2021-02-04 A Gangrel and a Warlock
A Gangrel and a Warlock
Location: Griffith Park
Date and Time: February 4, 2021- 11:14 pm
Summary: Lydon guides Shawna in making a trinket.
=================== Griffith Park - Los Feliz ===================
Covering over 4,210 acres of both natural chapparal-covered terrain and landscaped parkland and picnic areas in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, Griffith Park is one of the largest municipal parks with urban wilderness areas in the United States. With an arid climate, the Parks plant communities vary from coastal sage scrub, oak and walnut woodlands to riparian vegetation with trees in the Parks deep canyons. The California native plants represented in Griffith Park include the California species of oak, walnut, lilac, mountain mahagony, sages, toyon, and sumac.
The park's tree-studded canyons are criss-crossed with more than 70 miles of hiking and equestrian trails that offer unparalleled views of the Los Angeles basin. Just be on the lookout for mountain lions, coyotes and rattlensakes!
In addition, the sprawling hosts some of Los Angeles most treasured landmarks, such as Griffith Observatory and the Los Angeles Zoo.
It is a quiet and foggy evening and Griffith Park is not excluded from the mists that roll across the Hollywood Hills. The half-moon would shine brightly overhead if it weren't for the thick, gloomy grey in the air and so that makes the directions Shawna gives that much more difficult to actually follow.
A trail head at the eastern most end of the southern border, a quarter mile from where Crystal Springs Drive runs north/south with I-5 parallel and the Los Angeles River beyond. It is a dirt hiking trail that runs between the famous golf academy and the deep woods and largely heads north, deeper into the forest that lies south of the Los Angeles Zoo and far east of the peak that houses the famous Griffith Observatory.
"Follow the trail and you'll find me." is all Shawna's text said. Tonight, the crows are no help. They can be seen regularly within the tree branches but they just stare down in quiet judgement.
Tonight, when the Warlock arrives, it is with a pair of associates with him, both neatly dressed and assisting the German Tremere by lugging with them his equipment; Lydon Vogel apparently above carrying with him heavy equipment even if he might be better suited for it than the Chantry retainers that attend to him. All three men are sharply dressed, though the Tremere leads the way in his black suit, both hands stuffed neatly into his pockets. Smirking, his gaze drifts up to the trees, considering the black birds.
Thankfully for the servants, the large case they carry with them has wheels, easily dragged down the path as the Blood Sorcerer walks down the path, his leather shoes clicking along the way as he walks. Click. Click. Click...
Those poor servants need to drag the equipment along close to half a mile of dirt, rocks, and occasional tree roots, all while being watched from the black birds above. A new crow arrives and flutters above, this one seeming more cunning and intelligent than the already 'pretty smart' kin that stick to the branches. It calls out from time to time, caw-ing loudly into the air as it circles overhead.
It is nearly pitched black by the time the trail turns to the northwest and it is around that bend that the three Tremere come across Shawna Weber. The androgynous woman stands with her feet at shoulder-width distance and her arms at her sides. She is dressed in a battered leather jacket worn open over a Kevlar-plated vest that itself is worn open over a white men's t-shirt. Black skinny jeans and skateboard sneakers complete the outfit.
The Gangrel of Griffith Park's eyes glow red and give her a momentary 'Mothman' look in the heavy fog as she stands there silhouetted in the darkness.
Sweeping a cold, dead glance for the more intelligent of the birds, Lydon arches a brow for it and follows the lead despite the exhaustion of the Tremere retainers behind him. Spying Shawna in the distance, through the dark, foggy night, the German Tremere draws a hand from his pocket; Just one. Just in case. The three push on unabated by the imagery, walking briskly until they pierce the fog. "Miss Weber. A pleasure to see you again." Comes his cold tone across the distance as they close the gap between them. One of the retainers adjusts and draws a manilla folder from a pocket and hands it over to the German Tremere.
Lydon accepts it and gestures for them; encouraging them forward. "Tonight, I have a special treat for you. Have you ever vorked wis metal before? Smithing?
"Not really. Welded once in a school program in foster care back in the 90's. Didn't stick." Shawna's voice is aloof-sounding with a sad and somber quality to it. She looks passed Lydon and toward the two associates, then toward the equipment they each carry. "That thing need to be plugged in? Shit out of luck if so. Can't park it by the Ranger's office or anywhere else with power without being spotted easy enough."
"Nein." Lydon replies coldly, and the two associates stepping forward and beginning to lay out the equipment; On the ground, it seems. It's a small, propane fueled smelting furnace, with batteries to get things started but otherwise everything seems to run from the propane tank. "Tonight, ze process is simple. You vill be smelting ze jewelry provided and begin to perform ze ritual at ze same time. I will provide you wis ze means to perform ze ritual, through ze scroll here." He explains, lifting up the folder.
"I have simple rules. You vill perform ze ritual and make no attempt to photograph, record or scribe details from ze scroll. You vill make no attempt to record or photograph ze ritual, or to take wis you, beyond tonight, any of ze materials provided, or ze from ze scroll." He continues. "Failure to follow ze rules vill result in being marked as unavailable for future rituals. Ze scroll and equipment provided is all zat you need to perform ze ritual. Do you have any questions?"
"...No." Shawna answers hesitantly as she turns those glowing red eyes from the equipment back to Lydon. Up above, the crows have started to circle as their curiosity is drawn to the scene below. The 'smart' one lands on a nearby branch and watches from above, his gaze keenly divided between Shawna and Lydon.
"And if I mess up?"
"Zis is unlikely. I won't allow such a sing." Lydon counters coldly, for Shawna's question, despite the initial rejection of questions. While she might be tracing after the bird, his gaze is sharp and cold, leveled onto her intently while the ghouls occasionally steal a glance for her, for the bird, their surroundings, and then back onto their work. Eventually, they finish and take a few steps back, allowing for the next stage of the situation.
"Take your time, do not rush ze process. Read ze scroll diligently and follow ze instructions provided strictly. If you rush ze sings, bad sings vill happen." He continues. "Ask questions as you need to, take your time. Expect to be here for several hours." He explains, and then steps forward, holding out the folder for her.
Shawna steps forward and accepts the folder with her semi-dirty hands. Her gaze lingers on him for a moment before she peers toward the folder and removes the parchment within. It would normally be hard to read in the low light but the night vision granted by those fiery red eyes allows her to read it as if it were lit by the sun itself.
"I don't understand any... oh. That's fucking weird, man." Her eyes adjust to the runes and their meaning becomes understood to her judging by the sense of wonder that passes over her expression. "Okay... so just one step at a time, yeah?"
It's an old school style of parchment, if Shawna is particularly attuned, she might notice calf skin, made into fine material to be written on. Lydon smirks as she reads and considers the runes, her words drawing a cold level of amusement from him and he begins to pace about slowly. "Ja. One step at a time. I will be watching both to ensure my rules are followed, and to make sure zis isn't messed up. Ze scroll has been imbued wis a minor fragment of my knowledge." He explains, likely how she's able to understand the runes? His fingers wiggle absently. "Read ze scroll, recite ze incantation, and include ze names of ze dead women when prompted."
Shawna does as she is told and it becomes almost immediately clear that reading doesn't come second-nature to her. Some of the larger words are sounded out first before she catches on to what they are. This is not a woman who excelled in school and she very likely never even graduated high school.
The crows watch from the branches above as Shawna begins the ritual properly. One brave little corvid even flutters down and lands on the trail not far from one of the two ghouls. It gently warbles at them before peering at them sideways.
Meanwhile, while Shawna performs the ritual with her own struggles, Lydon is surprisingly understanding and available to assist with her sounding out the strange phrases. Similarly, the scroll seems to have been made in a way that is easy to understand and while she performs the ritual, the windchime ringing after each stage of the incantation is completed... Soon the metal cools and settles into a completed trinket.
Considering the bird, the two ghouls peek after it and almost seem ready to jump for the equipment provided; Unnerved by it's presence. Bird or not. Still, they watch after the bird, the equipment, and the Kindred while also keeping watch over the surroundings.
Shawna pays no mind to the curious crow or the two ghouls. In fact, she ignores them entirely. She does seem to understand the importance of focusing during the ritual, even if she's never done anything quite like this before. She'll accept any help without shame and continues through the steps as written down on the parchment, if slower than anyone else may have before her... perhaps.
Even still, Lydon is surprisingly patient, even if it takes a few hours; Though if it's an act, if his patience might be wearing thin... He makes no show of it. Eventually, the ritual is concluded, the metal beginning to cool after the strange Tremere magic has taken hold. The ghouls shift and squirm almost uncomfortably at the prospect of the birb running off with any of the precious equipment but otherwise, leave things as they are. Finally, Lydon steps forward and offers his hand out for the folder and scroll, at the end. "I believe our debt is settled, then. I hope, however, this isn't ze last time you consider using ze Tremere services? Not all magics require you to perform ze ritual yourself, such as zis."
Shawna offers the folder and scroll back without any hesitance. By now, two more crows have joined the first on the ground but their interest has moved on to peck-pecking at the dirt as the evening roaches and mites are out and about.
"So I just hang this up and it'll do it's thing if there's a wraith nearby? I shouldn't keep it out during the day, though, right? Take it with me when I sleep?" Shawna chews her lip curiously. "Will mortals hear it chime, too?
Scooping up the folder and scroll, Lydon folds it closed and tales a step back, considering the questions presented to him, while ignoring the display between ghouls aside. "I vould only hang it up during ze evening, ja. Mortals can hear it's chime, those ze meaning... Is absent to zem. Even Kindred who aren't aware of ze meaning... Vill gain no benefit from it." He explains. "Keeping it safe from theft though... Is adviseable, ja."
