Cronache della Sindone

“The Giovanni Expedition”

Thursday, December 8th, 1994

I have been in Georgetown for twelve days. My servant & brother, Giuseppe, is dim-witted but altogether a useful ghoul to keep in my presence. He does what I say, when I say it, and that is more than can be said than for many. Carlo has been greatly helpful in getting me acclimated to the domain, and in supplying the necessary equipment.

This chronicle will catalogue not just the pertinent information as it applies to my investigation and duties in Georgetown, but also my personal thoughts, and events I deem relevant enough to myself to record. If you truly do not wish to comb through the document, you can have a ghoul transcribe the most crucial pieces of information.

Not long following my arrival, in a joint effort between myself and my wraiths (and involving relatively simple mathematical formulae), I have triangulated the precise location of the anomaly, down to the acre.

I was about to (at long last) travel to the aforementioned site, but was very rudely interrupted by hordes of kine rioting in the streets, when some sort of explosive was set off not far from the cemetery (possibly someone’s haven?). I later learned that this was the doing of the Sabbat, who were apparently making moves against the local Camarilla.

Then the wall appeared. A massive, thaumaturgical dome of blood and magick, bisecting the greater D.C. area, completely walling off Alexandria in a “bubble” that incinerated any kindred flesh that were to pass through it.

Fortunately, all of my current business is outside of this dome. Besides, I figure that if ever I need to enter Alexandria, I could find a way. The Tremere have always been second-rate sorcerers anyway.

Friday, December 10th, 1994

Because of the aforementioned Tremere ward, we have been forced to take a much more scenic route to the anomaly, avoiding Alexandria as opposed to cutting through it. I would say this is safer than potentially being caught by usurpers and getting into trouble with the Alexandria Camarilla, if it weren't for the Lupines prowling the nearby woods.

Nevertheless, we were forced to pass through Fredericksburg on our way to the anomaly. We stayed at a motel in the town, planning to spend the day there until I can once again traverse in the dead of night. This did not go exactly according to plan.

I was awakened during the day and brought to the automobile we’ve been thus far making our journey in - our fellowship was under attack by local Lupines. I survived that day only because of Giuseppe and Paolo’s efficacy. Were it not for them, I would have surely perished. It is far too early to recommend Paolo for the embrace, but know that I have at this point a markedly positive opinion of him.

After being awoken, the pursuit had begun. Our convoy was faster than the beasts, but they were certain to catch up to us eventually. Fortunately, as a necromancer of exemplary talent and knowledge, I was able to weaponize the dead at my disposal to great effect. The Lupines slashed at each other, possessed, and ran away in fear as quickly as they began the chase while I drifted back into daysleep. By the time I again woke, we had arrived in Manassas where we stayed from this point onward.

Saturday, December 11th, 1994

We’ve arrived at the source of the anomaly. A large corn field, with two kine living in the farmhouse attached to it. In the center of the field lies a massive, ancient-looking temple covered in enigmatic runes from a language I do not recognize, and can sparsely piece together, etched into its very walls. The structure is made from polished, dark stone of some sort - basalt, perhaps, or obsidian. Possibly some material unseen on Earth or in the skinlands. Regardless, the temple is beautiful and awesome in both parts.

The most jarring aspect, however, is that the temple is completely invisible from the skinlands. When I peer through the Sudario to see as the dead see, the structure can be seen in perfect, vivid detail; The ghouls, and myself before I invoked the Art, were unable to see the structure. Confusingly, the temple was completely corporeal in all other aspects: the ghouls were able to touch, feel, and interact with the temple, as was I, and with the same propensity as any wraith.

We marked the perimeter of the temple out, if only so the ghouls don’t break their noses running into it, and I made meticulous copies of the etched runes. It is clear to me that they are magically charged (or at least were, at one time), and are most likelike in some language (evident from how deliberate the markings are). Further details are unfortunately lost to me at this time.

Thursday, December 15th, 1994

I’ve spent the last three nights investigating the temple and its runes, and have made some middling progress. I have definitively confirmed that these runes are, in fact, written in a language of some kind, and that they come together to make up sentences. Not only have I been able to determine where independent clauses begin and end, but I have also deciphered the basic implications of the runes - I’ll get into that soon. The runes are (to my knowledge according to the tomes I possess presently) not written in any earthly language per se, but fragments of the text tell me it must be derived from one or several ancient languages (unless it is the other way around?). From that, I believe the temple is most likely of wraith make, though it is unclear at this time what particular notable wraith or organization of wraiths may have been responsible. It is also possibly of Vampire make, perhaps built by ancient (or not-so-ancient) Nagaraja or even Tal’Mahe’Ra in the shadowlands - though I consider this possibility highly unlikely. It is also possible this temple is even older than that, or created by a higher power - Dis Pater comes to mind, or perhaps even God himself or some other divine power, however unlikely this may seem. For now, though,, I will work under the assumption that this is of wraith make. Occam’s Razor, and all that.

Anyway, the runes seem to follow a rough structure, all pointing to a singular command and spell - a ward. The runes across the temple are all reinforcing the ward, or they would be, if it weren’t for the fact that the ward is completely inactive.

The implications of this are frightening, but thus far nothing seems to have happened. Unless the Sabbat invasion or Tremere ward-dome are somehow related, which is not entirely impossible (in fact I would be quite unsurprised, especially in the case of the Tremere). I will be on alert for any Tremere meddling or spying. If they were to catch wind of this, it could be potentially very, very messy for myself and for the Family. 

Friday, December 16th, 1994

I was sitting on the roof of the temple, further deciphering the runes so as to potentially glean more insights, when something curious happened - a bird of prey seemed suddenly enchanted by the temple, and came crashing down into the cornfield. I ordered Giuseppe to retrieve the creature for me, such that I may study it and the effects the temple has on it, but before he was able to do so it revealed itself to be some sort of shape-shifting Gangrel woman. I was initially very cautious of this Gangrel (who revealed to me her name - Tala) and attempted to determine her master, or at least whosoever sent her to this place. No dice. In fact, she did not seem to have a master at all; she came to this place of her own volition. Or, at least, largely of her own volition. After some interrogating, I learned that she had been receiving visions not only of this place - but of me. This was extremely curious, and it was eternally frustrating when she was unable to provide any greater detail. 

She does not seem to pose much threat to myself, the Family, or to the investigation, but I will keep an eye (and a wraith) on her nonetheless. Her prowess is admirable, as is her physical form: I think it will serve me quite well to keep her around and use her to my advantage. She would make a fine servant.

Even more curiously, she professes to be able to see, commune with, and manipulate spirits. Not as the Spirito. Rather, she can control nature spirits as from those heathen pagan tales. Even more interestingly than that, the temple is visible to her - and it looks different in her eyes! As she explains it, the temple is a glowing structure of pure light, covered in what seems to be animal scratches all along its walls, as opposed to the runes I’ve described. More than that, she also claims that above the temple, in the sky, there is a hovering orb of light that acts as a sort of hub for what she describes as physically present “ley lines”, also made of light. More investigation required.

This discovery is huge. It means not only that the temple exists physically in other planes of existence, but also that it is physically different in each manifestation. This affects my previous suggestions as to the potential origins of this temple greatly, and I will have to devote much time to this conundrum. I discovered that the markings are different, too, in the material plane. Though the temple is invisible, the physical markings on it are cross-hashes all along the walls, with seemingly no meaning. There are many new questions for me to answer, and I shall continue this tomorrow evening when I have more time.