The Vampire Cult of Caerlon

       We have found a very important lead thanks to our Watcher who has been undercover finding out everything in the underground culture surrounded by drug use, prostitution, and private social gatherings. She used her good looks and charm to make her way in well past security and beyond acceptance in the most coveted gathering of people there, as she was able to give a certain look with appropriate timing as she shook her breasts with a wink to gain favor of every male among them. Cleverly came up with an excuse as to why she was unable to please anyone immediately saying that she already had a lover and that it was another woman who had to approve everyone who were to touch her in the future. The plan worked more than expected as the males tried to show no signs of it but did their best to win her favor. To avoid the rise of suspicion she took part in the hashish passed around, drank a mixture from wormwood, and had rubbed various oils into her skin and gums to counter some of the effects as instructed by one of the beautiful women who knew her concerns more than the others would so that there would not be too much of one effect leaving her prone to rape while unconscious later on. The communication between them was instant with a glance as she guided her through various experimentation in a way that would wake her up more than relax her. She knew that what was going on was illegal and that the gathering was for thieves and thugs or workers who had a hard day with a willingness to look the other way for a fun night. City laws were a bit confusing and tales of the dungeons had always terrified her but according to her measurements and planning ahead, she had been taking no risks. Various potions, ointments, powders, tars, and alcoholic mixtures were considered to be illegal to trade or possess here due to the dangerous possibilities one would have when it came to controlling other people and attempting to cheat one's way in order to get things or cause a ruckus. For certain city officials there was an approved way to have all of the illegal substances desired but it was through strict measure, carefully arranged as to not disturb the lives of the people in any sudden manner. Some of the recipes were sought after by various thugs so much that they were willing to do almost anything to get more of it while others had an addictive nature causing the user to become chemically dependent on the regular use of it and because of this our spy was able to overhear something regarding a certain customer of theirs.

       With careful observation, some sneaking around while eavesdropping, and even going as far as asking around bluntly... the Vampire Cult was rumored to be something going on in Caerlon but sometimes was found in Fort Sterling while they are on the hunt for a fresh kill. The Cult was known for finding victims in the night and drinking raw blood from their fresh corpse. Just the other night someone was found whose vein had been brutally severed. It was hard to tell whether or not the stories were real or just rumors made up but yesterday one was rumored to be staying at an Inn for the night who had a need for many medical substances illegally purchased under the table that she heard of. The next day the sneaky woman was able to get a closer look of the person and saw pale skin being eaten away and an obvious sensitivity to sunlight. His powerful presence seemed to radiate from him as she picked up more from him than she would from most others. The stranger's gums receded far below exposed teeth which made them appear to be longer than they actually were. Somewhat alarmed by his appearance, she tried to act normal, and asked him about his business in the area. The man groaned as if it pained him to talk but he appeared to try and look his best and be as polite as possible as he had explained the alcohol business had brought him through here and that his family line had been making alcohol for likely several thousands of years. She went to work on his back seeing the tension which could be eased with a woman's touch. He sighed and relaxed back into his chair muttering a thank you beneath his breath. While rubbing out the knots she had expressed interest in the freshest batches of traditional recipes and spoke of having enough money to afford and services which he could provide her. He seemed to ignore her as she continued to prod with the importance of an upcoming get together and how her friend was single and looking for a good bachelor who was as  well off as he. Some minutes passed of silence and then he got up and used the toilet. When he had returned he mentioned that she could bring her by tomorrow evening and that he would discuss her party then went up the stairs to where his room must have been. The Innkeeper came out of the washroom with a pot and a shocked look as he brought it over to her so that she could take a closer look. The piss that he left was dark red almost the color of blood and she crinkled her nose at the sight while he told her that his urine was likely where the vampire tales came from and nothing more. He had also explained that the man had been coming to his Inn once a year since he was a child and that his disease was likely due to long-term genetic effects from drinking alcohol.
       Understanding his look, she nodded and headed for the door just as the person who told her about the vampire staying here came through the door rubbing his hands together trying to warm them from the unbearable cold outside. He smiled a greeting at her as the Innkeeper stoked up the fire and then asked her about her business here. She laughed and hid her face in her hands a bit and then admitted that she was probably wasting her time. He seemed to know that she came here to see the vampire or at least that was what was going on in his head as he shook it, sighed, and then gestured for her to follow him as he walked up the stairs. She hesitated, but soon followed, feeling embarrassed as the Innkeeper chuckled in the shadows. They reached a door left ajar where he had asked permission to come inside. The pale man did not appear to be surprised to see her as she followed behind her friend.

       He gestured for them to come inside and she shut the door behind her as her friend dumped some of his backpacks contents onto the bed for the sick looking man to go through. Various ointments and potions, powders in vials, and a jar of hashish lay scattered before him. The man had removed his cloak so more of his seemingly rotting flesh could be seen and he looked over everything in the pile as if he was very familiar with all of it. Once his choices had been made, he counted some coins and gave them to the dealer. Before putting anything away, he went for one of the vials, and poured the substance on his finger then rubbed it on his gums and all over his tongue with pleasure. He handed the vial to our spy afterwards then shut his eyes as some much needed pain relief and numbness set in. She remembered the substance from the night before being some of what woke her up and made her feel much more motivated than usual while numb all over and it was one of the ones that she found most difficult to stop doing as the best effects seemed to wear off in only a few minutes. She accepted the offer but was hesitant since she has heard tales of addiction where users would go through withdrawal symptoms from going without a drug for any period of time. Without warning, her heart murmured in her chest and she clutched at it with fear and looked at her friend to see him closing his eyes without a care in the world so she spoke up and asked if what she was feeling was normal. He responded that it was and also warned her of taking too much of it or she may wind up dead as it was easy to overdose from. She gave the vial back with a look of disgust and fear then kept her hand over her heart while feeling like she was going to pass out. The vampire laughed and put his hand on her shoulder for comfort while apologizing for not warning her.

       Once she had calmed down some while following instructions from the others to take deep breaths, they got into a deep philosophical discussion regarding hemp's hashish smelling like skunk in order to lull the user off of chasing a real one and eating it for dinner, while at the same time, making the person hungry but too lazy to go hunting and more likely to eat something vegetarian. This made her laugh and join in with some hemp user jokes. While laughing with her the pale man suddenly gave her a serious look with a frown and asked her why she lied to him about her friend who was single and looking. This caught her off guard and she did not know how to respond at first and then when she continued her lie a bit further he shook his head and asked her out loud how stupid she thought that he was and also pleaded for the real reason that she was here with them while her friend gave a quizzical look. She took in a deep breath with a sorry look and then admitted that she was more interested in getting a closer look regarding his illness. He guessed that it had to do with the recent murders at night around the city lately as she looked shocked at his accuracy and with a guilty nod admitted it to be true while telling him how embarrassed she felt from being so off about him and told him about some of the other things that she has heard regarding a vampire cult from Caerlon frequently visiting this city.

       After being accused of being an undercover agent working for the city officials against crime she exposed herself as part of a secret organization called the Watchers of the Heavens Below who were working on putting a stop to the Tickle and the spread of it while asking for complete silence regarding this among other people as there were serious possible dangers if her identity was to be revealed to everyone. She explained how they were merely people who gathered information for the healers of the world or those who are the oldest among the good tribes of the wild. We have been concerned about the possibility of the Tickle being enhanced from the careless acts of eating without giving thanks or showing any kind of respect and how the act of cannibalism would effect us if something is not done to put a stop to it. They agreed and after a moments silence, the vampire told her that he did know of the cult because they had tried to involve him in it because of his illness. His family line had a history far back of suffering from what some know today as the vampire disease that makes a person allergic to garlic and sunlight among many other things such as blood-colored urine. The blood drinking was just a tale told to scare children because of how bad their grotesque appearance may become over time when exposed to certain elements but that the truth was that alcohol was likely the cause of the sickness and for those who did not have it, may require thousands of years of drinking on order to start showing signs of the illness. He laughed while sharing the fact that his family crest indicated that they were possibly among those who invented the stuff long ago as something to help face the cold conditions of his homeland so it came as no surprise to anyone what the truth would be but because of the legends of demonic people who drink blood being so popular and some of them even making the vampire out to be something beautifully mysterious, powerful,  and coveted even... some of the youth had recently believed the tall tales to be real about our ancestors regardless of what their grandparents reminded them. Those children are off and others with his illness are just as concerned or more than what would be these so-called Watchers she spoke of and he offered his help in any way that he could in the future of putting a stop to this cult and everything that they represented as they endangered his family line since his children and children's children would be born with the same disease.

       She thanked him with a kiss on the cheek and asked for more details about this cult that he knew about. He told her that his son was spending some time with these underground party goers who were dabbling in the dark arts with interest of everything evil feared in legends. Most people recognize them for what they were but as the years have progressed they have been getting involved in cult gatherings involving sexual orgies, drinking blood, and magical rituals to thank those of the shadows and darkness. It seemed to start as a cry for attention from youthful kids wanting to rebel against authority but has been going on for some years now and there have been things going on in the night that would disturb any good person or rebel even. My son has had interest in such things and for a time he would go to some of their underground gatherings for a good time with the ladies or what not as they stroked his ego with tales of his being different from other people and blessed by the demonic shadows in which they served. I found out one day as my son was trying to get answers of the truth and about where we came from and everyone who came before me. Fortunately, I was able to talk sense into the young man and he woke up to what was really going on. He still spends time with those people as to not show any suspicion from suddenly disappearing but insists that for the most part they do not do anything that he would not do and that it is mostly about sexual fetish practices with women and trying to contact their ancestors who they actually believe were vampires with great powers. Since my son actually had the illness and was sicker than most of them he knew more about what it really was about and did like to play music with some of those people still as well as spend time with the ladies and their dark look. Recently my son has accidentally impregnated someone and this has been truly a blessing for us as he has changed his ways and now expresses interest in business and success with our family recipes more than he ever was before, even has settled down with plans of marriage and raising his son like any good Father would. Luckily, the child does not suffer much from the gene inherited from our side but they know that the child must grow up with a strict diet of meat and potatoes without anything fancy included such as garlic or those foreign spices.
       An angry thought made him drop something in anger and then he complained out loud that where the vampire myth came from was actually just a joke originally... because back home near the Heavens they had nothing but arranged marriages for the most part, but the beautiful women were used to tease the kids in their version of would would be school while naked to do things like work for food and earn a living enough to feed several people without the help of anyone else. This process is called the Ring as the men need to have one removed twig which was glued together from their neck, wrists, and ankles while the women need them removed from her right arm. While drinking in some corner somewhere someone had the awful joke about just having their way with someone with force and what made everyone laugh was that he would bite her neck, killing her, to hide the crime of what he had done but it was only funny because they knew that no one was capable of such a deed. Rape was VERY illegal near the Heavens and anyone caught in such an act would be executed for it sometime in their life. If a Berserker was not able to kill them during friendly fire after eating mushrooms to prepare for it (with the necklace of his woman from back home held as ordered by the Oracle) and be sure to clean the Holy Place where all the magnets go... than a red headed "fire" would be ignited by the Crones to take care of the problems later... that was someone who would blush easily and were the most passionate when finding out about such acts committed by a neighbor... those who were allowed to sleep and live another night after a previous battle in the Below or near there when they had gotten away with committing rape during the chaos which was known to happen once or twice... but they never lived to see home again or at least for very long.

       She sensed from him nothing but sincerity and truth with the most normal and sane responses that anyone would expect. Knowing that alcohol was invented near the Heavens where she was from she asked him where his family originated while gesturing discreetly to a metal piece worn around her neck of an iron fragment shaped like an arrowhead. He understood her meaning and secrecy with a smile and nod then pointed up with a laugh as if to confirm that he too had come from the sky. The dealer seemed a bit confused but spent little time wondering about it as he mentioned the coffin that he sleeps in and asked why he would sleep in such a thing if he were not undead or part of some weird cult. She wrinkled her puzzled brows in confusion as he explained that like many Crones and those from the Heavens Above, he was gifted with telepathic abilities and familiar with befriending all of the animals of the wild. He said that he knew of the Watchers and what they were doing and had full support of them and what they do while also admitting to be able to use the birds as spies from time to time when it came to keeping an eye on the road while transporting merchandise and he pointed at a mechanical clock while raising one eyebrow.

       Cuckoo! Cuckoo!!
       He called out while they laughed and the dealer felt like the only one who did not know what was going on for a moment as the Watcher understood how close to her home this man's family had come from... as one gets closer to the sky, they become impossible to pass undetected as the birds, especially the Ravens, kept a close eye on every visitor traveling that direction while alerting others of their presence every step of the way. Drinkers of the Mead watched the bees and cared for them as they produced their precious honey and those who drank the nectar which was considered holy to some people became more like the bees developing the ability to think as one or to speak without talking and it was with this ability that connecting with the birds for their eyes from the skies became something regular.

       Anyways, he continued to explain that much like the birds of the Heavens, while living in a castle without the funds to hire servants, bats and rats became naturally closer to him because of his gifted mind and bee-watching ability showing all the animals around that his empathy was strong and that he cared for them just as he would his own. He was brought up to be this way by his family and tribe had always practiced communicating with nature while using birds or other animals as alarms or familiars of sorts like most everyone of the Heavens. One night he woke up a bit too close for comfort to the rats and bats while they kept trying to get cuddly with him and snuggle. This would not stop happening to him so he started to sleep in a coffin so that it would be possible to sleep, otherwise he would feel like there were spiders crawling all over him all night long. He lined the coffin with silk, velvet, and puffy padding, making it very comfortable, and since he had a graveyard shift for the most part due to his having to avoid the Sun, blocking out the sunlight as he slept was very nice as well. He did not typically like telling people about this stuff but since she was a Watcher he trusted her with this knowledge and knew that she was likely to understand him better than most others would. The dealer laughed with a snort as if to doubt this occurring and also asked what the sky was all about among them but they just told him that it was something to do with beliefs among their homeland and people where they were originally from.

       Much like the tales of the werewolf turning every midnight of a full Moon, these rumors were all false but actually were linked to real occurrences and were there for a reason. His disease in some parts of the world was considered to be the werewolf disease rather than vampire where they have superstitious value of silver because of how the glint of metal hurts the eyes while any of them are having a full-blown porphyric attack. When these attacks occur, often triggered by such things as garlic, stress, or sunlight, it is excruciatingly painful everywhere as the nervous system is attacked and the werewolf or vampire shows signs of ridiculous sensitivities to otherwise normal things. One of these normal things being symbols or holy relics worn or carried by others. Sometimes while sick, the person gets into a state of being frightened of everything human, and has this sudden need to cover up everything that reminds him or her of being a person or there being any meaning behind anything. After digging into the cause of such terror that seemingly comes from nowhere, he has discovered that it comes from the surrounding animals and smaller life forms using the person as a host to find out what is out there in the world or what it is like to be a human being. This actually tends to happen when something occurs such as a pond drying up from all of the pollywogs dying at once because their ghosts are able to enter the gifted person nearby and possess him or her in a way but without any type of mind-control, of course, but more like becoming part of the person and finding out more when it comes to what is out there beyond death and beyond the life of a pollywog.

       The dealer seemed deep in thought, scratching his chin, while the woman was laughing painfully hard with an occasional snort, frightened of a vein popping out of her neck or something along those lines, while the vampire held a crooked smile and started to put away his illegal medical goods... then the dealer had asked what other rumors and myths were known about vampires or werewolves that he has been able to solve or explain and tried to think of another one then an idea came to him. He asked about Holy Water and the effects of it being splashed onto him what would happen as a result. The man growled a bit, as if annoying of all the rumors and tales about nonsense, and then explained that it would hurt because his skin is always so dry and cracked but had nothing to do with Holy anything and assured the lady among them that he regularly washed despite his appearance.
       Well it would seem that you do not have to explain the myths of supernatural charm over a woman that the vampire has, the Watcher commented with a kick to his foot to get his attention, calming down some but still laughing some tears out. You do seem to stalk a bit when you walk, her friend commented, still a bit more serious as if going over several things in his head. Curious still, the woman asked him what his diet consisted of and what his ancestors typically ate. He answered that his family had belonged to the Tribe of the Bull and that they drank from the horns of the animal, alcohol for the males, and milk for the females. To try and heal this disease we were not sure of the cause and still to this day not totally sure but suspected the same things and the Oracle at the time made a rule for the women not to drink alcohol and the men not to drink milk. While pregnant the woman were not allowed to drink milk either and if she ignored this curse than the neighbors would remind her by wearing horns on their head and act like cattle, turning her into a cow until she felt embarrassed enough to obey.

       The Watcher recalled the Tribe of the Bull close to the Heavens where she was originally from living not very far below them. Those living in the actual Heavens were not to eat red meat of any kind and were limited to the diet of fish and seafood among berries, nuts, seeds, and what little vegetables they could grow. The Trident is a good symbol for some cultures but an ominous symbol for other ones because for the most part it represents living without the use of fire or eating especially without the use of fire while watching those who do to see how far they go and how evil they become. Those who ate red meat close to the Heavens did so with utmost respect though and often went into great length thanking the animal who was to give their life away for the Tribe. They were pressured to be perfect and good much more than other cultures because of the magic beliefs of the magnet being possible from their love of nature and the Heavens being a good place of angels and respect for others. Especially when someone would visit a Tribe in this area, they would go into great lengths, doing things for the animal and their kin before taking their life for the feast. During the winter it was common practice to exchange babies for some time. Care for a calf inside next the fire in the comfort of a home while a baby wrapped in blankets is snuggled by the Cows in the pasture. It was a time of thanking nature and giving back to all life, especially the trees, while making lines of edible treats to decorate the trees for the squirrels and other life. She did not remember this Tribe ever having any illness of any sort as they were typically known for being stronger than others in many ways.

       Some time later, she felt much closer to the man, and also remembered much more about his family line's Tribe and ancestors where he had come from before settling in the Below. No surprise to her anymore regarding his line of work since they were always known for having better drink than most. The vampire introduced his real name and mentioned all of the ways to be able to contact him in the future whether in this city or Caerlon and promised to look into things further regarding the vampire cult by using his son to pry a bit. She thanked him and sat down to get more comfortable even though it appeared that her friend was ready to leave as he was getting up and brushing some litter off of himself. While tapping his foot impatiently, he lit up a cigarette, and watched her longingly since she was not paying attention to him enough to notice. He gave her the name of his son and his whereabouts in the Bridgewatch area where he had been transporting goods from Caerlon recently, getting into the business of making hashish, with the exceptional hemp found growing around the desert in the Below. Hemp rope was one of the best in the land and hemp cloth to use in the Below was much more affordable than most, always a good investment to have.
       After smoking together for a bit and sharing some berries while the sun began to rise outside, they left the Inn behind and she thanked her friend for helping her meet the mysterious man. He seemed a bit hurt when he had asked her about her partner that she was coupled with that she had mentioned at his party the previous night. She did not have to answer, instead kissed on the cheek thankfully, and hugged him, then departed for bed.

       The network established by the Watchers in the Heavens Below was one of the fastest around and they had no problems with supporting the black market trade or having connections with illegal goods or the underground culture as there were too many benefits for it to be ignored. Much of what they were doing seemed to be against what was known as normal society today. Populated areas, known as being red to the watchers, were growing at such a rate that it was difficult to get a handle on things in a controlling way for anyone. The Watchers were not about control though and that was not their way or preferred method of dealing with anyone else, regardless of the situation. They typically believed that people were a part of gravity more than being trapped in their bodies and that once people doing bad things discovered a better way, they would gladly change, and there would be no need to force anything upon anyone. However, they have recently decided among themselves and from order of the current Oracle, to simply eliminate those who are too far off to be able to reach in a respectable way. This was hard to stomach for many of us but once some of the crimes were revealed from what was going on in some places of the world, the process of elimination actually felt good.

        Although, the Watchers were a secret guild and part of the underground, they were able to reach high places or pretty much anywhere they wanted with the use of the knowledge which they had, and the magic which comes from the simple use of a magnet. Overall, they felt that they had most of the kingdom on their side, whether they were aware of it or not, due to so many secret contacts, ancient traditions with the Heavens Above, and their ability to communicate without the use of language but rather artwork instead.

       Around the Bridgewatch area, Ozdok and a woman who keeps her name unknown while remaining hidden most of the time, received the letter from the Watcher and her findings from Fort Sterling about the Vampire Cult and the son of someone willing to help them and their cause. Before actual contact with the man, they identified him, and followed him around the city until they knew most of his schedule, whereabouts, and contacts. One of the men appeared suspicious to us in a way that set off some sort of inner mental alarm. He was not right and something was off about him. We kept this man in our sights and followed him as he traveled all night away from the city's lights.

       We kept on him as he caught on and tried to lose us but made it to a secret cove occupied by Natives of the land who welcomed him as one of their own. He crept around, unfamiliar of their spoken tongue, but familiar with what they were capable of as they towered over us with huge bodies carrying ominous looking weapons that could kill most men with one blow. It did not take much time to make a decision about what we thought regarding these people once we saw the pot. Chunks and bits of human flesh, skulls decorating some of them like jewelry, and human hide stretched across one of their drums... some of the faces seemed as preserved as they possible could and had a look of disgust and horror as if still able to see what was before them.

       The disgusting man from the city we followed shared a meal with them and drew some plans for them on the ground as if letting them know where their next meal was to be found. He asked for some drink and rejected everything but blood so we knew we have found one of the vampires of the cult spoken of responsible for many recent deaths in Caerlon and Fort Sterling at the very least.

       We waited for him to leave and when we knew he was gone we went in for a visit to satisfy a bloodthirsty hunger of our own... we wiped out several groups of them, despite their larger size and strength, then made our way to their chief.

       He looked at us like we were not even people... like we were only animals for him to take care of... pests who have somehow made it into his home. The way in which he saw the unknown shown us why he was so limited to how far his power and greatness would go. As we teamed up against him, we heard others in the distance flee...

       Luckily once we had finished him off, there was something nice and shiny found in his area. The pungent stench of decay was almost finished... just had to empty out his treasure and leave.

       On our way back to Bridgewatch someone came out of nowhere and attacked us! We fought for awhile, knowing while engaged that he had no intentions of killing as he was very experienced, enough to think that he could knock out the both of us unconscious and get away with it... maybe it was because we were so close to the city that he was not sure if we were being watched as murder was illegal, of course, and at least one of us was known as a respectful citizen and valuable trader.

       Ozdok hit the floor after receiving a huge blow to the head, thoughts of being caged and then tormented or used to pleasure the natives later came to him, as he remembered the look of horror shown on that preserved face.

       Luckily, the other Watcher was able to knock the breath out of the mysterious man as his company was heard in the distance, not giving enough time to do much of anything but get out of there... and so she helped Ozdok gather some strength together and they fled back to the city before outnumbered by the hoard of cannibals.
       We have more than just a few questions for the vampire's son now...