Your first subject

Before you start playing make sure you go to make ur char sheet here http://tdoi.vampire-legend.net/in-the-beginning-f1/so-whats-up-t3.htm
also more luck will come to those who are active and write fluently rather than "i smash teh rat" say "i leap across with my readdied cludgel to bring it down on the small vermin" you might roll better.

I run into a tavern and shout "first"

I look around for people

As you enter the tavern, it is neigh empty. the wooden floorboards creek underfoot and the stench of rotting meat and grain are evrywhere but long fadded by age. There is a good amount of dust on the ground. You see a figure appear silently behind the ancient counter. "hello, sit and wait, share a story, your time will come but we must wait for more"

"Do you not recognize me? Perfect! Perhaps I have finally outrun my reputation and can relax for a day or two before the Imperials track me down again." I sit "My name is Tiyan, and if you'll bring me a round of ale and sit right there I just might tell you a few of the extraordinary things I have seen."

"excellent,l'm listening..." the figure hovers over to the taps where he pulls out a tankard seeming to be made of ice and fills it with a clear substance that looks more pure than water and sparkles in the flitering light, he disturbs no dust as he moves. "do tell me of these travels, but first, of yourself" you notice the sign as he moves around and the room becomes well lit <<Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate>> in blood red steel.

I grew up in a simple forest village. My father was a diplomat whose job was to represent our village in talks with the neighbouring Catfolk tribes, a job which kept him away for a lot of the time. My mother tried to raise to be a proper, well-behaved, productive member of society... and failed horribly. From the moment I could walk, I ran. From the moment I could talk, I lied. And from the moment I could understand the meaning of property, I stole everything I set my eyes on. I was a terror in the village. Nobodies valuables were safe from me. By the time I was 6 I could climb and balance my way into everyone’s homes. By the time I was 9, I could bypass every lock in the village. It was not surprising that at age 12 The village elders were forced to banish me forever from the forest.

So I left the forest for good on my 12th birthday with only the clothes on my back and the money that had previously been in the village elders's pockets. I traveled for a few years from city to city in the human lands doing what I do best to survive, and leaving before the local police force got suspicious. I had some fun, made enough money to live comfortably and travelled wherever I wanted. I was free with no obligations. My life was great... but there was something missing.

Throughout the years my thieving skills improved greatly, and the simple tasks of picking a pocket or stealing from a shop became... well... simple. It was all too easy, and I was bored. I started taking unnecessary risks that I really didn't need to make just for the thrill of it. I stole from diamond stores, from high class nobility, and even from high-security banks. I didn't need the money, and usually ended up blowing it all celebration parties in my honour. I had no savings, and never even thought of it. As far as I was concerned I was invincible. Nobody could stop me, and I could continue stealing for the rest of my life without being caught by anyone... oh how wrong I was.

A week after my 19th birthday I was pulling a particularly dangerous job in none other than the Emperors palace. I'm not sure what possessed me to do it, but I somehow got it in my head that I wanted the emperors ring. Since the only time he took it off was when he went to sleep it followed naturally that all I had to do was sneak past the guards and traps, into his bedchamber at night, take it from his nightstand without waking him, and escape unnoticed. The palace was more heavily guarded than I had thought and I had a few close calls, but I managed to get to his chamber without being caught. However, when I got there I found an unexpected surprise... there was another person standing by the nightstand!

We looked at each other as I entered and we both instantly realized that the other clearly had criminal intents. He was a human, roughly the same height as me, dressed all in black, with some cloth covering most of his face. Not many people know this but there is a certain amount of honour among criminals, enough that we both felt we should find a way to make this encounter work out well for both of us. Cautiously we moved close enough to each other to have a whispered conversation, and I went first. "I came for the emperors ring. I spent all week planning this, and I'm not leaving without it. You can have the rest of the valuables from this room."

The human looked at me and paused for a minute before responding. "Is that all you have come for? The ring? You can have it. It took my organization two years of surveillance and planning to bring me here today, and if it took you only a week then you must either be extremely skilled or extremely lucky, both of which are qualities my organization needs. Would you be interesting in working for the Black Hand?"

"Never heard of it" I said "and I work alone." I slipped around him and grabbed the ring, "but as long as you don't want this I'll be taking it and leaving."

As I began to head out the door, the Human caught my arm and handed me a slip of paper, "just in case you change your mind..."

I pocketed the paper and noiselessly slipped back through the palace the way I had come. Now that I had already gone through this route, I found it required less concentration and my mind began to wonder. Maybe this organization would be a good thing. My life had become pretty boring... hell I just broke into the Emperors bedchamber and stole his ring on a lark. Maybe a criminal organization would give me some focus, give me some order in my life. Maybe it would even rekindle my love of
stealing. By the time I was safely outside of the palace I had made up my mind, I would go to join the Black Hand.

As it happened, this would be the worst decision of my life.

The paper contained the name of a local pub and the instructions "Meet here at midnight tomorrow, wear black, come alone." The next night I showed up about a half an hour early and sat in the back corner, unsure about what would happen. If I had had a little more suspicion, or had listened to the news at all during the day, or had looked over the people in the pub before sitting down I would have run as far away from their as I could. Unfortunately for me, I was caught by complete surprise as five plainclothes imperial guards grabbed me. One of them knocked me out and the next thing I remember I was waking up in a cell in the imperial prison.

"Ah, you're awake." said a guard just outside my cell. He went on to explain to me that while I was out I was accused and then convicted of murdering the Emperor! I began to protest, but was told that it would do no good. I met the description of the anonymous tip given to the guard and when they picked me up they found that in addition to allot of stolen goods I had the emperors own ring which had been taken from the scene of the murder on me. I told the guard that I had stolen the ring, but the murderer must have been the Human I had seen in the room who had given me the note, but he just laughed and told me that was the worst alibi in the history of the universe. I asked about a trial but was told they had already had it, and I was to be hung tomorrow. I screamed that this was completely unfair, but he just shrugged and left.

Now I was no dummy. I knew that I had been set up, and that most people would consider the situation hopeless, but that is the kind of situation I live for. I was Tiyan, king of thieves! Where others failed, I succeeded. I just needed to figure out what the situation was.

Looking around I found that my cell was filthy. There was a pile of bug filled straw that was intended as a bed, a bucket for a latrine, and the mostly decayed skeleton of a human lying in the middle of the floor. Outside my cell was a corridor with several other empty cells and a big stone door at the end that the guard had walked out. That was not much to work with, but I began to formulate a plan. It was a long shot... but with a little luck and some hard work I might just escape.

Long story short, it didn't work and had one of my arms broken in the process.

Anyway the next day as I was sent to be hung I saw my next opportunity to escape. It also didn't work and my other arm was also broken. Then they marched me up to the gallows, put the noose around my neck, and pulled the lever that opened the trapdoor beneath my feet. I hung there for a few seconds, unable to breath and I thought I was going to die, but suddenly the rope around my neck snapped and I fell to the ground. I knew I didn't have much time so I took off running. I must have looked really silly, running away with two broken arms, a rope around my neck, and guards everywhere chasing me. The whole episode was a blur, and it seemed like the whole palace was up in arms after me. I recall jumping over a couple of guards, dodging bystanders every which way, and dodging several arrows. At some point I managed to get the rope off of my neck, but don't remember exactly how I did it. I had no idea where I was going but I knew that if they caught me I'd be dead so I kept running. Somehow I got on top of a wall at the edge of the palace and was trapped between two groups of advancing guards. I had no choice, I had to jump.

It was a 40 foot fall to the ground but I by some amazing stroke of luck I was able to land on my feet and took off away from the palace towards some woods. The air around me filled with arrows and one of them managed to hit me in the back, but I couldn't concern myself with the pain just yet. I had to keep going. I'm not sure how long a ran for, but the pain in my back kept getting worse and I kept getting weaker and weaker. As my legs got more and more tired I just kept thinking about how I had to keep moving. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and collapsed under a tree.

When I woke up all of my pain was gone and I felt lighter, like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Somehow my arms worked and the arrow from my back was gone. It had been several days since I had eaten, yet I felt no hunger. I didn't have much of a memory of my surroundings, but It seemed to me that I was no longer in the same forest I had fallen asleep in the previous night. Everything had a bit of an unreal feel to it. A short ways away I say a very old tavern, and I walked to it, and that’s how I ended up here.

"Interesting, I am lord Soth former lord of the black rose. I came from a world not unlike yours and once held great power as a mortal. I have brought you here with need of your power." He stares intently at his hands as his eyes flash red. "That was ages ago, long before ... any of this, come! enjoy your drink" he pours himself one aswell into the icy tankard and motions the cheer. "to paths that carve new nations..."

I take a cautious sip of the liquid he gave me. "So, now that you know who I am I want a few answers. I have felt strange ever since.... No... I haven't felt anything at all since waking up in the forest and I'm beginning to suspect why that is. Am I dead?"

"my apologies, i DID summon you from the abyss. Such meager deeds are within my domain. i am here to give you a second chance at your life. i see that you have wasted it all to frivolously. though you do not possess enough power the other spirits i summoned will together with you, i will explain more when they arive. I presume you wonder how long... by your worlds time 10,000 years give or take a few centuries have passed." You fell your spirits lifted by the beverage, the tankard is ice cold and feels of ice but does not melt. "no not take me lightly for even a moment. I brought you here"

"Wow... 10,000 years. That is a lot to take in. Everyone I have known is gone. Societies have grown, fallen, and grown again."

"But, on the other hand, the Empire won't be looking for me anymore. And my reputation has probably been wiped clean from the law enforcement offices in towns everywhere."

I pause and reflect for a moment. "A second chance at life you say? No doubt you called upon the services of the greatest thief who ever lived, and it was my spirit that was retrieved. You want me to complete some mission or other in exchange for restoring my life? Well Lord Soth..." I make a quick bow "You have a deal." I then chug the liquid in the tankard, put it aside and grab at the Lords hand to shake it.

"excellent..." his eyes glow crimson red and seem to burn with the flames of hell has he shakes grasps the hand and shakes... "By the darkness bound this pact be made!" You feel again, flesh is yours and as it fills in you feel burning in your palm as you smell seared flesh. your palm is smoking as it is released, millions of tiny symbols burned onto your palm that glow and quickly dash across your body to who knows where. "i will give you what tools you need, the rest you will deal with yourself, im sure your capable. You and your soon to be companions are nowhere near powerfull enough as you will be but you shall be when you reach your destination, i feel your potential..." his eyes dim and he fills your tankard, finishing and pouring another for himself aswell.

"It feels good to feel again. Your wall says to abandon hope, yet I think you may have just given it back to me. Its not every day you come back from the dead with a new lease on life."

"I understand you want to save the details of my mission until some more people you brought back show up, but is there any details you can give me? You said you were the former lord of the black rose... what is the black rose and what happened to make it so you aren't the current lord of the black rose?"

"THAT is none of your concern..." his eyes glow red for a moment. "I will go and summon the next of your companions." he disaperes into the back... echoing from a distance "upstairs you will find equipment from many eons, i have much more but it should suffice as a start, David will be your guide he's upstairs..."

"Okay boss... whatever you say!" I call after him. I head upstairs sipping my drink and look around.

the wood creaks underfoot. cobwebs and dust swirl around your ankles as you walk up the stairs. when you go up you see a giant warehouse. there are millions of shelves behind a desk. the desk is well kept with a service bell. the polished oak gleaming, it must have been recently polished. from where you stand you can see many weapons devices vehicles and other oddities on and on for miles.

"David! Is there a David here?" I walk up to the deck and ring the bell.

you hear a clanking comming from down the warehouse. it gets louder and louder until you are beset by a 8 foot monstrosity wearing jet black armor that seems to slowly smoke wisps of black fumes from every crack. a voice that seems to echo from the abyss itself speaks. "can i help you?" you feel a shiver down your spine as your hair goes up on end. "i suppose im supposed to equip you for your journy, very well what will you be taking with you..."

"Hey Dave. Let me think...
1. I could probably use some good, light armor (preferably a Mithral chain shirt if its available)
2. I'll need weapons. A crossbow with some ammo would be good, as well as a shitload of knives (I like knives)
3. Some tools would be good, lock picking equipment, pliers, glass cutters, crowbar, grappling hook, etc. whatever you have lying around in the hardware section.
4. I'm good with rope, and I could use as much as is available
5. Supplies are important. In my old life I had something called a ring of sustenance that I find much more useful than carrying around rations, but if you don't have one I'll need regular food and water
6. In my line of work it always pays to have some extradimentional storage space
7. and lastly, I'll need as many super powerful magical items that you think might be useful as your boss will let me have (if any)"

"also, i'd like a small sample of whatever is considered currency today, just so I'll know what to look for"

"HA! i see this one knows the troubles he'll be in already i like you so i'll look extra hard, i heard your story and i think you will do well..." the large towering suit of black moves off into the shadows of the warehouse and disaperes... "come back in a while..."

"Need any help?" I say starting to try to follow him.

an invisible force stops you from passing the desk "thats okay... i'll find you some good stuff"

"okay" I stand there, whistling, tapping my foot, looking around.

"The material plane amazes me... It always makes such a wide variety of goods... Here, this should be enough for your travels, you should be able to get what you need later"

He places on the table.
A tightly woven silvery shirt with a dozen slots for knives woven into its side, a small cloth pack with some clothing in it, a set of well crafted thieves tools, 24 throwing knives, a grappleing hook, a small cloth sack with 120 small round and thin metal pieces as well as an assortment of other small metal pieces. a bag that seems to be full of food and a piece of leather that has cardinal points but is blank.

"also, this is from a very different era... circa... 4000 years ago... i think, cant remember that well..."

He plunks down what apears to be a crossbow with no bow and small metal slugs as projectiles all put together. the slugs seem to be slightly magnetic.

"if you get in trouble use this"

Lastly he places down a small crystal rod about a foot long and half an inch wide with carvings of runes and mystical creatures that seem to activly be moving about the transparent crystal rod.

"anything i forget?"

"oh yea... the bags... of holding, i think they were... get them urself, you should be more than capable..."