and shirtless man hunched over with tired eyes and absolutely stunk of beer and tobacco. Aside from the fact he clearly hasn't slept in some time with his red eyes bloodshot, his skin was flawless, and perfect bone structure as well. His body was a little soft, though it seemed like he had toned abs at one point. She was catching him in the middle of a bender that had lasted god knows how long. He was in sweatpants and had a can of Alistare's Finest in his hand.

"Spare time... Sure, I've got time on my side. Whose asking?" he finally looked up from the floor. His head bobbing a bit from the booze circulating through his system. It was in fact a beautiful young woman who came to visit. He hadn't seen one in a mighty long time, and decided to comb his long greasy hair with his nails back to give himself at least a minor amount of presence.

 

[Uasal]

When Lautrec made his appearance Danu quickly caught on as to why Alek had shoved such an investigation upon her. The man she was to question was a drunkard, a drunkard who clearly needed both a shower and reality check pronto. The vampires Danu had learned about in history class were far more interesting than the one who stood before her, what a disappointment! To think Danu had been excited for this was laughable. Moving to retrieve her pipe from her bag Danu let out a sigh and brushed past the drunkard as she moved to inspect his home first and foremost. Taking great interest in the door mechanism Danu began tinkering with the controller as she smoked.

"I'm Danu Theresia. I'm with the Circle and I've been assigned this case. How about you go and take a shower while I search your home. Don't bother trying to resist, I've already been issued a warrant to do so." Looking up from the device for a moment Danu let out an audible sigh "I'm not dealing with a drunkard either, I assume you have a toxin resistant accessory somewhere? Please go and sober up before we begin our discussion"

 

[Jodyguru]

The inside of the apartment smelled even worse than what she smelled on Lautrec. There was an overflowing trash can with a collection of beer cans surrounding it. The walls were stained yellow from years of smoking. There were no windows in this basement, for obvious reasons. At the back of the room was a solid oak casket where he presumably slept. There were no working lights in this dingy hole in the ground he called his apartment.

Lautrec snorted and let her into his place. "Showers broken, and if I had an amulet I would've pawned it for drinking money. Lucky for you I've just started drinking tonight, so this is as sober as I'll be for awhile." Despite his awkward gait and the way he moved, his mind was lucid and had no slurred speech.

"By the way, The Circle doesn't issue warrants. the Internal Affairs office does. I should know, I served on the force for ten years." He said before letting out a belch and tossing his empty can on the pile. "I'm curious to know what you're looking for, besides a corpse toiling in his crypt obviously."

On a shelf Danu would find an old grainy photograph of Lautrec dressed in a black cloak with cuirass, sword belt, and a massive war horse's reigns in his hand as he stood beside it. In the portrait he had a dignified air about him. Though his eyes were clear, he did not smile. It seemed like he was at the top of his game in that photo.

Sitting on a stained, littered coffee table were three empty glass jars, written on them "Blood Supply Type A: Medical Use Only"

 

[Uasal]

Danu continued to tinker with the door control as Lautrec spoke to her. The putrid smell that was lingering heavy in the air was truly unpleasant and made Danu want to leave even more so than beforehand, venturing even further inward after finishing with the remote only proved to make this thought more prominent. Once within the inner section of the 'apartment', Danu set about inspecting everything in sight. Well, everything that wasn't trash or akin to empty bottles. The first thing to catch Danu's eye was a small and dated photograph that depicted the sorry vampire in a much better light. Just what had happened to cause such a drastic change in character? Blood packs also caught Danu's eye but all things considered, they weren't of any concern to her. Technically blood packs weren't to be in the possession of any monster within the city grounds outside of medical use but then again Danu hadn't the knowledge on the inner working of said law when applied to a vampire.

Moving to take another drag from her pipe Danu continued to gaze at the photograph for quite a while before responding "Oh how the mighty fall..." turning her head slightly Danu made eye contact with the vampire "Most bums don't question me when I mention the fact I've got a warrant, colour me impressed. Let me cut to the chase, this case was dropped on me by a man who doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'no'. Note this man also doesn't seem to comprehend the phrase 'Not interested' either. In return for my services, I was promised I'd get to meet you, a living vampire. I've now met you and quite honestly I feel quite cheated on my end of the deal. So to sum everything up, you have five minutes to convince me to take this case, should you fail to do so I'll have this case permanently closed. There's a reason you're so invested in this case, I want to know why."

 

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec drove one of his sharp nails into a fresh can of beer and pulled the tab off, shotgunning the whole thing while Danu examined his apartment. He let out a belch and pulled up a chair for the sorceress. He didn’t care about her reasoning or whatever she was prattling on about from her conversation with Aleks. Her insults towards him didn’t even register. He’d been through so much worse than mere mockery.

“You’ll think I’m paranoid and making things up. I won’t blame you either, because I have no proof. That’s why the case has gone ignored. Three weeks ago a body was found in an alleyway, chalked up as one of those spree slayings. I’m the one who reported it. I noticed puncture wounds in the woman’s arms and neck. She was practically bled dry. The wounds didn’t match bite pattern. That’s how I was cleared of charges. The part not in the report is what I found the next night. I saw something in a sewer tunnel that I hadn’t seen in about five hundred years. A gray hairless creature with fangs and red eyes. Back then we called them ghouls. Non-virgins who were bitten by a vampire. I’m the only one of my kind who could’ve done that and I certainly did not. The only way another one of my kind could exist here is if someone performed a blood ritual and summoned one from the Abyss. I think there’s a cult bringing back vampires, and the more blood they gather the better odds they’ll summon something greater than a vampire. A full fledged Lord of vampires! My father is in that abyss, and I’ll bet anything he’s waiting for a sacrifice big enough to bring him back from the dead.”

His five minutes were up. His rambling was barely connected to logic. The only tangible thread was his own account of what he saw. He let out a breath and hung his head.

“I’m not always like this... drunk and unabashed. You caught me at a bad time. If you take this case I’ll get myself cleaned up, and try not to embarrass you.” He hiccuped.

 

[Uasal]

Danu listened closely to everything Lautrec had to say and once he had finished silence quickly befell the room. Danu began puffing on her pipe as her thoughts grew deeper and deeper in the ensuing silence. There was a lot of information to take in and a lot of cross-referencing that needed to take place before any agreement could be struck up. First of all, Danu would need to research more about vampires and in order to do so, a request would need to be put in to access the Restricted Library. On top of that, there's need to be further research done on the topic of forbidden summons which was not something easily researched through proper channels even with the right authority to do so. Finally, once everything was in order Danu would need to witness and inspect one of these ghouls in person. There were several other steps that would have to be taken but they were all minor in relation to these main three.

Spinning her pipe before gripping it tightly Danu let out a soft chuckle. Things were finally getting interesting. Moving for the door Danu returned her pipe to her bag and quickly proceeded up the stairs towards the streets above "Meet me at the Grand Library an hour from now. Clean yourself up and don't be late". And with that, the mage vanished from sight.

 

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec was a little confused by this woman. Normally one would ask follow up questions or challenge him on his claims. She didn’t say it outright but it seemed like she was taking his case. This idea made him smirk a little. The first thing to make him happy in a long time.

The vampire let out a long sigh and drew himself a bath. After that he put on a black striped shirt, suit jacket and trousers. He tied his wet hair into a ponytail and left the apartment to go meet Danu at the Grand Library, but not before he tucked a thin blade into his suit pocket. His pores still made him reek of booze, but at least he was presentable.

The Grand Library was located in the same block as Castle Dominion, and kept under close watch by security. A large statue of a lion rested in front of the entrance with a sign greeting all who came to the library. However, as it was after hours, nobody was inside the library. One needed special permission to enter after sunset. Luckily for Danu, she had such permission in her badge from The Circle.