Seramanc was like a city out of a fairytale, a stone city spilling down a lonely peak towards the sea, with countless marble spires stretching up towards the soft blue sky made hazy with starlight: it was called the city of twilight, yet the moons and stars provided enough illumination to walk outdoors without hazard. Wrought-iron streetlamps cast an orange glow across the cobblestone lanes, most of them busy yet never quite crowded, neither still nor rushed.

The streets were veins, and the life and light were the blood passing through them, seamlessly, organically. Few words were spared in passing, yet there was nothing monastic about this silence, for none of the denizens went about their eternal lives with their heads bowed. Their faces and their bodies spoke more than mortal language on its own could provide for, eyes flashing to one another in a wide array of promises, most of them civil, if not friendly... though a few less so.

They never spoke it in the open, though there was no denying that everyone knew: Seramanc was a city of vampires, a one-of-a-kind institution, where those who had conquered mortality were as close to open about their lifestyle as any of their kin could hope for. "It is a very unique arrangement, a profitable one, too, and not without its enemies, either."

The Viscount smiled ever so slightly over his shoulder from his wide stone balcony overlooking the piazza; his quiet words were just clear enough to be heard over the dull roar of the fountains below. "And because it is such a unique treasure... we the residents find ourselves rather protective against threats to Seramanc. Madness is such a threat, I think, because it does not take very much imagination to picture this as a rather mad place, does it?"

The city intrigued her, she'd heard rumors but had always dismissed them as overblown descriptions out of RhyDin, though honestly she should have known better, and she did. She had done her research as well as she could, but a society as secretive as theirs meant that things were often well hidden.

She moved closer to the Viscount, standing next to him on the balcony. "It is a very unique place. Beautiful. It would be a shame to see it harmed in any way." Her eyes scanned the horizon, then moved to look at him. "So what madness are we talking about and who is prone to it?"

"Our kin," the Viscount replied; so far he had never once said the word 'vampire.' "We do not know where it begins, or how, but it seems to strike at random. They behave as if they were animals, with few signs of symptoms beforehand, and have proven rather threatening to our more vulnerable guests." Mortals had always been allowed to walk freely in this city, and without any more fear than whatever they brought in their own heads; it was what made Seramanc so profitable, a center for banking and trade run by people who were by nature incredibly ancient. Attacking a mortal without the permission of the Viscounts was the only sin here absolutely punishable by death.

Concealing words would not get them much further, but it was with great pain that the Viscount delved deeper. He paused and let his senses stretch out, smelled the air, listened to the water and the people below, and watched like a hawk. "There have been seventeen documented cases so far, all of them having to result in termination of the subjects. There have been four mortal deaths as a result that we know of, and while the Authority has instituted a press blackout... it will not hold for long, and the rumor mongers are already running the stories. Every maddened subject has so far been a member of the middle or lower classes, so we suspect the outbreak of madness is a result of someone tampering with stored blood supplies, and not from the dolls those of us more... enabled, find ourselves enjoying."

Her lips pressed together as he spoke, becoming thinner and thinner with each word. "Have you checked the bottled stuff? Where is it coming from?"

She turned, leaning her butt against the railing, "Blood lust is serious. How old are those who have been infected? I mean... if this is striking fairly young ones, then imagine what would happen if an ancient was infected."

Her head tilted a little, she was listening, the sounds of the streets around them, people talking, birds, the breeze, she was taking it in as they spoke. "I'll need to take some of the stored blood back for testing. One from each lot, if there are lots I mean."

"The subjects have all been of rather variable age, up to four hundred years, and of course. We will provide you with the required samples within four hours, if that is acceptable to you, Highness," the Viscount added with just a little amused inflection to his tone. "Approximately nine tenths of our bottled supplies come from just four providers, all of whom have profited off of a long and open history with Seramanc... it would not be sensible for any to be poisoning their own supplies. It could, potentially, be competition between the various providers, but it is a rather heavy-handed tactic for corporate sabotage. And with such a flawless history... a simple accident is unthinkable. They have been tightening their protocols, but the cases only increase."

The Viscount breathed a long and needless sigh, rubbing a golden cufflink between his thumb and forefinger. "I believe this threat comes from within. For such a drastic action, one has merely to look to whomever stands to gain the most, and therefore lose the least. The bottom of the pile, if you will. Two of the old families have lately shifted out of favor, the Hauerburgs and the Phenneths... but if I were investigating this personally, I would look still lower, to the lowest form of life this city has."
He added with a sad smile, "The Rasenna. Look into it, and I believe strongly that in time you will find your answers there, and save us all from our doom."

She'd caught the inflection when he'd said Princess and that made her smile. "There are easier ways to taint a product than kill off your customer base, you're right. " Her sigh was short. "Is there somewhere in town I can stay? I supposed I should buy something, it'll get make me seem more settled in the city rather than just someone coming to investigate. I'd also like the samples to be tested here and back in RhyDin... We don't know how far this goes and if there's a difference in the readings then we might find out if other information is being leaked out. If we can do that part quietly I'd appreciate it."

"I keep a townhouse two blocks from the piazza. It is... comfortable in size, I regret to say, but hopefully suitable for your short-term needs." Echago smiled over at her. "Forgive me for anticipating your reaction... I have already had the property records altered to state that you have owned it for the last eighteen months. I shall see to an escort to your lodgings, and the arrangements with the samples," he said by way of farewell, and stepped forward to kiss her hand. "And if you find the lodgings suitable to your tastes... you may consider them part of your reward, should you succeed."

She nodded as he kissed her hand. "Thank you, Sir. " Her mind was already working on the issue, thinking of what she would need to bring, how long she'd need to stay, people she'd need to contact. She did pause in her musings though, long enough to say, "You may call me Kate if you wish."

"As you wish, Kate," he said with a laughing smile in his departure, leaving her alone on the balcony overlooking the piazza. The fountains continued their dull roar, and most of the shifting crowd below was clearly visible from her point of view, and vice versa... yet, as one observed closely, one could not help but get the sense that somehow passersby knew better than to look too closely at the Viscount's abode.