"Dance to the rhythm of war -drums
Sing to the Devil's praise
Live in the wolves' lair
Let the Devil take you to the halls of death
Birds of prey
Dance with us on the sky."
**************************************************************************
Seffra looked up at the gray walls smothered with black ivy. Sitting by the fire and chanting an ancient melody, she gently rocked a baby wrapped in brown rags. Even by human standards she was no longer young and this was the last of the 12 little brats she had given birth to. Reddish flame of the torches made a wavering lattice of shadows and light over the camp. Brown cloth tents lay sprawled like some giant insects, the fires drawn dark circles of humans around them. Seffra cast a handful of sand onto the flames and watched them choke. Her large green eyes gleamed in the reddish flame.
A woman holding a large clay bowl passed nearby, glancing at her briefly. Seffra was considered to be a "ruye'h'dah", a shaman. She smirked as she noted fear in the other woman's eyes. She studied the position of the logs in the fire and the color of the flame for a while and then, her gaze went up to the towering spires of the Keep. The steep, white, stone walls encircling the camps. Rising into the black, starless sky, awe-inspiring. White towers and walls clasped the camp like a slave collar.
Never taking her eyes of a dark, gaping opening in one of the towers, she continued on her monotonous chanting.her voice strengthened with a knowledge of the future.
The Fortress was lit by thousands of bluish flames. The new kind of trees evolved in Nosgoth, under the pressure of the changing climate, and the shortage of sunlight. Its wood burned with blue flame. The Razielim Fortress was filled with the bluish shimmer of the fire. The Keeper, Silma, casually strolled down the main hall, her dagger-sharp mind surveying the courtiers and the groups of soldiers.
The Razielim Order was the priority of the Clan. She was the Enforcer and the Keeper of the Order. Allowing her lips to form a courteous smile, she passed a group of Ritual Dancers and proceeded to the lowest sections of the Fortress. Not many high born vampires descended there, but she saw to the order personally. She attended to the matters of the cattle in the Enclaves as well.
Humans, she smirked.
Reduced from noble families into primal tribes that camped in the wall- confined Enclaves. The human tribes were allowed to interbreed but under restriction of the breeding programme that had been devised by Kain.
The cattle was bred to produce physically finest examples of humans. The taste of their blood improved with every generation. Silma smirked again as she observed the brown beetles of the tents and plumes of smoke from the camp fires.
The finest were chosen to accommodate the needs of the finest. The chosen ones who were taught the Rituals of Blood and prepared to sacrifice their life harboring no regret. Sometimes, the humans were allowed a small rebellion to clear the accumulated need for violence and make the blood clear.
A victim should be clean of emotions. The vampire created the overtones of taste - the vampire spiced the human with desired emotions.
She descended to a platform above the Shyntarra Enclave and estimated the required number of the victims. No need for ceremonies. These humans will never need to be trained.
The Master was not in playful mood.
The Master was simply thirsty.
The Master was Changing.
The vampire lady lined the humans and ordered the slaves to chain them together and lead them up to the highest chambers of the Fortress. The Ruye'h'dah was smiling secretly to herself, her posture slightly hunched by the weight of the chain. She was whispering something from time to time, trying to push the heavy locks of hair from her face. She nodded, satisfied. The ancient lore had proven to be true once again. They returned to the Devil Lair in the end. The dance was about to begin.
Tis simply a short story I felt the urge to write. It had come with the inspiration that shaped the remaining chapters in my mind. Please tell me what you think. Ah, Raziel will be there shortly, fear not.
Sing to the Devil's praise
Live in the wolves' lair
Let the Devil take you to the halls of death
Birds of prey
Dance with us on the sky."
**************************************************************************
Seffra looked up at the gray walls smothered with black ivy. Sitting by the fire and chanting an ancient melody, she gently rocked a baby wrapped in brown rags. Even by human standards she was no longer young and this was the last of the 12 little brats she had given birth to. Reddish flame of the torches made a wavering lattice of shadows and light over the camp. Brown cloth tents lay sprawled like some giant insects, the fires drawn dark circles of humans around them. Seffra cast a handful of sand onto the flames and watched them choke. Her large green eyes gleamed in the reddish flame.
A woman holding a large clay bowl passed nearby, glancing at her briefly. Seffra was considered to be a "ruye'h'dah", a shaman. She smirked as she noted fear in the other woman's eyes. She studied the position of the logs in the fire and the color of the flame for a while and then, her gaze went up to the towering spires of the Keep. The steep, white, stone walls encircling the camps. Rising into the black, starless sky, awe-inspiring. White towers and walls clasped the camp like a slave collar.
Never taking her eyes of a dark, gaping opening in one of the towers, she continued on her monotonous chanting.her voice strengthened with a knowledge of the future.
The Fortress was lit by thousands of bluish flames. The new kind of trees evolved in Nosgoth, under the pressure of the changing climate, and the shortage of sunlight. Its wood burned with blue flame. The Razielim Fortress was filled with the bluish shimmer of the fire. The Keeper, Silma, casually strolled down the main hall, her dagger-sharp mind surveying the courtiers and the groups of soldiers.
The Razielim Order was the priority of the Clan. She was the Enforcer and the Keeper of the Order. Allowing her lips to form a courteous smile, she passed a group of Ritual Dancers and proceeded to the lowest sections of the Fortress. Not many high born vampires descended there, but she saw to the order personally. She attended to the matters of the cattle in the Enclaves as well.
Humans, she smirked.
Reduced from noble families into primal tribes that camped in the wall- confined Enclaves. The human tribes were allowed to interbreed but under restriction of the breeding programme that had been devised by Kain.
The cattle was bred to produce physically finest examples of humans. The taste of their blood improved with every generation. Silma smirked again as she observed the brown beetles of the tents and plumes of smoke from the camp fires.
The finest were chosen to accommodate the needs of the finest. The chosen ones who were taught the Rituals of Blood and prepared to sacrifice their life harboring no regret. Sometimes, the humans were allowed a small rebellion to clear the accumulated need for violence and make the blood clear.
A victim should be clean of emotions. The vampire created the overtones of taste - the vampire spiced the human with desired emotions.
She descended to a platform above the Shyntarra Enclave and estimated the required number of the victims. No need for ceremonies. These humans will never need to be trained.
The Master was not in playful mood.
The Master was simply thirsty.
The Master was Changing.
The vampire lady lined the humans and ordered the slaves to chain them together and lead them up to the highest chambers of the Fortress. The Ruye'h'dah was smiling secretly to herself, her posture slightly hunched by the weight of the chain. She was whispering something from time to time, trying to push the heavy locks of hair from her face. She nodded, satisfied. The ancient lore had proven to be true once again. They returned to the Devil Lair in the end. The dance was about to begin.
Tis simply a short story I felt the urge to write. It had come with the inspiration that shaped the remaining chapters in my mind. Please tell me what you think. Ah, Raziel will be there shortly, fear not.