Epilogue

The sun sets, and night falls on New Orleans again. You hear bells in the distance tolling the hour, just as they once tolled the first midnight of your Requiem, and you know the truth of your entry into that dance of death.

Does the dance end here, in New Orleans? Will your enemies find you some dark night and take your soul, or will your Requiem play on through the centuries until some night you must hide from the world like John Harley Matheson, your mortal years a blur of memory?

The sun sets, and the shadows lengthen. What further mysteries does this world of darkness hold?

Sarah Cobbler

Sarah Cobbler was born to privilege, and received opportunity for education far beyond what most women of her day were allowed. In life, Sarah was a scientist. Her field was the human mind, and she specialized in anger and impulse, trying to find the root of human rage. She learned what rage truly was one night when she found herself caught between two Kindred locked in frenzy. One finally fought the other off, but by that time Sarahs throat had been torn open and she lay dying.

The winner of the fight Embraced her, perhaps out of guilt, perhaps out of gratitude. Her Morbus heritage surfaced only a scant year after her Embrace, and Sarah, fascinated by her undead body's ability to hold and manipulate disease, honed this Discipline to near mastery. Over the years, Sarah lost touch with her sire, drifted in and out of New Orleans, and found and made friends with her sister, Mezzo. She also joined the Ordo Dracul, excelling at the Coils of the Dragon and challenging the most learned of her sect by applying recent psychological theory to the Kindred condition.

She posited that it was possible to move beyond vampirism mentally, shutting off the urges of the Beast, after which the physical curses would fade. In her heart, though, she fears for her safety if she is correct. If she loses the so-called curses of undeath, the diseases in her blood might kill her, rotting away her flesh. That this has already happened to Mezzo only intensifies her fears. For as much as she appears to be in control, Sarah is afraid for the future, and searching for the next experiment to distract herself. Sarah has labored to understand the effect called the Predators Taint. This is the effect that causes vampires to flee or attack (or at least resist the urge to do so) when they meet other Kindred.

Sarah theorizes that vampires imprint on the first vampires they meet, much like young animals do, and since the first Kindred one meets is typically ones sire, this is why vampires of like clans have similar interests and personalities. She therefore decided to arrange the Embraces of different people into different clans and wipe away their memories, ensuring they would imprint on each other. She hopes this will give her insight into the vampiric condition enough to grow in personal power and status within her covenant.

Sarah changes her appearance as much as she can, dyeing her hair and changing clothes and styles almost nightly, but she almost always wears gold jewelry. She was in her late 20's at the time of her Embrace, and is an attractive if severe looking woman

Chapter 11

Carl and James investigate the Ordo Dracul, and eventually come in contact with a partitioner called Lidia. While they're interrogating her, they spot a shadowy figure looking at them from the distance, trying to hide.

The two young kindred spring into action, and the chase begins. Carl runs after the figure, while James goes back to the car, to cut the fugitive off. The chase ends with Carl tackling the mysterious figure, while James runs both of them over with his car!

Luckily the damage is not lethal, and their prey is none other than Sarah Cobbler herself. Carl is decided to deliver her to the Prince, but when she gets a chance to explain herself, she offers them a chance to join her in her research to transcend the vampiric state, by learning the Coils, magical rituals of the Ordo Dracul.

James is persuaded, and the two friends decide to part ways. Carl will remain in New Orleans, trying to make sense of this new cursed life. James and Sarah will leave the city, looking for answers. The young kindred hold hands one last time, then James and Sarah enter his car, and drive into the night.

Baron Cimitiere

Many people mistake Baron Cimitiere for a costumed mummer upon first meeting him. He appears to be a walking corpse, his flesh gray and sunken, his teeth and eyes yellowed, his hair falling to his shoulders in stringy clumps. He dresses in the traditional fashion of Baron Samedi himself — an old black suit, cane, top hat and sunglasses.

Baron Cimitiere naturally smells of rot, but he takes great pains and uses a variety of cleansers and scents to hide that fact. He claims his corpse-like appearance came about when Baron Samedi raised him from Final Death.

Chapter 10

A week after the ceremony, a disease starts to spread in the French Quarter, rapidly making victims among the mortals, and posing a great danger for many kindreds feeding on the mortal stock.

Carl and James investigations to find "patient zero" bring them to an abandoned gas station, where a kindred is in hiding. The woman reveals a few rumours spreading in the kindred community, pointing to a mysterious figure known as Baron Cimitiere.

They arrange a meeting with the Baron, who instructs them in the ways of the loa (vodoun spirits). He suspects a Morbus kindred is behind the disease, since this particular bloodline of Mekhet can only feed on the diseased. He suggests to look near a place where it's easier to find sick people.

Thinking about the terminally ill, Carl and James go to the AIDS ward of a nearby hospital. After a short investigation, they discover a kindred hiding in a storage room. She's none other than Mezzo, now suffering from a terrible disease that is eating away at her very flesh.

James sucks her blood, unfortunately infecting himself, and then feeds her mortal blood, enough for her to be able to speak again. Before she falls into torpor, she reveals to them that Sarah infected her with the disease, using rites and knowledge gained from her covenant: the Ordo Dracul.

Chapter 9

A week later, James and Carl are invited by the Prince for an official ceremony of recognition, to be performed at the University Church. There, they're invited to join the Lancea Sanctum: Carl accepts the offer, while James refuses.

A reception follows, in a luxurious villa, where the young kindred have the chance to meet with other of their kind, and make a few contacts, hopefully useful in the future.

While still at the party, James receives a call from Mezzo, warning him that Sarah Cobbler is at the party, and she's trying to poison the "food" (several drugged mortals used for the entertainment of the kindred).

Carl and James manage to stop the poisoning, but they find no trace of Sarah. The hunt is on.

Lucas Gates (dead)

Lucas was only 18 at the time of his Embrace. He has sandy blond hair, with a young face and a fair complexion.

He usually carries a rucksack and keeps at least one hunting knife on him at all times. He refuses to use guns, and if asked makes ob- lique references to not needing such “dull weapons,” but the truth is he knows very little about firearms and is a terrible shot.