World of Darkness - Shadows of the UK.pdf - World of Darkness - RPG

™

Thisbookincludes:

•AlookattheUnitedKingdom

oftheWorldofDarkness,from

thebloodysecretsofitslong-

agohistorytothemostcurrent

threatslurkinginLondon’s

shadows

•Anelaboratetreatmentofthe

UK’swerewolves,fromnew

lodges,ritualsandtraditions

tothestrangeentitiesthatthey

huntandthathunttheminturn

•Informationontheconcerns

andkeyiguresofBritain’s

vampireandmagepopulation

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BY AARON DEMBSKI-BOWDEN, HOWARD INGHAM, CHARLES WENDIG AND STEWART WILSON

WORLD OF DARKNESS ® CREATED BY MARK REIN • HAGEN

Codes of Blood

“No doubt about that.” The young Chinese woman

nodded curtly. “Fan out. When it comes, I want us

ready for any trouble. Spiral and Ghost Howler will

do the talking.” Karen, twisting her blonde ponytail,

nodded. Rajesh stood and walked over to her, clearly

relishing the chance to speak with what was coming.

Xiaolan continued, “Clicks and I will distract

and, if possible, disable the contact if he becomes

an opponent. Last Vengeance, you will deliver the

killing blow from behind if it is needed. Spiral and

Ghost Howler are to remain back from the ighting

and exploit any weaknesses they see in the creature’s

technique. Everyone get ready and try to keep each

other alive.”

The air began to thrum with the uncomfortable

presence of something alien, something ancient and

unknown in the modern world, trying to make itself

known.

“We’re not going to be able to kill this, Shine.”

Clicks shook his head. “You know that. Even with

Mark, this is way beyond us.”

“One chance, brothers and sisters,” Xiaolan Luna’s-

Shine rolled her shoulders daintily and smiled without

humor.” “So let’s do this right.”

• • •

I am forbidden to say.

The spirit’s voice was an echo in their minds like

distant thunder. Rajesh and Karen licked a glance

at each other, then back at the spirit. It appeared

as a man — the very image of their dead packmate

— right down to the grisly, black bruising around its

neck. Karen shivered again at the sight of her friend’s

strangulation. She’d seen Mark’s real body only three

nights before, and this was about the most unwelcome

reminder she could have imagined.

Rajesh swallowed and smiled slightly to shield his

gritted teeth. “Do you mean you’re forbidden to talk

about it, or it’s forbidden for us to know?”

I am forbidden to say.

Rajesh, the Bone Shadow Cahalith also known

as Ghost Howler, was a patient enough guy when he

felt the need to be. This scene, however, was getting

beyond the realm of amusement. He opened his

mouth to speak, but a motion from his alpha drew his

eyes. Xiaolan Luna’s-Shine shook her head once, and

Rajesh took the signal. Karen noticed it, too, nodding

to Rajesh before addressing the spirit herself.

“Old One, we need to know what happened to our

pack-brother. The help you promised isn’t exactly all

that it was cracked up to be.”

You ask the wrong questions.

You say the wrong things.

The roof of the parking lot was deserted when

the ive werewolves reached the top. Above them, the

night sky was lost in a caul of grey cloud and the glare

from London’s light pollution.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.” Eddie

said again. “I mean, we already know this is a trap,

right? Sure we do. The spirits for miles around will just

be singing about how clever we were for springing

this one. I bet even the Blackjack Dozen hear about

it.” Eddie was six-foot-three of underweight Rahu. He

looked like the gangly, skinny nerd he was, but he had

a vicious temper, a tendency to forget that the People

Shall Not Murder the People and an inability to keep

his mouth shut.

“No more, Last Vengeance.” Xiaolan Luna’s-Shine

held up a slender hand and shook her head. “No more

words until we are done.” The Chinese accent colored

her words.

“Sure, boss.” Eddie nodded. He smoothed out a

crease in his jogging suit. “Just saying, is all.”

The pack walked on in silence, fanning out across

the roof of the parking lot in perfect, predatory

formation. Hunter’s instinct guided their steps as the

pack moved luidly, each member always no more than

a dozen feet away from two others.

“Shine? I’ve got something here.” Instantly every

head turned to face Rajesh, except for Eddie’s, who

instinctively began scanning the rest of the rooftop

while his pack focused their attention elsewhere.

Xiaolan Luna’s-Shine felt her skin prickle as she

stepped closer to where Rajesh knelt. The Cahalith ran

his ingertips through his slick-backed, black hair and

nodded to the pack leader. “See here? This graiti?” He

gestured to the low wall around the edge of the roof,

where a strange symbol — a name in the First Tongue

— was splattered among the mundane message of

who was fucking whom and when they’d been here.

“That symbol is done in Mark’s blood. I’d know the

scent anywhere, yeah?”

Xiaolan narrowed her eyes. The rest of the pack

sensed the change in their alpha, but only Eddie spoke.

As he talked, he still watched the deserted roof in a

perfect example of hunter’s intuition.

“I hate always being right. Didn’t I say this was a

trap?”

“Shhh.” Xiaolan raised a slender inger to her lips

and forced a smile for the young Rahu. “Calm down.

This is the proof that we needed; the proof that our

contact has the knowledge we need. You worry too

much.”

“Heads up, innit?” Rajesh asked with a grin.

“Going to have company soon.” His eyes were blue-

green, uncommon in Bangladeshi men, and they

lashed with his anticipation.

“Well.” Karen tried not to wince at the sound

of Rajesh gritting his teeth. “What are the right

questions?”

That is forbidden. I may not tell you.

The packmates all looked at one another in

frustration and growing anger, except for Xiaolan

Luna’s-Shine, who cleared her throat to get Karen’s

attention. The Ithaeur, still toying with her ponytail

nervously, met her alpha’s gaze. Shine’s expression

was clear; it bespoke conidence, reassurance and

insistence that Spiral continue with the questioning.

Karen nodded back to the other woman, and turned to

face the spirit once more.

“We know you killed Mark.”

Yes. I tasted his life. I drained the —

“Fine, great, shut up. We want to know who told

you to do it.”

I know. I desire to tell you. But it is forbidden

to me. Yet I wish your revenge to fall on those

that bind me still. They have caused me great

pain.

“What rule is forcing your silence?” Rajesh

stepped forward again. “What code? What law can’t

you break?” He was cut of as Xiaolan clicked her

ingers and motioned for him to back of with a wave

of her hand.

I am forbidden to tell.

Karen felt a smile tickle her lips as she tilted her

head and regarded the spirit. The smile faded from

her face when the creature, the image of her dead

packmate, mirrored the motion perfectly. But Karen’s

conidence remained.

“I’ve got it. I know why you can’t talk to us.”

You ask the wrong ques —

“I know, I know that. But I think I know the right

ones. Let me guess … ” she held up a hand, index

inger raised. “You are bound never to harm those who

bound you to your task, right?”

Yes.

Karen raised another inger. “And you’re bound

never to reveal who they are to anyone who would

kick their ass, yeah?”

I do not underst —

“Hurt them. Harm them. You can’t talk about who

they are to anyone who will harm them, right?”

Yes. This is so.

She raised a third inger. “Even if you are

threatened with destruction, you must still remain

silent, yes?”

Yes.

World of Darkness - Shadows of the UK.pdf

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