Meeting Of A Cult

The address for this meeting was a small church. Seemingly left and forgotten after hurricanes of the past had rendered it unsafe. Or so it was the last time Leon had seen it. Tagged with graffiti, and crumbling walls. Now seemed to be under renovation, most of the profane paint removed and broken windows boarded. Though no workers were currently present. From a safe distance Leon could see people arriving and ascending the steps of the entrance. Counting at least twenty people, all dressed identically. Black hoodies, hood up, black track pants, and a black surgical mask. Seemingly to strip identity and protect it at the same time. Meaning one possible thing no one here wanted others to know they were here, and this was meant to be a deep secret.

The Nosfaratu waited in the shadows, seemingly invisible as long as he drew no attention to himself. Once there was an opening, he made his way into the building.

He would watch from the back to see what happened.

The building was dim to say the least, lit only with candles and a few storm lanterns. No one milled about, or so much as exchanged a single word to one another. They all simply walked to the pews and took their seats, silently waiting for what was to come.

Leon remained silent while he watched and waited. There wasn't much light but being vampire gave good eyesight. There was continuous glancing around the room but really nothing to watch.

It wasn't long after everyone was seated that the curtain in the back shifted and a woman appeared walking to the lectern. Her hair was nearly snow white and she wore a crown of thorns on her head, even without seeing her aura she presented an intense presence.

Everyone bowed their heads looking at the floor when she reach the lecturn. Looking out at her congregation.

Now, this was interesting. Leon watched the woman and the reaction from the congregation. He made a mental note to see if she was in any of his files but right now just waited to s see what was next.

The woman slowly placed her hands to either side of the lectern. She took only a moment to clear her throat before she began to speak, in Latin .

"Sorores et Fratres congregamur hac nocte sub luce lunae argenteae, ut dicamus de futura gloria. Simul testabitur splendorem eius, qui mundum in locum suum deducit. Vires et saevitia novam feret aetatem, et nos ab inepta Masqueradi tramite deducet. Non amplius celare cogemur. Adventus eius finem temporum significat. APRICOR in raptu apricari filios seminabit."

A small grin crossed the Nosfaratu's lips, Latin. A language Leon was quite fluent in but he rarely heard spoken any longer.

However, the actual words made the smile disappear quickly.

Sisters and Brothers, we are gathered tonight under the light of the silvery moon, to speak of the glory that is to come. Together we will witness his splendour as he brings the world to its proper place. His strength and savagery will bring about a new age, and guide us from the foolish path of the Masquerade. No longer will we be forced to hide. His arrival signals the end of times. Bask children, Bask in the rapture he will sow.

It sounded almost Sabbat like, almost. The going against the Masquerade was very Sabbat, but the rapture part not so much. Who excately was "he"? His arrival? Leon had an idea but couldn't be sure, he needed to hear more.

As Leon listened and the speaker paused a moment the congregation made a gesture he couldn't quite make out at his current angle before the woman begin to speak again "Immensa sua potestate detrectat indignos, et se iterum ad suam plenam revocabit virtutem. Solus tunc iterum orbem dicione sua reducet. Nostrum est id efficere futurum quod evenit. Averte cognatum, neve ortum foedare sinas. Ipse nos iterum ducet. Nomine susurrantes lamia et mortalia ne morentur. Nam nesciunt veritatis. Is est, qui veteres loquuntur, nova creatio non est. Sequere ducem nostrum et salvaberis in gloria ipsius."

There was more, of course. Leon knew people like the woman in front of him tended to have decent length speech, if not long winded ones.

With his immense power he will strike down the unworthy and bring himself once again to his full strength. Only then will he bring the world once again beneath his sway. It is our duty to ensure this is the future that comes to pass. Subvert your kin, do not allow them to sully his rise. He will…he must lead us once again. Be not fooled by the name they whisper vampire and mortal alike. For they do not know the truth. He is the one the stories of old speak of, he is not a new creation. Follow our guide and you shall be saved by his glory.

Stories of old, it almost sounded like she was taking about the original vampire. His current fate had been up for debate, practically, since time immemorial, but there would be no reason for him to break the Masquerade.

Even if it wasn't, it sounded like someone powerful. Very powerful. Perhaps some elder that had been cast out.

Leon took the more zealot talk with a grain of salt. While a vampire that wanted to break the Masquerade with a great deal of power was certainly likely. Some of the rest could just be rhetoric.

The belief among the Camarilla was that breaking The Masquerade would bring about the end of vampire kind. The belief among the Sabbat was that the Masquerade shouldn't be in place and vampires should rule. This speech followed neither, excately, but there were elements of both in it.

It wasn't long before the woman wrapped up with a last parting words before leaving behind the curtain she'd come from "Quamquam pueri mei Masqueradam non frangunt. Nondum. Etsi moleste praecepta esse possunt, donec tempus recte tueantur. Tam ab his qui nobis noceant. Sospes esto, memento Neminem indignum, iras effugiet." And with that the woman's congregation began to file out.

However my children do not break The Masquerade. Not yet. Though the rules can be disagreeable until the time is right they protect us. Both from those who would harm us. Be safe, and remember No one unworthy will escape his wrath.

Leon waited and watched to see if he recognized anyone in the congregation but his focus was far more on the woman at the front of the room.

He snuck out,when the opportunity arose. Remained hidden and waited to see if he spotted the woman coming out. If he could he would follow her, even at least a little more information would be good.

Shortly after the others had filed out of the building the woman appeared. Hurried in her strides she headed back down town, towards the art district. Never checking if anyone was following. The closer to the art district the faster she started to walk however, Leon could tell it wasn't a flight response. More like someone trying to catch a train. The woman stopped at an alley near a bookstore and walked to a door, vanishing inside. But not long after a light in the window over the show turned on and the woman's shadow moved past. Clearly it was an apartment of some sort.

The store front of the book store seemed disused. The windows plastered with yellow brown aged news papers on the inside, and a thick layer of dust on the outside.

Leon had been blessed with acute vision and hearing as part of the gifts granted to him upon becoming a vampire. It came it extremely useful when doing work like this.

He was also incredibly patient, so the Nosfaratu waited, watched and listened for anything of interest.

The vampire he was tracking did little else after returning from the church. She went inside, and seemingly lied down for a round thirty minutes, before rising again, moving to the main room and reading for nearly forty minutes till sunrise. Despite the strange speech the habits after seems boring by comparison. The only strange thing of note was the woman came back through the door to throw away a bag of trash, before returning inside and going to sleep.

Knowing he wouldn't make it home before sunrise anyway, Leon took the time to sift through the garbage, being sure to put it back when finished. Some blood bags - certainly not unusual. A bill sent to St. Claire's Bookstore, no first name but it was something.

Shoving the bill into his back pocket then Nos made his way to the sewers. The pathways underground would lead him home but there was still a problem.

Leon's feet hit the slightly wet ground of the tunnel and he pulled out his cell. A simple text.

Leon: I need a favor.

A few back and forth texts later and he had some ghouls assigned to get his car and drop it at his house. It was then time to make the trek home though the damp, dimly lit though full of his kind, sewers.