2021-05-20 21:45 - Thursday - "Bookworm"
As she had done for the past two evenings solid, Jasmin didn't bother with changing out of her night clothes, simply pulling the black silk robe back around her. Ever since the Monday visit from Anne, the vampire had let business sort itself, and sequestered herself, largely, for research.
She made her way to the kitchen to reach into the fridge, pull out a container of blood, and pour an oversized mug. Bringing it up, she drank a bit, the inner demon coming out. Satisfied with the selection, she nodded to herself and started for the bedroom that she used as a study.
Windows were covered over heavily, to block any potential sunlight; one end was dominated by a table against the wall, holding a desktop computer, external hard drive with the Graveyard surveillance footage, her notebooks and a number of open books; a low shelf sat under it, containing Jasmin's personal journals. And then there were the bookcases of her normal books.
She sat the mug down, reaching for the notebook to read over the night's previous notes, and the list of items to try to obtain from the Grathoki. Taking another sip from the mug, she reached over to pick up the chart on Mystery Number 1 for her: the Eye.
Jasmin turned to look over her notes.
Mallory's Artficact Compendium
Providence: Claims creation by St. Vigeous, c. 1000 to 1100 AD. Defeat of Vigeous 1254. Posession of Knights Templar, on Malta; last record 1375.
Powers: Revivification of vampire from dust.
Physical Description: None given
Vallus' Commentaries
Providence: "Created or Found" by St. Vigeous c. 950 to 1050. Defeat in 1254. Knights Templar ambushed 1255; last record 1255. Note, Vallus commentary on Latin text points out the latin used, invenire, means both to create and to discover.
Powers: "Restoration" of vampires; unclear what "restoration" entails.
Physical Description: None given
Zulkash's Vampiric Lore
Providence: Created by St. Vigeous c. 1025 to 1100 AD. Defeat in 1254. Eye disappears from 1254 to 1317. Templar vault on Malta, 1317. Last record 1412.
Powers: Said to "hold power over the soul and life of the dead, and to restore them"
Physical Description: None given
She put the blood down, going back to her shelves to peruse the books, pulling another off the shelf, one of her most guarded books: the diary of a Watcher. After about two hours of reading, she stopped, and had to read the paragraph again.
The Fourth of October, Year of Our Lord 1437
My slayer brought in a local today who was badly beaten and tortured. It took some time to get him able to speak, but his reporter was reputedly the vampire Kadmus, who based on the description had five followers with him, engaged in a ritual blood feast of some sort. The name `Vigeous` was used, and I believe from the description that Kadmus may have been a personal discipline of Vigeous. Kadmus was seen reading from a book, as though giving an unholy homily.
Grabbing her notebook, she made a new entry. The Eye wasn't mentioned directly as she read on, but some other pertinent pieces of information were. As Jasmin made a new entry in her notebook, she began to record the details: Kadmus was, indeed, a contemporary and Lieutenant to Vigeous; had seen and known the legendary vampire; and that a few books had been reportedly recovered from him, to be sent to England, reputedly containing first-hand accounts of the vampire.
Jasmin made a few more notes, and knew what she was looking for. No, still no description or anything solid. But something had happened to the Watchers in 2007. She still didn't know exactly what, and wasn't sure she wanted to, but a number of their works had appeared in underground markets over the years. Doubtless, they would be trying to recover their holdings. But it meant a chance that the works of Kadmus were available.
For the first time since Monday, Jasmin went to her room to get changed.
It was time to go to market.