Chapter One: Outbreak

Conner stays in the area making sure that all the fire is out and everything that has been burnt has cooled. He will make his way carefully into the centermost building to see if he can find the source of the fire.

You made your way to the center of the structure and looked around, even as embers continued to flicker in the blackened wood and grey ash around you. There was nothing obvious that you could find that would have caused the fire, for all you knew it could have simply been a candle causing a curtain to catch fire. The Blue Dolphin was a three story octagonal structure, the legacy of originally having been a grain silo on the docks. The windows were known to be shuttered in all but the summer months to keep the chill from the harbor winds from encroaching on the inside of the structure. The slates and were all poorly weathered. Although blue paint on the wood dolphin behind the bar was beginning to chip and flake, the inn had an inexplicable aura of permanence and age, no doubt thanks to being one of the oldest structures in the city. The inn’s location ensured that it was a place that sailors could come when they had some much needed shore leave or when they had spare time. Dockhands were also common in the inn. No matter who came calling though, they were almost universally unpolished and drank heavily.

You both found yourself currently on the first floor, which was known as the common room but was split into two parts, the ground floor and the quarter deck. All around the ground floor were tables and chairs, rough but comfortable. Embedded in the southern wall was a massive hearth which was burning intensely, providing warmth to the patrons. The walls of the common room were decorated with trophy fish of all varieties, tattered nets, tridents, whaling spears and pieces of masts, supposedly taken from famous ships. Looking up you saw that the infamous second floor, known as the crow’s nest, where patrons that needed privacy went from intimate meetings of all varieties. The balcony overlooked the common room and you noticed a few figures regarding you as you entered.

Finally, there was the bar at the far end. I ragged looking bartender was kept busy pouring drinks and leaning against one end of the bar was the owner of the establishment, Elisabeth Talbot. She was a short woman at just under five feet tall, but her thigh high boots added to her height. Her ebony hair was pulled back from her face and cascaded down her back in curls and waves. As you entered, her brown eyes regarded you from the door to the bar and back to your seat. Gold bangles jangled on her wrists, and multiple golden earrings pierced her ears. She wore a simple white blouse that was tied at the front and leather pants. Not much was known about the woman’s past before she washed up in Esterwyn and bought the Blue Dolphin and no one seemed overly curious, no doubt thanks to the hard look she gave whenever she was questioned. The patrons knew she had a mean right hook and an imagination when it came to the drinks on her menu and that was enough for them.

As you come around the corner, you find yourself looking down the barrels of a number of firearms. From his position by the pier, the captain of the guard didn't even turn to regard you before speak.

"We are not men that enjoy being followed. This no longer concerns you, please be about your business." he called,"Surely you have better things to do with your evening than interfere with my investigation?"
Looking over the sketches that Ventrue had made, you weren’t able to immediately make anything out. You continued to study it intently until the symbols almost seemed to dance in your vision. Then all at once, it seemed to come together. The home was being used as a focal point for something and whatever it was it wasn’t good. The site was part of a chain that if established would strengthen and maintain whatever was being summoned. The fire had been used to establish the site, with all of the negative energy being harnessed to fuel the ritual. From the notes that had been taken that was all, you knew for sure.

Margaret puts her hands on her hips and tosses her head defiantly in the face of the guns. She's secretly terrified, but angry enough to push through it.

"Captain, the day that the citizens of this city allow the police to conduct their business without scrutiny is the day that tyranny reigns. I am merely a concerned citizen, attempting to ensure that due process is followed in the arrest of these people, against whom you have still not laid any formal charges beyond your vague 'suspicion'. As far as I am aware, walking the streets in the same direction as an officer of the law is not a crime."