Finished the House of Torment/Court of Needles. GG Cenobites.
...Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding....
The youngest, relatively, of the Vampire Courts came about in the last two thousand years-when their founder, Capal, a legendary Arcanist-managed to bridge the gap between worlds, spaces and times. No one is quite sure how he did this, though it apparently involved a great deal of torment-his notes claimed that, if one wishes to tear a hole in reality, they must use the mass agony and ecstasy of living beings as a sort of hypodermic needle (from which the Court got it's name, in truth)...When he stepped through the 'pain-gate', as he called them, many assumed he was lost (or worse) forever...unfortunately for everyone else, he returned. Capal certainly had a story to tell. He claimed he had been to places higher than what we conceive of Heaven, and lower than what we assumed was Hell-that he had felt the most exquisite pleasures and pains any immortal could feel and live through-he had transcended. He was permanently changed...and the rest of his long, long life was spent trying to recreate what he had felt and lived through, trying to break the barriers between worlds apart with the screams of the tortured. An entire court sprung around him as tales grew long and wide-hedonists and sadists everyone-and as the Court of Needles grew, the exact line between began to blur, then vanish. At the end, however, he became increasingly listless despite his courts attempts to 'amuse' him-Capal eventually vanished back into a pain-gate of his own devising, jealously taking his secrets with him. He was said to have been 'bored' with his humdrum torments of masses of innocents, and his last words were apparently that he would only return if things were 'more interesting' again. His followers took this as a rebuke of the highest order.
His court lived on, however, eternally seeking to follow their master by emulating his beliefs. For their time, they have always sought to provoke strong emotions-mostly pain, but nothing is off the table-they call this 'Provoking', and it is their most practiced and revered art. Humans tend to be their instruments in this design-also Vampires, though usually only willing ones-and those unfortunate enough to fall into their webs face most unfortunate fates. Throughout their relatively short history, they have managed to collect a great deal of influence in the humand world-spreading their chaos, sin, and immorality like a plague. Ultimately, they seek nothing more than the entire world screaming in high emotion, all at once-an event they claim will shatter our perception of reality like glass...transcending all beings to a higher place of existence, and hopefully bringing Capal back to lead them-despite their founders mastery of arcane, they themselves admit their members lack the greatest arcane skills of the very oldest vampire courts-they seek arcane lore and skilled wielders feverishly to try and catch up. To this end, the Court has eagerly awaited the final war where they will no longer be held back by the need for secrecy-of all the Courts, they most especially advocate coming out of the shadows. Only then can they capture and 'provoke' captives on such a mass scale as to provoke the shattering of reality, in their own minds. Up till to the present era, mostly due to the pressure of the other courts, they have been carefully held in check. They have served as general shock troopers in most other conflicts, and when they cannot find others they willingly practice on their own-nearly all of which is accepted gladly. The Typical member of the Court of Needles is somewhat uncomfortable to look upon, for this reason.
In battle, the Court of Needles tend to be graceful and artistic-their tactics are almost never designed to kill, only cripple, incapacitate, and maim. Living subjects are always preferred. They dislike rude weapons such as guns, which rob them of vital lives to 'provoke'-though they are more than happy using such things as stun guns, proving they are not adverse to technology. Their most famous and deadly weapon is one of their devising-the 'Wireblade', a sort of monomolecular metal wire whip, a device that was apparently constructed from Capals notes on otherworldly sources. Wireblade Dervishes, as they are named, can use these weapon to inflict terrible pain-moving so fast, a human may lose his body parts faster than he can count them...soundless, terrifying, and ultimately deadly-Dervishes enjoy bleeding and cutting enemies apart slowly, piece by piece. They are rumored of have other, exceedingly strange, otherworldly devices Capal either brought with him, or was created from his notes. They have also defiled the honorable art of Flesh Crafting into a form they call 'Flesh Twisting'-tormenting humanoids into madness, making them into horrible shapes-eternally in pain, yet very alive-festooned with wires, hooks, wheels, gears, nails, rods and other fiendish devices-these 'Twisters', as they are so affectionately called, tend to guard the Courts halls and supplement them on the battlefield. Their greatest horror is that these beings apparently are at a point where they actually enjoy their state...
Politics wise, the Court of Needles is most friendly with the Court of Claws-they share similar ideals, only differing in that the Claws prefer to kill, and eat...and the Needles to eat, then kill. They are generally loyal to the House of Conquest as a rule, though how long until the rein snaps is anyones guess-they have been very patient. Famine and Pestilence are neutral, though they enjoy working together when their interests rarely align. The House of Death is generally their enemy-their would no doubt be open war between them, if the House of Conquest did not maintain order. Dead things, as a rule, feel no pain-they despise the House of Death for if their dreams come to fruition, there will be no one left to feel anything.
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Topic: Vampires: Agents of the Apocalypse (Read 6388 times)