Vampire: A City by the Sea

[LadyTevar]

Lydia's grey eyes hooded as she thought about that. Desperate men... there had been many of them at Constantinople. Men and women who lost everything in the fires set by the Venetian dogs. The fire licking at the night sky still danced in her mind, and she looked away from the Assamite towards the road. <"Then I do what I must,"> Lydia answered, almost too low to be heard.

Constantinople's rape would be avenged. These men riding were not the Venetians ... but they would do for practice. To get the allies and support she needed, she had to show she was willing and able to do what was needed to be done.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Florien and Thomas got behind the wall, and in position knocking arrows in the process. Jürgen and Nils went with the others into the forest and prepared for the trap to be sprung.

[Charon]

The spare horses were taken deep into the woods so they would not be noticed. As each person took their post Thorkell muttered lowly. "When I give the signal, no sounds, no movement, no breathing, nothing. I don't care if Odin himself drops from the sky infront of you." The elder Gangrel then turned and rode into the mists with Gudrun and Konstantin.

Fifteen minutes passed after Olaf and Vannius had reached their position. The old Lasombra was keeping his eyes open, and spotted the Milanese long before they could even see the turn in the road. The Lasombra went back behind the wall and opened his mind, connecting to Thorkell.

Thorkell perked up as he got Vannius' message, then whistled shrilly, almost like the call of a bird, but not quite. It was repeated by two shorter calls. The Gangrel looked to Konstantin. "Five minutes." The other Norse heard the call and quietly told the others what it meant, then grew silent.

The minutes passed in utter silence, and then out of the fog the soft clopping of hooves could be heard, a lot of hooves. In the mists it was hard to tell where they were without peeking over the border, but if the trap was sprung too soon or too late the enemy would have a chance to escape it.

[Cynical Cat]

Konstantin gripped his spear and peered through the mist with predatory red eyes, his senses sharpened to their fullest. The time of slaughter was almost upon them.

[LadyTevar]

Lydia could not sharpen her eyes or ears like other vampire, but she did go as silent and 'dead' as her Unlife allowed. When the signal came, she would send her blood spreading through her limbs, increasing her speed, her agility, her dexterity.

And then she would kill those in her way.

[The Silence and I]

As the sound of nearby hooves had been his signal Ottar may be seen by those on the wall who cared to look gnawing on his shield as previously described.

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As the full effects of his rage wash over and through him he tenses. His good eye lights with a red glow and with obvious effort he chooses not to look over the wall, instead lowering his head as if in prayer. He knows his limits--for this to work he must wait for the enemy to be under him, but in his excitment he would charge the moment the first form materialized in the mists. Better not to look.

With each passing moment the strain grows as he hears the horses approach closer, and closer, and closer. At one moment he jerks his head as if to look but catches himself--why are they so slow! Now he begins to tremble in place, mouthing words to himself as the last tattered shreds of self control attempt to hold him in place. What feels like hours pass; surely the are close enough now? He can hear them, they are so close! Just a quick look to see if they are close enough? What's the harm in that? Wait! Let the blood strengthen him first! Ha!

He lets the blood flow, strengthening him, toughening him and making him more sure of hand. But doing so only takes him so long and Ottar is out of ideas. Unable to resist any longer, the beserker peers over the wall.

[Cynical Cat]

Konstantin called upon the power of his blood to toughen his flesh and speed his reactions. The potency of his vitae was great and power surged through his undead frame. He barred his fangs in anticipation of the spilling of blood and in the ecstasy of of feeding from the fallen. Only a few moments from now it would begin.

[Charon]

Ottar had stalled as long as he could, as the one-eyed Einherjar looked over the wall he could see the enemy through the mists of the heavy fog. Many of them were horsed, but only slightly more than half. The 21 men were in a column. Five riders, four with spears, were at the front of the column, nine men on foot with various weapons walked along in the middle of the column and seven more riders were in the back of the column. Torches were spread out among the 21 men, mostly among the infantry and the cavalry at the front of the column.

Ottar had sprung up almost perfectly timed, and worse for the ambushed, it did not appear they had seen the head poke out from behind the wall even though they were clearly on their guard. The viking let out an inhuman roar that filled the air and startled the horses and their riders.

The trap had been sprung, the battle was on. Thorkell raised his axe to the side, a sign for Konstantin and Gudrun to hold for now.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Florien and Thomas raised up on their feet, and swung their bows up, pulling their bowstrings taught in the process. Each one had knocked a broadhead arrow, perfect for piercing unarmored flesh. Each one targeted one of the horses ridden by their enemies in the front of the formation and let loose their arrows, aiming for a killing strike like one would a deer.

The two Halberders waited until the rest in their unit charged. They would go as a unit.

[LadyTevar]

As the hoofbeats drew nearer, Lydia sent blood rushing through her body to mystically boost herself, giving herself a quickness on her feet she'd need in the battle ahead.

She kept her head down patiently, feeling her blood flow through her as she held her sword ready, awaiting her chance to move -- and then it was time. Another burst of her potent blood, and she moved faster than human, than most vampires, as was her Clan's birthright. That burst of sudden inhuman speed sent her flashing over the low wall towards the unmounted men in the center of the column.

She focused on the spearman closest to the wall, for a spear was a greater threat than a sword. A spear through the chest of a Vampire could immoblize, leaving an easy kill later. Her surprising alacrity allowed Lydia to close inside the spearman's reach, and she slashed at him with her sword, backed by the second birthright of her clan, a potence of strength beyond mortal ability.

Her inhuman speed allowed her to turn to face the two shieldmen with him, both holding torches instead of weapons for the moment. In the flickering torchlight, the lady-warrior of Byzantium bared her fangs at the flames fearlessly, and gazed at the nearest warrior in dreadful intimidation to make him break and flee.

[The Silence and I]

Ottar Thorfinnson, having sprung the trap, raised axe and shield and sprang from the wall with a flying leap out, out and down. He chose the nearest rider who bore no torch and met him bringing both axe and shield downward in a flying tackle of death from above. As he flew a battle cry tore from his lips; it might have been "Blood for Odin!" but it sounded more akin to a feral roar.

[rhoenix]

There were others who let out battlecries, filling the night air with their chilling sound.

Aziz made no noise as he quietly loped around those with torches, and close to those in the back on horseback - the ones giving orders. Soon now, very soon...

As soon as he was close enough to the riders, he used the power within his blood to suffocate all sound around him to a standstill. He smiled coldly to himself in the darkness as he neared his prey. One by one, they would fall.

[Charon]

The three other huskarls that were on the hill with bows stood up in time with Florien and his ghoul, but aimed their arrows at the horses at the back of the formation. There was no sign of Nicolo or the other men meant to flank behind the enemy yet.

Arrows flew truly, or as truly as they could in the night and the fog. Luckily for the archers, their targets were very close and the soft thud of arrows hitting their marks could be heard, followed shortly after by the frightened whinny's of the creatures. There had been no killing blows but the animals were injured and scared. Only one horse in the front and one in the back reared up and kicked at the sky as its rider attempted to get control over it again. In the fog and darkness it was nearly impossible to see if there had been any other hits, but no horses went down.

Ottar's cry had gotten their attention, but other things distracted the riders as the others made their moves. The creature, for Ottar could barely be called a man now, flew through the air, its target carried a spear, but he did not manage to raise it before the berserk crashed into him and sent both toppling over the side. Ottar's axe swung down and carved into the man's shoulder, crushing through the light chainmail he had on as though it were mere cloth. The man gritted his teeth under the blow but had taken the hit far better than a mere mortal could have. The other riders quickly pulled away from the berserk and got their weapons ready.

Gunther raised his head above the wall and looked not at the enemy but across the way to the trees. The Tremere exerted his will and with a shudder and a crack one of the trees began to tilt over, crashing down amongst the infantry and scattering them more.

Lydia's movements were graceful, poetic, perfect, as she closed on the enemy just as the tree crashed down. Thrown into confusion the troops did not get a chance to repulse her before she was in their ranks. She managed to sneak past the spearman's defense but as she struck the truth came into play. Lydia was indeed blessed with the strength of her clan, and that made her far stronger than she appeared to be, but it was certainly not outside the ability of a mortal. Her sword scraped across the light chainmail of her opponent, breaking several rings, but she did no serious damage. When Lydia turned to the nearest torch bearer the man was already worried, the supernatural abilities of Lydia caused his will to break. The man dropped his shield and ran, pushing his way through his fellows to get away as fast as he can.

Aziz made his way quietly to the rear of the formation, between his own skill at being unseen and the distractions of the others he did not seem to be noticed. As he activated his power though, there was a reaction. The men in the back of the pack that had been shouting to their men quickly realized that they could no longer hear the sound of their own voices. The seven horsemen quickly began looking around for a target.

[The Silence and I]

Ottar's cry had gotten their attention, but other things distracted the riders as the others made their moves. The creature, for Ottar could barely be called a man now, flew through the air, its target carried a spear, but he did not manage to raise it before the berserk crashed into him and sent both toppling over the side. Ottar's axe swung down and carved into the man's shoulder, crushing through the light chainmail he had on as though it were mere cloth. The man gritted his teeth under the blow but had taken the hit far better than a mere mortal could have. The other riders quickly pulled away from the berserk and got their weapons ready.

Not dead!?
With a gutteral roar Ottar struck again, infuriated by his enemy's continued existence.
"Come, let me show you your end!" He snarled, barely forming the words from the end of his roar.

[Cynical Cat]

Konstantin charged the rear ranks of horsemen. He uttered no shout or battle cry to draw attention to himself. Instead he leveled his spear and urged his horse forward. The ghoul destrier possessed matchless strength due to the potent vitae in its veins. He bolted from the trees and through the fog, closing the brief distance with only the sound of his heaving breath and flying hooves proceeding him. Of course, the din of battle drowned those sounds and those too close to the Assamite heard nothing at all.

Konstantin erupted out of the mist, his spear leveled at the closest man's heart. The power of his blood flooded his frame and further increased his already inhuman strength. A third of a ton of vampire and ghoul horse hit the Milanese line like one of Zeus's thunderbolts, all of that focused on the point of Konstantin's spear. If he struck truly then man, ghoul, or Kindred his target would be down and Konstantin would be dancing the reaver's dance with axe and sword.

[LadyTevar]

Once again, Lydia burned her potent blood to increase her speed, and increase her strength as well. These Milanese had good armor, and she would need that strength to finish them off. Like a wasp she rushed the spearman again, stepping inside his reach and stabbing with the hopes of penetrating the weakened section of armor.

She would feed on his blood later, to make up for what she was burning to fuel this fight. In a smooth motion Lydia withdrew her blade from the spearman's side and whirled to deal with the torchman still standing agog. Her blade slashed the air, aiming for the mortal's throat.


(Editted, forgot the second attack)

[Comrade Tortoise]

Florien did not miss a beat, he pulled a bodkin from his quiver and knocked it to his bow. He pulled his bowstring back to his cheek and let fly an arrow toward one of the horsemen up front on the left, trying to avoid risking Ottar.

Thomas also knocked and drew his bow, and loosed a goose-feathered shaft toward one of the infantry.

[rhoenix]

Fires burning within him even as his exterior was cold and precise, Aziz darted around the torchlights' areas, circling around to the horsemen in the back, making sure to hit them along the edges.

After studying the riders' arrangements, he chose the rider on the far left as his mark; little mannerisms and movements of this rider seemed to betray that this rider was not a warrior. Leaping like the shadow of a racing fire, Aziz jumped into the air and slashed viciously downward.

Without waiting to observe his results, Aziz darted around the other side of the horse, his sword at the ready in the darkness to strike again soon. He would cut them down, vital piece by vital piece.

[Charon]

The three ghouls on the hill with Florien were busy loading their bows, keeping down to avoid retaliations. Nicolo and the other ghouls in the woods took this opportunity to strike though. It would take some time for the ghouls to get properly into the battle, but Nicolo was moving at a pace that put Lydia's impressive speed to shame. Thorkell and Gudrun were still nowhere to be seen though. Gunther's attention was still on the tree, who's limbs began to sway violently, striking out at the infantry near it.

The man Ottar was on top of quickly grabbed at his dagger and stabbed for the Gangrel's side. The blade bit through Ottar's armor but did little more than open a small cut on the vampire's skin. Ottar's second blow, on the other hand, drove through the man's chain and deep into his chest with a crunch and a squelching sound. The man's struggles ceased almost immediately and blood began to pool and then pour out of the wound. The rider that had been trying to control his horse finally achieved control again and charged at Ottar, bringing his sword down on the viking's back and connecting solidly. Some rings gave under the blow and on a human it would have left a nasty bruise, but against undead flesh it was little more than an inconvenience.

Lydia's supernatural grace and strength allowed her sword to pass easily through the damaged section of chainmail. Past the defenses, her sword slid easily deep into the flesh. The spearman went limp and as she drew her bloodied sword out, he fell to the ground, blood already beginning to spread across the ground. The mortal Lydia attacked next was surprised at her speed, but survival instincts were strong and he lifted his shield to block the blow. Lydia's sword struck solidly and jolted the soldier, who, desperate for a reprieve, threw his torch at the attacking vampire. This close it could not help but hit her, but luckily for Lydia the contact was short and with it being against chainmail it did not light her on fire. Another spearman however took this opportunity to strike at the woman in their midst. Lydia managed to slide mostly out of the way, leaving the spear scraping along her chainmail.

Konstantin's charge had not gone completely unnoticed. The seven riders were already looking around for the assamite, and so when the Tzimisce rode out of the mists the man in the back of the formation saw him and saw what his target was. He tried to yell a warning to his fellow, but in the supernatural silence nothing could be heard. Konstantin struck well, though he missed the heart. The horsed man was well armored, but at the speed and strength that Konstantin was striking it didn't matter. The spear passed easily into the rider's back and just as easily went through his front, slightly right of the center of the man's body. The spear continued on it's path and finally came to a stop in the back of the horse's head, horse and rider almost immediately fell to the ground. Any mortal or ghoul would be dead after such a blow, for a vampire it was serious damage, but not irreparable.

In the midst of the surprise of Konstantin's attack, Aziz had been safe from scrutinizing eyes. His strike was quick, but his target was on a horse and even with a jump he could not get a solid passing blow on him, the sword passed silently across his enemy's light chainmail. Aziz's blow did not go unnoticed however, and the two horsemen behind the one Aziz had just attacked moved to surround the Assamite.

Florien and Thomas fired their bows. Thomas, not being as skilled with quickly reloading his bow, fumbled some but fired, in the light of the torches though it could be seen that he missed. Florien's arrow had more luck, striking the hand of his target and thus forcing him to drop his torch.

Nicolo was suddenly in the fray as well, passing by Konstantin to crash into the next horse in the line, his spear drove deeply into the horse's side, then, dropping his spear he sped forward while he drew his sword and brought it up on the head of the horse at the front of the line, slicing far up into the creature's neck. The horse with a sword in it's neck stumbled for a few seconds before crashing to the ground, the one that had been speared knelt to the ground before it tipped over.

[Cynical Cat]

It was dead quiet as the rider fell. Konstantin howled silently. Fucking paynim. The gods cursed Assamites were killing the sound and weakening Konstantin's situational awareness. If they were going to be that inconvenient they could at least live up to their reputation and slaughter the enemy en masse.

The downed vampire, and vampire he was because he wasn't bleeding enough to be mortal, seemed to take forever to fall. Unfortunately Konstantin had missed the heart and the spine, meaning that the wound wouldn't be crippling. The fall might hurt and being pinned to a dead horse would hinder him even more.

For a hundred odd years, romantic tales of knighthood had poured from the south of France and into the rest of Europe. Tales of virtuous knights, chaste love, and codes of perfect conduct. Let the Ventrue and the Toreodor cleave to such stories, they had no place in the East. One didn't dismount to face a downed enemy on equal terms, one rode him down just as if he was a insolent peasant.

Warhorses were trained to kick and trample and that's what Konstantin's horse did as it followed the Tzimisce's urging and he went over the downed vampire. Three warriors harried the Assamite, but a fourth was alone in the back, his blade as of yet uncommitted to this fight. His prize.

Konstantin's sword was in the vampire's left hand and his axe in the right. He raised the sword to ward off any blows or to strike at any opening in his foe's guard. He raised his axe high, to strike impossibly strong blows, to smash down his foe's guard, splinter his shield and rend his flesh. He rushed at his foe and struck with all of his power and his fury.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Slow down your shots" Florien said to Thomas as he knocked another arrow, and brought it back to his cheek

"If you dont hit a target the shots are useless" he continued, as he sighted along his arrow toward the torch wielding infantryman against whom he had the clearest shot. He released the string, feeling it spring back into its usual position and send the armor-piercing bodkin toward his target.

Thomas slowed down and took his time knocking his arrows this time.

[LadyTevar]

Lydia didn't flinch as the torch hit her, but it was a very near thing. The spear stabbing her way brought her mind under control as she twisted to avoid the blow, which scraped across her chainmail coat with the near-miss.

The torch flickered on the ground, and Lydia instinctively moved away from it, darting inside the Spearman's reach as he recovered from the blow, slashing her sword at his face as she passed by him in her attempt to put distance between herself and the torch.

[rhoenix]

Smiling as the horsemen eagerly attempted to surround him, Aziz waited for a crucial second - and then cut the legs out from under the horse of his mark, and moving so the moving horsemen would have a hard time hitting him unless they changed their pattern - which gave him just enough time.

Very well - if this wouldn't be clean, it would at least be quick.

[The Silence and I]

The man Ottar was on top of quickly grabbed at his dagger and stabbed for the Gangrel's side. The blade bit through Ottar's armor but did little more than open a small cut on the vampire's skin. Ottar's second blow, on the other hand, drove through the man's chain and deep into his chest with a crunch and a squelching sound. The man's struggles ceased almost immediately and blood began to pool and then pour out of the wound. The rider that had been trying to control his horse finally achieved control again and charged at Ottar, bringing his sword down on the viking's back and connecting solidly. Some rings gave under the blow and on a human it would have left a nasty bruise, but against undead flesh it was little more than an inconvenience.

The Einherjar stands over his former foe, a wild gleam in his eye as he sees his next target: the rider who just dropped his torch. The man who struck him would have to wait his turn. Ottar does not feel like chasing horses.
"Haaaaaah!"
The berserk rushes the rider's mount mere moments after Florien's arrow struck. With any luck he'd be busy dealing with the pain just a little too long. Lowering his shoulder Ottar sends all his strength into the creature's side, aiming to tip the horse over and pin the rider.

[Charon]

The soft thwip of multiple strings being released as four arrows were fired. Two arrows sank deep into the body of one spear, one in his leg, the other in his chest. With a groan, the man collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from his injuries. Another arrow struck a man's shield and bounced away and the final skimmed just above its target's shield and stuck into his shoulder. The man winced and then ducked low, to protect himself better from arrows. The infantry were beginning to form a ragtag shield wall against any more arrows.

The other ghouls were now beginning to arrive as well and moved in on the infantry with their spears, they'd quickly dispatched the lone infantry that had still been running from the battle thanks to Lydia. Thorkell and Gudrun now also arrived, attacking the front of the formation. They had been spotted by the other cavalry however and three of them turned and charged the Gangrel.

The horseman that hadn't charged was the one who had just gotten shot in the hand. The reason he had not joined the charge was simple, his horse was tipped over and he was caught beneath it. Ottar stood above his prey in glory.

Nicolo pulled his sword from the horse he had just killed and quickly hopped up on the horse and stabbed at the downed rider. The rider managed to block the first two blows, but the third shattered his shield and the fourth went through his neck.

Lydia was able to step into the spearman's defenses, and the speed with which she struck more than the strength is what caused the hit. The only thing that saved the man from getting his head cut nearly in half was his helm, which caught the blade between the side and the noseguard just enoughto save his life, leaving a deep slash on his face, a chipped helm, and a bent noseguard. The spearman fell backwards, though he did not lose his grip on his spear. The other man was not done yet though, Lydia had turned away from him to attack the spearman, and he took that to his advantage as he drew his axe and swung hard. Taken up in maneuvering around the spearman for her strike she didn't have the time to get away before the blow hit her in the side. Her chain took some of the blow but not enough and it broke through, tearing into her flesh. It wasn't a major injury, but the axe had struck well.

Konstantin's horse trampled over the unfortunate vampire, inflicting even more injuries to the creature as they passed over him. The man he turned to face had pulled a throwing axe from his belt and threw it with his free hand as Konstantin charged. The axe hit Konstantin's horse and left a deep cut on his chest, slowing him some. As Konstantin swung down, the axe was caught by the other horseman's own shield and stopped cold by it, though the blade was imbedded slightly into the shield. The horseman tried to pull the axe aside and had some success, but Konstantin's great strength helped to keep it from being thrown out of his hand.

Aziz swung at the feet of the horse as it ran, but the horseman wasn't stupid and quickly moved away from the blade. After that Aziz tried to maneuver, but found that between the fact that his opposition was larger, faster, and there were three of them, was quickly overtaken. Aziz managed to jump out of the way of one horse as it attempted to trample him underfoot. But doing so brought him into the path of a spear which stabbed forward into his back, smashing through his armor and biting deeply just below his left shoulder, cracking ribs and piercing a lung. To a mortal the injury would be fatal, to a vampire it was painful and a hindrance.