The Ravenblack Grimoire

There is a wide body of sociological literature on the concept of framing. In short, framing is how individuals understand their experiences and express it in a narrative. Of course, the veracity of these expressions is always questionable but that is not the important factor (at least for Erving Goffman). What matters is how individuals frame it. From this simple concept, a sociologist brought this concept to social movements. The basic argument is movement activists must frame experiences to resonate with a wider audience, to recruit and gain support. In many ways, this is rhetoric and persuasion. We all do it, especially governments when it comes to war.

And so the women are sold too, in much the same way:

Miranda Dawn sold to Lesion – 135,000
Nnamira D’dar sold to Sartori – 110,000
BladeofRayne sold to Rodargo – 90,000
Velvet Kiss sold to Lesion – 75,000
Labyrinth sold to TooL – 75,000
Anuksunamun sold to Zadow – 70,000
Icsis of Exuma sold to Phoenixxe – 66,000
Synangel sold to Goliath – 60,000
Josephine sold to Calisto – 56,000
Vampuro sold to Xandra – 53,000
Sweetblood17 sold to Mistress Ash – 50,000
Ellora sold to Mistress Ash – 50,000
Lady darkness sold to Seth Lomax – 50,000
CG Dragonfly sold Drusilla – 45,000

And the final results for the Drip Red silent auction are as follows:

Thylantis sold to Mina – 310,000
Count Tuna sold to Morgana18 – 150,000
Goliath was sold to Tatana – 120,500
Rykoth sold to Morgana18 – 100,000
TygerNight sold to Mystic Dreams – 100,000
Scratch sold to Gypsychilde – 95,000
AcerNeros sold to Xandra – 90,000
Daly was sold to Drusilla -86,000
Deylin sold to Velvet Kiss – 65,500
Spensor sold to Ebony Moon – 51,000
Angelo was sold to Miranda Dawn – 50,000
Nesmuth sold to Miranda Dawn – 50,000
Rico was sold to Goddessred – 45,500
Torlogh O’brien sold to Mistress Thorn – 45,000

Your word.

Perhaps one of the most important thing any vampire can hold true to. Agree to do something and then renege on that agreement is likely to have unpleasant consequences. Such consequences are now showing themselves in the form of a duel challenge from Lord Galamushi to Damari.

To satisfy my own curiosity, I sought out Damari to ask her exactly, as she sees it, what is going on. She's known far and wide for her bitchy remarks, her sometimes direct, sometimes subtle ways of speaking and in general possessing the knack of worming her way under the skin of others. Not necessarily a bad thing. That is unless you happen to be on the receiving end of her displeasure.

It’s not often I do investigative reporting. I prefer the more editorial leanings of this calling but I couldn’t resist this tid bit when it landed on my doorstep. I even went out of my way to investigate whether this was merely spurious conjecture or the real deal.

I have to tell you my avid readers, it’s not looking good for Lestat. From my super secret source I was given a location where Lestat was luring every human he could muster just to garner the special blood fattening power he gets from God Ravenblack when he turns new humans to this dark way of life.

You would think Lestat, in this Saintly form would have learned his lesson. God Ravenblack has already stripped him of everything a vampire could possibly be stripped of for one such thumbing of his nose at the great power of this city. But does he really dare to do it again, in another form, so soon after being stripped of his powers, his life and his body?

Earlier today, the loss of a childe of Murrz Ramirez was brought to the attention of the Staff here at the Grimoire.
RavenBlack, the Lord of our fair city, detecting a vile taint around the corpse of King Lestat, smited him in one fell blow, rendering him little more than a temporary shell within our fine city.

Various sources reported at some point in time, Lestat had been seen slumming in the ghetto's bragging of his abilities to illegally move coins from servants to others for a fee. We can only surmise here at the Grimoire that if Lestat indeed had this dark art skill, this would not be the first time he has used it. Confidence in charging others a fee for this indicates that one would have to be particularly skilled through practice in this trade. And were he not skilled through practice, one could again surmise the number of vampires he put in or could have put in jeopardy had he used it on them.

Today saw the launch of Ravenblack City's first television news service. Affiliated to BCI News, the new station is a joint venture between Lesion of the Empty Spirals and Shaarinya, BCI proprietress. The initial broadcast, aired this morning, showed the same incisive eye for news that the paper itself is unlikely to ever be known for: it was entirely about Lesions farts.

Unfortunately, the event was overshadowed by the announcement that Lesion, well known for his seedy dealings, is in possession of "dirty pictures" of Yggdrasil's psychopathic supremo, ophelia. The images are sure to be in great demand on account of the city elder's delicate and haunting beauty.

I would like to officially state that the House of Heorot HAS NOT entered ANY allies into this war. It shall remain as such until our enemies bring in allies of their own.

That being said, who ever else has decided to launch attacks on any single or group of TiC members shall be disclaimed from HoH as friends or allies at this time.

Also, we will refrain from further attacks on Fire Hawk this evening until a member of TiC has contacted me or one of my co-leaders regarding his inexplicable drop in blood out of respect.

CrimsonClover
High Council ~ House of Heorot

Earlier this evening, it was brought to my attention that What The had been Holy Watered by blackdragon of HoH. My curiosity was piqued so I took a few quiet moments to sit with blackdragon and find out what was really going on.

Grimoire Editor: To start, lets go back to the beginning. At what point in time did HoH consider targeting What The?

blackdragon bd: Well I suppose her name was never taken off the table and was put there long before I joined the clan, but this specific attack was planned very recently.

Grimoire Editor: Is there any particular reason you have for attacking her? Or is it just for the hell of it-boredom etc?

"The Magisters Council have decided, along with ladypeacek, that the Ferrymen should begin their new path with the Stygian resuming her position. persephone has been removed from the property and her place amongst the clan revoked for breaking the creed."
_____________________________

Backstory:

On March 31 2008 an announcement was made on behalf of the Ferrymen. In this announcement, persephone, the acting leader of The Ferrymen turned over leadership of the clan to Andre D'Dary, her new sire. For a few days after this announcement speculation, laughter, suspicion and upset running through the city. Was this just an elaborate joke? Was this serious? Did Andre have good intentions for the ancient clan that so long ago was held in such esteem? Had persephone lost her mind?

As the bodies piled up around, madame syn has made a small come back, burning a crew late last night. Those of us here at the Grimoire have flipped the proverbial sand timer, and will sit and wait.

The battle that started on Thursday night ended just as quickly on Saturday night, with the fall of Calisto Lomax by the House of D'dary, EvilDrusilla by the original attackers (although it has been reported that Seth Lomax took the final shot), and Seth Lomax, also by the House of D'dary.

I have been asked to clarify that although the Sypheronias, members of Majica's House of Wilde, and the House of D'dary were attacking the same targets, that all three groups had different reasons and does not signify an alliance between any of these groups.

With that said, the end result is the same. The staff of the Grimoire wish each of the three a good rest, and extend congratulations to the victors. And allow me to interject a small editorial addition by the writer? [AKA What follows is OPINION] Seth, this IS what happens when you forget who came before you. Those who giveth can and sometimes do, taketh away.

On Valentine's Day, the Sypheronias, along with Majica, Mina, Moon_Shadow, Jaenelle, and RemipunX began attacking the House of Lomax. The Lomaxes returned fire and as a result, the House of D'dary has now become involved. Since both Jaenelle and RemipunX belong to the D'dary family, the D'dary's decided to return fire on behalf of their family.

About a month ago, in what is now commonly referred to as the Farce War, a member of the House of Lomax attacked Majica, RemipunX, and Ollie as part of their war orders. The three returned fire, and the House of Lomax responded as a unit. They attacked the three of them for attacking their kin the night before Seth Lomax, patriarch of the bloodline, was scheduled to duel with kaio999. The D'dary's have responded in kind during this most recent battle, in an attempt to give the Lomaxes a taste of their own medicine.

Last night the House of Lomax was attacked by the combined forces of The Sypheronias and a few other vampires who felt they had a score to settle. Majica, Mina, Moon_Shadow, and RemipunX are said to be among the few tag teaming on this effort.

As more information is received, we'll be sure to let you know.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone involved!

We of The Sun Clan have watched from the shadows of our night-blighted, violent city since the beginning. Neutrality, information-gathering, and observation are cornerstones of existence as a Solar. Some of you are no doubt familiar with such old names as The Sun, torch, and Basil. They, and everyone else of the Solar family, wish to announce that we are celebrating another milestone in RavenBlack City. This is our fifth year of existence. Please join us in celebrating the anniversary of one of the oldest clans in the City.

Care to join the festivities?

* Come to the Ivory Tower and shout your congratulations to the Solars who have gathered there. *

As most of you know, I've spent the last six weeks fighting members of the Mafia alliance, primarily DOA & DoW, alongside my children RemipunX and her husband Ollie. Throughout this war, I've not only dealt with the disadvantage of numbers but other adversities as well.

Though I know that I have made a few errors here and there, I have fought to the best of my ability, learning things as the nights of battle passed. Now my aggressors have fallen into shadows, and while doing so, have begun to gain blood while not moving. At this point, with the crippling blow to my opponent's finances, with the allied clans of the Mafia breaking off and onto their own, and with the looming taint of blackblood on the part of those that wish to send me to torpor, one thing has been made very clear. My opponents did not get the easy kill they perhaps thought they were going to get. There is no vengeance gained…no redemption to be had. Only lessons. Both for myself and I would like to hope…for my opponents.

Congratulations!

As various news sources have reported on the conflict involving Majica, Remipunx and Co ~vs~ A LOT of other vampires-all waging a war of sorts in the city, there is now an interesting turn of events.

While not related to a defence for Majica and Company, Hells Angels have stepped onto the battle field, launching attacks on members of DOA and OI.

The reasons remain to be seen , but will be reported as they unfold.

Over the past several days, the hot story in town is how various Mafia members attacked Majica Wilde, and the ensuing conflict that has occurred. Shortly after Majica was attacked, her childer, RemipunX, responded in kind, attacking several Mafia affiliated vampires. Since the nature of Remi’s attacks have been questioned, I decided to end the speculation and track her down for an interview in between the vial tossing. When we met, save the obvious exhaustion, she appeared rather immaculate. No holy water burns were noticed, although there was the distinctive smell of burning flesh. She practically bounced into our meeting place, almost as if she was trying to show that nothing was bothering her, and with the exception of the paleness from lack of blood and pure exhaustion, one would probably be fooled by the outward appearance. She bounced in, took a seat rather enthusiastically, laughed at my makeshift reporter gear of a twill suit and an old frumpy hat with a press card in it, and settled into the questions. What follows is Remi’s story.

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A missive for all of the City of RavenBlack to read:

For the rest of the month of December only, the vampiresses Narcisssa and Annabelle will be bringing back the much loved Secret Santa Service, and including a new member to the Service - CrimsonClover. This service strives to set aside all clan differences in order to offer a Non-Profit Service to the entire City. Send those you admire, hate, or simply want to annoy dandelions, roses, orchids, or diamonds - whatever your budget allows for. The charge is simply the Discount prices of these items plus the cost of a discount teleport. All clients will remain anonymous, unless they specifically ask to be recognized. This is strictly non-profit, of course, but tips are acceptable and much appreciated*

Yesterday, I had a quick sit down with both Demonic Diati and Majica Wilde regarding their conflict as it currently stands in the city. By the end of the discussions, I sent both vampires with a series of three related questions to answer. The following are the responses given by Majica. Once I receive Diati's responses, they will shortly follow (*pokes DD in the ribs gently* )

****

1. If it was publicly proclaimed that the Mafia was washing its hands of you, why do you think Demonic Diati has decided to stage an independent action against you now??

The Mafia may say what they want, but they never washed their hands of me. Lilac became tired of the fact that others were not falling properly into line behind her, and the only way to save face was to say she was done with it. Demonic Diati is proud of his lapdog status to her, and I find it hard to believe he would ever have the will or spine to act on this on his own. I am just a Mother to my family, who advises and cares for her children. If a so called leader like Demonic Diati sees me as such a threat without the whispers of a woman in his ear, our city is in much more trouble then I thought.

Two years of happiness together and still going strong! Here's to an eternity of love with each other for you both. Congratulations!

Today marks a milestone for Vermathrax-rex and Bellina. In a city where partners change as frequently as shoes, these two have managed to stick it out, weathering the storms of the city together for two enviable and exemplary years.

For two years now they have they have remained side by side, always passionate and loving with one another, always togther. Here's to the future Vermathrax-rex and Bellina! Congratulations on 2 years.....and may you have many many more!

The Republic, containing both The Republic of Ravenblack and the League of Shadow Demons, have dissolved their agreement with the Unholy Alliance effective immediately. A founding member of the Alliance, The Republic has reportedly cut all ties with both the Sanctuary of Immortal Enlightenment and the Hall of Rogues.

When asked, nitenurse St. John, Consul of The Republic, had the following to say: "An alliance is built upon mutual trust and respect. I don't feel it's there anymore." A rather succinct statement indeed. The staff at the Grimoire wish The Republic, The Sanctuary of Immortal Enlightenment, and The Hall of Rogues well in their respective futures.

Today, this fantastic couple celebrate one year together. Congratulations both of you! This is just the first of many to come.

The vampire Lucius has drunk no pints of blood.
(Lost In Shadow)
Powers: Second-sight Suction Surprise Perception Celerity(3) Stamina(3) Shadows(3) Thievery(3) Locate(3) Telepathy(3) Charisma(3)
Partner-bound with Damari.
Dead and buried.

A lifetime time can be judged by one's accomplishments. Love him or hate him, Lucius has accomplished much in this fair city. With that, it appears to have come to an end. After dropping out of the public eye, not much has come from the vampire, outside of the battle between him and his partner-bound's childers. The former leader of the Ferrymen has now rejoined the ranks of dead and buried, having not moved since his zeroing.

Congratulations to the happy couple. May you have an eternity of anniversaries to celebrate!

Congratulations to both of you! May you have many more years in each others arms !!

Congratulations to the wonderful couple!! May you have an eternity filled with laughter, joy and renewed strength in your love for each other.

I've been sitting here at my desk for many hours now trying to think of words that will do this next article justice. The sun has risen, and set again, making way for the immortal that live by the light of the moon to roam the streets again. But what is happening outside these office windows is of little interest to me. Instead I am thinking of one vampire.

In all of the years I have been in Ravenblack, there are few outside my personal circle of loved ones that has inspired such an unequivocal feeling of respect. It is, in fact, a rare thing that one such vampire can accomplish so much in so little time and still remain standing, unbowed against the currents that dictate our fair city.