[WoD] The Regent of the Sabbat Returns

[Selmena Maus]

Sitting in a room high above the dancefloor of PlayRoom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sat the new Regent of the Sabbat Selmena Maus. She had waist length jet black hair and piercing ice blue eyes. She wore the latest styles of fashion, as her nightclub dictated.

The Lasombra Elder sat behind an elaborate desk, watching the dance scene unfold beneath her.

[Ezra Khaine]

The shadows behind Selmena danced and warped for a few seconds and then out from the darkness stepped a man. He was dressed in an expensive black business suit that had been tailored to allow free movement while still looking sharp and sleek. His shoulder length hair was neatly combed and picture perfect. He pulled a small mirror from his pocket and, despite having no reflection, fixed a spot on his head where a hair had gotten pushed out of place. He slipped the mirror back into his pocket and then stepped up beside desk, his cane tapping along the smooth floor as he moved, "Good Evening," He said without turning or moving his eyes to look at her. His eyes remained staring straight ahead.

Ezra Khaine had met several times with Selmena Maus over the years. She was the only real member of the Sabbat that he interacted with. She had tasked him with the mission of moving throughout the United States, raising rebel sympathies for the Sabbat and turning the unaligned vampires against the Camarilla. Up till a month ago Ezra had been making spectacular progress. That was before the disaster struck. He prayed to the Wyrm that Selmena would not ask for a progress update. He would not lie to her but he would prefer not to have to tell her. His pride was something that had gotten stomped on too many times and his current situation was hurting it more.

[Selmena Maus]

Mena didnt move from her spot in her chair, still looking out on the dancefloor. Men and women in their their 20s and 30s were dresses in black leather and black lace, with heavy black eyeliner and white facial makeup. They were striving to be Goths, yet the Kindred were what these Goths strove to be. Undead.

"Good evening, Ezra. To what do I owe this presense? They way you walk in and out of my office, makes me think you are one of my advisors."

[Ezra Khaine]

"Forgive me for intruding, but it is hard to knock when you travel through the shadows and not through the door," The Lesombra said as he finally turned his head to face Selmena. He stood there silently for several moments as he worked up the courage to break the bad news, "You may recall my mentioning of the large group of Sabbat sympathizers that I had raised in the state of California and Texas. Well, I am sorry to announce but both groups have been slain my mortals," He saw the look on her face, "From the information I have found so far I have discovered that this group is known as the Silver Hand, and they are responsible for many vampire deaths around the United States. As a higher ranking member of the Sabbat I thought I would come to you for permission to search out these mortals and put them to death," His voice was smooth and emotionless and revealed nothing of the anger and hate that was building up inside of him. Those two groups of sympathizers were eventually going to be brought into the sabbat and bolster the group’s ranks to a higher number. Some of the sympathizers were still mortals and would have to be embraced before their journey continued further.

[Selmena Maus]

Mena didnt like the news at all, not one bit. The expression on her face showed it too, and she knew it. But, something had to be done, if these Kindred who were destroyed were Sabbat.

"Kindred destroyed by cattle? How is that possible? Were these destroyed Kindred Sabbat? They must have been, if you brought this to my attention.

No, dont kill them, not just yet. I want to meet these cattle first, before they die. Bring them to me, and we shall go from there."

Mena turned back to the dancefloor, as a thought occured to her.

"Ezra, would you like to be my advisor?"

[Ezra Khaine]

Ezra's face remained bland but inside his mind was cooking. He had never been offered such a position, but being chained down was not the thing for him. He would have to delve into it a little more. As for the Silver Hand; he would have to get them later, with or without his Lordess' consent. He had already been doing his research and found that a large group of the Silver Hand inhabits Chicago. He would have to investigate more before he knew exactly where in Chicago they lived, and then he would bring the subject up again with Selmena, but not before.

"What exactly would that position entitle?" He asked as he turned back to watch the dance floor below.

[Selmena Maus]

Selmena had worked her way up the ladder of the Black Hand, finally making Regent 6 years ago in 2000. She had started out as a simple advisor, then assassinated her way to Bishop, Archbishop, Cardinal, and now Regent. She had assassinated many more who were out to get her, who were after her spot. She needed to know who was with her, and who was against her. Mena had her suspicions about Ezra, but she wanted to find out more before she acted. She wanted to find out if he was worth keeping around in the long run.

"Nevermind, Ezra. Im just being paranoid, is all. But I do need an advisor, yet I dont. Its not important. Dont worry about it."

[Ezra Khaine]

Women, Ezra thought, they can never make up their minds. Though usually its about drapes, not advisors, "Whatever you think best, Madam," He said, using the last word as more of a respectful title then anything else, "Although I think I am clearly lacking when it comes to advice, shall you ever need one..." Or finally decide whether you want one or not, He added mentally, "...You know where to find me. As for our own personnel business arrangement. There is a shipment of fresh 'cattle' coming in soon. All have been properly seduced and are willing to give their lives just so they can be touched by a kindred. They should arrive tomorrow night. I will begin recruiting and seducing more food to our cause, as well as more kindred to enforce Sabbat rule, as you have requested."

[Selmena Maus]

Mena merely nods, watching her dancefloor.

"Perfect."

The Lasombra Regent spun around in her chair, and glanced at Ezra.

"What about the Camarilla Princes? Have any of them decided to make a move on us?"

[Ezra Khaine]

"I have not received any word as to their movements, which means that they are either standing idle for the moment or covering their tracks better then they normally do. I find operatives poking around now and then. These I capture and...'Interrogate', but they never render any knowledge. They are too loyal for that. Some are rotting in my dungeons, while others did not survive the interrogation. If you wish to try your own hand at breaking them then I would be more then happy to send them up here to you."

[Selmena Maus]

"Yes, keep me informed as to what they intend to do, would you please?"

Mena reaches in her desk drawer and tosses a thick sheaf of papers out at Ezra.

"My advisor Viktor Konstantin, who may have gone back to Russia but Im not sure, was going through that list and was telling me who was active in the Sabbat, turned Camarilla, or was destroyed. I would like you to finish that list, and report your findings back to me."

[Ezra Khaine]

Ezra picked up the stack of papers and read over the first few. It was quite an extensive list but not to the extent of making the task impossible, "It will be my pleasure, my Lady," He said as he continued to leaf through it. Already he had spotted several names of vampires he knew to be dead, most of them being his followers that the Silver Fist had destroyed, "I shall begin at once, unless you have anything more to say before I go."

[Selmena Maus]

"Not at all. I do not wish to keep you from your duties. I will be here when you are ready to report back to me, Ezra."

[Ezra Khaine]

He bowed his head, "As you say it shall be done. Until next time, Lady Maus. But before I go I have a gift for you." He said as he produced a small ornate wooden box. He placed it on her desk and then retreated back towards the nearest dark shadow. His body melted into the shadows as he entered the abyss and then he was gone. Traveling from shadow to shadow through the abyss. Where he would pop up again was anybodies guess, but in the abyss he was invincible and untraceable. Even another Lasombra would have trouble tracing a fellow clan mate through the nether regions of the abyss. It was a quite and solitude journey.

When Selmena opened the case she found a knife lying on a velvet cushion. It was not just any knife. It was a silver tipped dagger with an intricate skull pattern on the handle. Nothing Selmena couldn't acquire easily but from the look of the blade it had already seen use in battle and its design did look rather old, say from the renaissance period.

[Selmena Maus]

Mena opened the box to find a silver dagger on a velvet cushion. It was an elaborate and beautiful silver dagger, quite old and used often. She could tell this wasnt something that would be easily found or stumbled upon. Running her fingers lightly over the skull patterned handle, Mena was beginning to grow curious.

"What in the blue hell . . . ?"

[Ezra Khaine]

Pity that Ezra was gone already.

The blade was an old blade used by now dead vampires to hunt and kill werewolves. Perhaps she would be able to trace its past back to Dagon Ghent, a Lasombra from the ancient times before the renaissance who had died before the American Revolution. It was quite a peace and it hurt Ezra to part with it. But he had a whole library full of old artifacts, some that he had dug up while others had been gifts or left behind by his old master. He was sure that Maus would enjoy the gift.