The Wilderness - Egypt Autumn 1249

Extract from MS Paris.

The City of Damietta upon the banks of the Nile fell to the victorious King of France within but a few days of his arrival. The Saracen garrison there, fearing the might and splendour of the King took flight and headed to Cairo. King Louis immediately set about repairing and fortifying the city, turning mosques into churches once again and setting up law courts and distributing fiefs amongst the baronage of Outremer. He waited there all summer, waiting for the flood of the river to pass so that he might proceed on to Cairo without the threat of being trapped as had occurred to the Franks some XX years earlier. In the autumn passage the Count of Poitou arrived with ships and men. Finding all ready and prepared King Louis set out with the army along the Nile, pushing back and driving off all those who came before him, none could withstand his might.

Letter from Subject Abirah to Subject Jaffar.

Sire,
The exercises proceed much as you had planned; truly you are wise in the ways of understanding people’s minds. Xavier Hugo seems to have taken the resurrection to heart, and Osias and Rashid continue to lust after the forbidden, while Gaius lusts it seems after something else entirely. A wise decision in choosing to put forth the Tremere Mara, you are as always to be commended. However the situation cannot be allowed to continue, there must come a point where the matters are to be tested. What have you in mind?
Abirah
October 20th 1249

Letter from Subject to Jaffar to Subject Abirah

Abirah my sweet child, even Khalidah could foresee the next course of events, you have become too embroiled in petty machinations of mortals that you have lost sight of the greater dance going on. I have settled the matter, word of these barbarians’ musings has reached the ears of Setenpenre, and the decision lies in his hands now. I would recommend that you conduct them to an audience with him at the earliest convenience. Their mettle will be put to the test there.
Jaffar al Vizieri
October 26th 1249

Letter between Subject Tariq and Subject Jaffar

Jaffar, are you certain of this task that has been put before them? Setenpenre is not to be doubted, but it seems perhaps a little harsh, the desert is dangerous for many reasons as you and I well know, undoubtedly this why I am to accompany them in the matter. But can the task be actually accomplished, the Lazarenes are many in the temple of Ptah, they will not give it up lightly, word suggests that they are studying something there, surely some warriors could be sent with them?
Tariq
October 30th 1249

Letter between Subject Jaffar and Subject Tariq

Tariq dear friend you must not concern yourself with such matters. Setenpenre has made his decision and we must simply await the outcomes. You have taken on new drivers and guards; you will have all that you need. A few monks and their heresies will not stop these savages, though certainly they will not simply walk over the matter. Andreas and Khalidah have been most useful in assessing their abilities. If anything more untoward should appear, then we will have ample knowledge of it before dispatching warriors to deal with it more efficiently. Little will be lost and much profited from this venture I assure you.
Jaffar
November 3rd 1249

Letter between Subject Andreas and Subject Jaffar

Jaffar, I shall be departing for Mansourah on the morrow, The Franj are stalling in their advances and more supplies and horses will be required if they are to take the city and move on to Cairo itself, as such my services are needed. A repeat of the last attack on Mansourah cannot be allowed to occur again. I have furnished Tariq as required, be sure that all is in order and that nothing should happen to Khalidah, even if her associates should behave rashly in their tasks. One of the camel drivers fell from his beats and broke his neck; fortunately a replacement has been found to cover the matter.
Andreas
November 8th 1249

Jounral Fragments, Cyprus/Egypt, 1249 concerning Subject Xavier.

These fragments were found at Site 9921B, and appear to have suffered considerable damage, from both fire and damp. What follows are the only fragments we could rescue.

"...found that the Followers have built their own pyramid - by no means as large as those that dot the landscape, but impressive nonetheless. This place is a temple of Set, here, under the Temple of Ra in Tinnis - to think. We have been generously granted chambers on the west..."

"...strange taste, indeed. The Followers claimed that the vessels were merely 'spiced', but Rashid thinks otherwise. He thinks that they are poisoned, or drugged at the very least, and I am inclined..."

"...cursed Followers' plans were revealed: hashish, and opiates from the far East. Both are highly addictive, and influence the mood of whatever kine partakes of them - and the effects thence transfer, through the blood, to Cainites. Already I have observed the addictive behaviour of the kine who partake. And now, we are entrapped."

"...her face, her voice, all the same. I could almost not remember her name. That the Followers could have such power, to bring one back from the dead, fully in the flesh..."

"...had no choice but to agree to abide by it. We were sent to an abandoned temple, turned haven to the heretical Lazarines. As per usual, my patience is being tried by Kahlidah; I only had to mention the word 'heretic' and she became set on burning the Lazarines and all their knowledge, without even understanding what potential that knowledge holds. It is, in many ways, like dealing with a child: a creature of absolutes, and absolutely devoted to herself. We set out tomorrow, one hour after dusk."

"...strange, and strangely beautiful. By day, of course, we travel in boxes, our torpid bodies protected from the sun. By night, we rest. The desert is a peaceful place, and icy cold to my surprise: the baking sands chill with deceptive speed. There is an odd beauty in the sands: great, rolling waves of pale grains, frozen in place, bathed in the light of the silver moon..."

"...arrived, one battle was almost over. Several Lazarine athanatoi put the Amenti to the sword, reducing it to sand. Then, we were forced to join the battle. It was short work, although it seemed long: four Athanatoi, and four of the Lazarines, including the one I assumed to be Demetrius, the leader - although I never did get to question him. No sooner had we finished, however, when some new figure arose from a hidden trapdoor - a Cainite dressed all in Egyptian garb. And who else should enter the temple, but our pipe-smoking storyteller, a silent strider - one of the eminently deadly Lupines of the Egyptian desert..."

"...and, finally, Musha struck the final blow. The creature fell to the floor and reverted to its human form. The Laibon lay dead, but we were alive. Theis was nowhere to be found, although my magics informed me she yet lived. We set out back for Tinnis..."

Letter between Subject Jaffar and Subject Setenpenre

It seems as though our suspicions were correct, the Lazarenes were worshiping the apostate Thais, and she has apparently gone to ground there for the last few centuries hoping that she could use them as cover. If nothing else the Lazarene blight has been all but extinguished in the Delta region now, attentions might be better focused elsewhere. The Franj are still before Mansourah and seem to have no way of crossing the river, Andreas will facilitate that matter, he knows the area well. However the Temple of Ptah seems to have had other secrets. An accursed Amenti as well as one those Jackal Silent Striders had some interest in the place. Khalidha was able to recover the Prophecy of Set that Thais stole, but this cannot be the cause of such an interest. The Amenti may have been attracted by the sheer presence of so many Cainites, but the Dog, that is another matter. Further investigation is now required, I shall see to it myself.
Jaffar
December 8th 1249

Extract from MS Paris.

The army of God sat before the city of manosurah for several weeks throughout the winter, unable to find a point where they might cross and attack the Saracen camp. In the February a local herder came before the king offering to tell him a way to cross nearby that was little known about, in return for the payment of D bezants, the King heartily paid him and was show the secret ford. Robert Count of Artois was given command to lead the vanguard across the river and wait until a bridge could be built to permit the rest of the army and its supplies to cross. Robert was impatient however and disobeyed his elder brother, the King’s orders and attacked the Saracen camp. There he put many to flight and achieved a great victory for the Saracens were not expecting the Franks and had been caught sleeping in the early hours of the morning. Yet Robert failed to heed the words of the Master of the Temple who was there with him, urging caution and continued on to the city itself. There in the streets of Mansourah many christi9ans were killed, trapped and surrounded by the Saracen troops of Bayabrs. Robert of Artois and his bodyguards were forced to seek refuge in a house before being overwhelmed and butchered. When news of his death was brought to the King of France who was at that time overseeing the crossing of the army, he wept, but by then the Saracens were upon them.

From the Memoires of Xavier Hugo, of Clan Cappadocian.

I never knew what became of the Lazarine temple, or their works. Kahlidah assured me she burned the library entire, but I suppose there is as much chance that she stole them away, adding them to the great libraries of the Followers of Set. It did not matter, at the time; the Followers had poisoned me, and Kahlidah's arrogance and condescension was becoming intolerable. The night we returned to Tinnis, I began making preparations to leave. I was delayed, of course, by the Setite's books; I traded the translating services of one of their kind, and took my notes. Then, I left. I did not speak to the resurrectors again, feeling that their price was too high.

I turned one hundred years old, some months after that. It took me a little less than a year to reach Carcassone, and my home, where I would remain for almost a decade. Those were difficult years; my new path was one of quiet contemplation and rational consideration, but I found myself plagued with emotion. Firstly, of course, there was the mixture of drugs forced upon me by the Followers of Set (although, to this day, I do not know whether that was deliberate, or simply the mundane of their lands); without access to them, I was forced to cure myself of my new addiction. I sealed myself in the basement, stalking the empty floor like a caged animal. It was almost a month before I could think clearly, and several months after that before my the plague thoughts of those drugs left my mind.

Then, there was only the tumult of my own thoughts to deal with - themselves no small thing. I had assumed for so many years that I was free of the plague of emotion, but my meeting with my wife had disabused me of that notion. The reaction - confusion, joy, terror, and an aching need for absolution - was overpowering, far beyond anything I believed I could still feel. I had to process these feelings anew.

I also had to explore the emotions I had developed surrounding Kahlidah; increasingly in those years, my hatred and loathing for that woman began to outstrip the grudges I still held against Mika Vykos, and Gregorius my sire. I spent many evenings reviewing her many sins against me, and concocting fantasies of vengeance.

There came a time, of course, when it was time to stop. I had spent almost a decade fuming quietly in my haven, achieving little: I gained further mastery of the Cappadocian paths, but my achievements were in the vein of war and violence, and I half expected to use them against Kahlidah when next I would have the opportunity. And yes, as you may suspect, it was in these nights that I completed my work on the Scythe of Morbus, a ritual that has become somewhat of a speciality of mine.

In time, my temper cooled, as it always does. My talks with Irenie and Dolphus granted me... not peace, perhaps, nor any affection for those who had wronged me, but a measure of perspective. But I was still agitated, and I decided that I would go travelling once again. I cast around for some excuse, some project, and Irenie (I believe she knew I was looking, that she could read me so well without resorting to our blood gifts by then) told me of the Qabilat Al-Mawt of Baghdad, well known for their study of disease, poison, and the medical studies in general. Seeking to expand my knowledge (and to escape the suddenly
claustrophobic confines of my small world) I set out once again.

Extract from the Journals of Gaius Menas Pelagius

It seems that soon I will be leaving this place that is both wondrous and terrifying at the same time. I've come to realise over my time here that I was arrogant coming here and believing that just my faith alone would be strong enough to protect me from temptation. If the Setites were merely agents of darkness then that may be the case, however, they are far from that. Like myself they possess faith in a higher power that they believe is all encompassing, their creator I will admit is much closer and more tangible than mine, linked as they all are by his blood. The Setites are strong in their faith, and when people of such strong faiths clash there can only be blood, I have seen this in Cordova and other cities where the children of God, Allah or Yahweh clash over the most minor matters. The Setites are smarter than this however, they work through dozens of different ways, they pick apart at your weaknesses and insecurities, it would be easy to merely say that they are like the snake of eden and leave it at that, but once again that would under estimate them. Their aims are in some ways far more noble, they wish to offer people in this world the freedom that they have sampled, they believe us bound by the creation of 'Ra' and that our clans have preached us lies.
Every day in this place I feel they are one step closer to claiming me, perhaps its the blood and the addictive substances within it that I have seen within their minds eyes that lulls us into a false sense of security, but I have come close to falling to their path on several occasions. However, faith untested is worthless my Sire always taught me, and I believe that I will emerge from Tinnis stronger in the long run. They say that they wish to free me within this life, but each night I am given the reminder of what awaits me within the pit: Damnation and pain that magnifies for my every sin and failing, and lightens each time that I do God's will, if I were to fall to their path and believe that these demons I see are nothing but a recurring dream I would be trapped in that pit of despair for all eternity. No. I know the path that I must walk, it is long, and it is confused, but I. WILL.NOT.FALL. I have come too far.
I have come to realisation however that I have over the last decades become something of a martyr to the will of my Clan, my humanity has been slowly but surely whittled away as I have struggled within the wider world of cainites. Each step I have taken has caused what remains of my human self to flake off, leaving now only a thin veneer of what remains of my humanity beneath which the leering face of the beast. I think in part this has been due to my vanity, but also my frequent exposure to supernatural battle and blood shed, these nights I feel that I have but the barest control on the snapping my my beast. The presence of Mara here in Tinnis has been something of a balm, I believe that I have taken something of a shine to her as much as she has taken an interest in me, though of course experience has always taught me to be wary, especially seeing as In my current state I am prone to sins of the flesh. I think part of my reason has also to do with my vanity, wearing this beautified appearance like I have has made me haughty and vain, but also has been most enlightening and liberating in many respects, I've decided that from now on I will be experimenting with the opposite side of the spectrum. From here I will be travelling to Mount Sinai to the monastery of a friend of Gildus Proteus, a Brujah Monk, to spend some time there in contemplation and hopefully so that I can gain control over my beast to some degree.
It's time that I take my leave of glorious Tinnis and its hospitality, otherwise I have the distinct feeling that I will not be leaving at all. I believe from there I will travel to Cyprus to complete business for my clan, and then I will travel home to Constantinople so that the ache in my bones my subside for some time. I'd like to remain home, but I'm afraid that I must travel again to Baghdad to meet up with the others as promised.

Gaius Obertus