Door to Divaria

« Reply #1 on: Jun 22nd, 2012, 7:20pm »

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VICTORIA

She wandered in the woods' edge and kept glancing back to see the house. Serenade was two floors of beauty and decadence for it's time. But she couldn't help but notice that in town, just a few miles away, the new homes going up were three stories of beauty, decadence and opulance all rolled into one. Victoria knew that Serenade needed to be more... more rooms, more space, more wards.... just more. Samual needed a stronger base system at the Lair and currently Serenade could only hold around a dozen family members at a time without comfort being a sacrifice. Frowning, she turned back towards the woods and began to ponder. Between her money and Samual's they had plenty. Her lips curled into a smile as she began formulating plans to expand Serenade. But turning it into a rambling manse with almost a cult type feeling gave her the shivers. She paused and looked at the trees before her. They didn't get fatter and fatter, they got taller and taller. That was it. She would expand Serenade both up and down. A slightly broader base and second floor would make a stable anchor for a third floor and a sprawling basement of catacombs. The entire clan would then be able to descend on the manor and stay for clan meetings without fear of the morning sun driving them off in the wee hours. It would also mean that many more dignitaries would come and visit because the main safe houses were too far away.
By the time she had finished wandering the expanse of trees she had the floor plan all laid out in her mind. Moving inside and straight to her personal sitting room, she began sketching her ideas to pitch to Samual as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

THE STONE GATE

The walks did her good. She had time to be alone and decide how to better her position. The renovations on Serenade were going along perfectly and she wanted everything done by the time the new envoy from Europe arrived next year. Along with the expansion of Serenade had come the expansion of her grounds. The woods had become such a vital part of her nightly rituals that Victoria had convinced Samual to purchase nearly five miles of the woods as a nature preserve to pass down to future generations. A simple 'nudge' to a councilman's mind also had it stated in the city archives that at least three miles all around the main house of Serenade would remain the Moroveston property and could never be purchased, leased or withheld from the family for any reason including non payment of new taxes instilled on land that wasn't even inhabited. This ensured that no matter how ridiculous the mortals in power became, the manse and grounds would always be a Haven and Lair on the Eastern Seaboard. The Conclave in Paris had been duly impressed and had even marked Serenade as a possible stop over for diplomats if the inspections next summer went well.
As she wandered, something made Victoria shiver. It wasn't overly cold and being undead meant she didn't actually get cold. This was more of a chill as if someone had walked over her grave. The thought again made her shudder and this time she rubbed her arms. As she stepped from the treeline into a clearing she had never found before, Victoria smiled. In the middle of the clearing was a stone arch. The top was missing but the columns, though worn by centuries of climate, were intact and upright. Several other keystones were laying around as if someone had attempted to make stone alters and a few miniature Stonehenges in the fifty foot clearing of knee high grass and winter wildflowers. She knew this feeling and dropped her hands where they had been running her skin. As she stepped closer to the dual standing stones, a shimmer of light bounced between them and just for an instant she was sure she had seen her reflection. As if water was spread between the stones and she were glancing into a pond full of rippled. But then it was gone and only the space between the stones remained. Her vision of the other side of the clearing was once more unhindered and untarnished.
Stepping closer she attempted to pass her hand between the stones. But as her right palm reached within a foot of the great columns, a shock of surprising proportions sent her reeling back as if shot from a cannon. A scream erupted from her lips in both startlement and pain. “AAAAhhhhh!” She fell back and landed against one of the extra stones with such force that had she been mortal she would have surely been dead. But fresh feeding that very night as well as her immortality saved her that small embarrassment. But it did daze her enough that it was nearly ten minutes before she could gather her wits enough to stand up and then promptly sit back down again, though this time in a more controlled manner on top of the stone rather than on the ground against it.
“How in all of the Tremere incants did that happen?” She looked down at the burn mark on her palm and frowned as it refused to heal swiftly. Something magical had warded the gate, or door, or whatever it was. Someone, or something, didn't want anyone near it... or was it more specific? Finally rising to her feet, Victoria walked back towards the space but remained a good distance away this time. She walked all the way around and yet found nothing to mark the stones as wardings, incant marks or even a hex of any kind. “Curiouser and curiouser....” she murmured softly to no one in particular.
Realizing this would have to be investigated, she found the tallest stone she could stand on and took a good look all the way around the clearing to commit it to memory. She would go home and sketch the scene with every detail in perfect place. Then she would call Miliscent, the leader of the Tremere, and see if the woman could figure out what or who had made this place. She also wanted to know why... as well as how long ago. Miliscent would, of course, want to come view it. But Victoria wasn't sure she was ready to share this place with anyone. This would take planning.
Slowly heading back to the house, Victoria began to weave a story of a rumor of such a place. Stories heard from locals, from old half forgotten Elder Records she once had access to in Paris, even perhaps a book of similar places from the locals if it could be had.
Victoria was halfway between the stone circle and home when she decided to fell a deer for fresh blood. It took more than she anticipated, but soon the burn mark was nothing more than a red nuisance. It would still take the remainder of the night to heal, but at least now she would have a better chance of keeping it hidden. Leaving the carcass for the local wolf pack and other scavengers, she soon broke thru the treeline on the outskirts of the far side of the lawn and headed towards the seacliff home. Serenade would need extra wardings as well if that stone circle was to become activated. As she mounted the steps another thought crossed her mind... if that clearing wasn't already part of the family estate, she would have to remedy that first thing tomorrow night. No sense allowing someone else to stumble upon such a find and keep it for themselves. She smiled as she saw Samual on the back porch over looking the sea. If he had any idea of the things she had done for him, he would gladly give her the power he now held. But it wasn't time yet. She would be Prince of the City soon enough. But it had to be with the Council's blessings. And right now there was nothing their prodigal son had done wrong to incur their wrath enough to place her in power. Soon.... She kissed her mate and excused herself to get dressed for dinner... soon enough. Till then she would wait...

FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Mir'Ala looked up from her report sharply and frowned. No one had snuck into her private office. And yet... Glancing down at the soft glow emitting from the stone of amber hue on her bracelet, she furrowed her brows deeper. “Earth... that's supposed to be a sealed gate. I wonder what tripped the defenses?”
Rising and putting her reports in the nearby half open cabinet, she then locked the cabinet and then the office door as it closed behind her parting form. She moved swiftly and with definite purpose as she grabbed her cloak with the Hunter's Conclave symbol on the shoulder and her swords from the rack in a small concealed alcove between her office and her bedroom. She left word with the head of her staff to cancel her afternoon appointment and not worry about setting a dinner plate for her this night. Heading to the East Wing, she opened the ornate doors to the elegant room and closed them again behind her. A swiftly incanted spell, memorized almost before she could understand its meaning, was uttered and the door and room were locked and sealed. No one but her or the head of the Hunter's Conclave would be able to open that room now. Indeed it was sealed and warded so well that a magical attack equal to a small nuclear bomb could go off and the house staff wouldn't even be aware of it.
Pausing before the ornate inlay magical circle on the floor, Mir reached up and absently twisted her hair into a hunter's knot, resettled her blades to a more comfortable position and debated contacting the Conclave. “Probably some stray magical touched creature.” She reassured herself. If there was trouble she couldn't handle, she knew enough after nearly 300 years in service that she should come back for help. “Just a rabbit,” she whispered and spoke the words that keyed this spot to the gate corresponding with the bracelet stone. The stone was quiet so she also guessed the warding's shock probably scared it off.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and stepped into the circle.