The man sat chained in his cell, thinking things over. He had been found on a street, raving about many impossible things - magic, werewolves, witches, vampires, beings of the night who preyed on the villagers, peasants and serfs of Meridia and disappeared without a trace. And as such, the man who spoke these complete falsehoods was rejected by many in the village in which he resided as simply deluded, some even going as far as to say crazy. The village idiot was the only title that his reputation earned him. That was, until he killed someone on the street, raving about seeing them as something else. He was arrested, and sent into seclusion in a dungeon. Which is where he was at this point. Three men and a woman stepped into the door of his cell, too dark to see much about them. Two of the men and the woman stood back, while one took a stool and sat upon it, sitting and looking at the man.
"Hello," the sitting man began an introduction of himself, "I am Tulomar. You will not need to remember much about that, it i not most relevant to this whole set of circumstances," Tulomar laughed slightly at his statement, "Regardless, that is my name. What is yours?"
The village idiot made a pained sigh, looking up at the figures hidden by shadow. Tulomar, however, was sitting in a bit of light, and from his face, seemed friendly enough, with a slight smile, and round glasses on his eyes. The man was put slightly at ease, but the fact was that he was still chained inside a cell - how friendly could anyone truly be? Regardless, being kept on your own for an extended period was not something that kept one quiet. The crazed man was simply happy to hear a non-accusatory voice thrown his way. He shook once, rattling the chains as he did so, finally gaining the composure to speak - "M-my name is Jacob."
Tulomar smiled slightly, a friendly smile. He nodded at the man's information, "Thank you, Jacob. I am here for one reason alone - to see whether we can allow you to walk free. Believe me, I would want that. I don't believe anyone should be kept chained up like some kind of animal, as is the case in most..." Tulomar looked up and around at the location they were in, trying to find a word, "Places of internment,"
Jacob gazed up at Tulomar's eyes. They seemed honest enough, at the very least enough to warrant listening to further. Jacob's head dropped and he looked back to the ground, "They say I murdered someone. Do you believe that?"
Tulomar removed his glasses, turning them over in his hand as he thought, "I do not believe anything until we arrive at evidence. Empty belief leads to wrongful convictions, and wrongful convictions are a strain on my conscience. I simply yearn for the truth, and that is why I am here," Tulomar put his glasses back on, "I need your help to find that truth, and together, we can sort out right from wrong."
Jacob turned it over in his mind. It was a tempting possibility - being let free, proving his point, even maybe vindicating his reputation. It had seemed like a pipe dream such a short time ago - like no-one could ever have brought him back from such a point, one where he was reviled and detested by all. Maybe he could open the eyes of this one in front of him, this Tulomar... No, it was too risky. Tulomar would only think of him in a worse light, as the others always did. But... He felt it was the truth. And perhaps the explanation of his position would make it obvious that his actions were not a premeditated act of violence against regular people.
"There... There are beasts. Creatures. People that look human, but they aren't like us... They are different... Many of them want to kill us, and I've seen them. Please, Tulomar... Tell me you believe me..."
Tulomar looked back at the other three in the room, then back to Jacob, "Do many people believe your tale?"
Jacob hung his head, "No. Most people think I'm just crazy..." Jacob looked back up, eyes hopeful as he continued, "Do you believe me?"
Tulomar removed his glasses, "Oh Jacob, more than you know..." He grinned, large canine teeth showing most prominently as his lips moved back. The vampire Tulomar bit into the neck of the village idiot as he cursed, the begging becoming screams of terror, and screams of terror becoming screams of pain, gently lowering in intensity before the peasant slouched back, form no longer moving, pale skinned and completely still. Tulomar walked back to the other three.
"I'm not sure if the Followers have anything to do with this, or perhaps the radical factions of Lycans and Nosferatu, but more people are finding out. This endangers us, and puts us into a weakened position... Tell the Archon that we must step up our strategies if we are to survive with the threat of exposure and retaliation on our doorstep, and the constant looming threat of these so-called 'followers of truth'. Get to it, else we may see people like this becoming more prominent rather than simple outliers to be ignored."
"Hello," the sitting man began an introduction of himself, "I am Tulomar. You will not need to remember much about that, it i not most relevant to this whole set of circumstances," Tulomar laughed slightly at his statement, "Regardless, that is my name. What is yours?"
The village idiot made a pained sigh, looking up at the figures hidden by shadow. Tulomar, however, was sitting in a bit of light, and from his face, seemed friendly enough, with a slight smile, and round glasses on his eyes. The man was put slightly at ease, but the fact was that he was still chained inside a cell - how friendly could anyone truly be? Regardless, being kept on your own for an extended period was not something that kept one quiet. The crazed man was simply happy to hear a non-accusatory voice thrown his way. He shook once, rattling the chains as he did so, finally gaining the composure to speak - "M-my name is Jacob."
Tulomar smiled slightly, a friendly smile. He nodded at the man's information, "Thank you, Jacob. I am here for one reason alone - to see whether we can allow you to walk free. Believe me, I would want that. I don't believe anyone should be kept chained up like some kind of animal, as is the case in most..." Tulomar looked up and around at the location they were in, trying to find a word, "Places of internment,"
Jacob gazed up at Tulomar's eyes. They seemed honest enough, at the very least enough to warrant listening to further. Jacob's head dropped and he looked back to the ground, "They say I murdered someone. Do you believe that?"
Tulomar removed his glasses, turning them over in his hand as he thought, "I do not believe anything until we arrive at evidence. Empty belief leads to wrongful convictions, and wrongful convictions are a strain on my conscience. I simply yearn for the truth, and that is why I am here," Tulomar put his glasses back on, "I need your help to find that truth, and together, we can sort out right from wrong."
Jacob turned it over in his mind. It was a tempting possibility - being let free, proving his point, even maybe vindicating his reputation. It had seemed like a pipe dream such a short time ago - like no-one could ever have brought him back from such a point, one where he was reviled and detested by all. Maybe he could open the eyes of this one in front of him, this Tulomar... No, it was too risky. Tulomar would only think of him in a worse light, as the others always did. But... He felt it was the truth. And perhaps the explanation of his position would make it obvious that his actions were not a premeditated act of violence against regular people.
"There... There are beasts. Creatures. People that look human, but they aren't like us... They are different... Many of them want to kill us, and I've seen them. Please, Tulomar... Tell me you believe me..."
Tulomar looked back at the other three in the room, then back to Jacob, "Do many people believe your tale?"
Jacob hung his head, "No. Most people think I'm just crazy..." Jacob looked back up, eyes hopeful as he continued, "Do you believe me?"
Tulomar removed his glasses, "Oh Jacob, more than you know..." He grinned, large canine teeth showing most prominently as his lips moved back. The vampire Tulomar bit into the neck of the village idiot as he cursed, the begging becoming screams of terror, and screams of terror becoming screams of pain, gently lowering in intensity before the peasant slouched back, form no longer moving, pale skinned and completely still. Tulomar walked back to the other three.
"I'm not sure if the Followers have anything to do with this, or perhaps the radical factions of Lycans and Nosferatu, but more people are finding out. This endangers us, and puts us into a weakened position... Tell the Archon that we must step up our strategies if we are to survive with the threat of exposure and retaliation on our doorstep, and the constant looming threat of these so-called 'followers of truth'. Get to it, else we may see people like this becoming more prominent rather than simple outliers to be ignored."