York - 1480s

The constant hum of noises from the outside world drifted through the church’s tinted windows, echoing and reverberating around the cathedral. Several priests and nuns scurried around the church, either praying at the main altar or chanting whilst dispersing incense. Despite the cloudy weather outside, faint beams of sunlight illuminated the pews dutifully arranged throughout the halls of the church. Elaborate tapestries and paintings adorned the walls, retelling biblical tales and noble acts.

From his small office, Simon reviewed various messages he had received from the various minor churches that were scattered across the land. While some scrolls contained righteous demands or innocent gossip, others were filled with accounts of the heretical beasts that roamed the countryside. He let out a drawn-out sigh as he parted the assorted scrolls which lay on his desk. He had already heard the news that a caravan had just arrived from the southern lands and was likely to bear more ill-fated news.

Simon carefully opened a small cabinet on his office wall containing a wooden plaque which listed all his night hunters that had died in the line of duty. At times the weight of his role got to him; constantly second guessing his decisions and those made by the church. He lit a prayer candle in front of the board of names, before praying for the souls who had sacrificed their lives in order to protect humanity. They were in heaven now, watching over their current and future comrades.

At first, Simon did not hear the large church doors swing open, but the commotion from the various clergymen certainly garnered his attention. One of his old apprentices William had returned to the church and was accompanied by a rather rugged looking mercenary. The pair were carried a rather large box between them and were gently rebuffing the various onlookers' curiosity. After carefully setting it down on a nearby bench, William uncharacteristically sent his companion away with promises to catch up later at a local inn. Something had changed since he had seen his former apprentice, who normally lacked the desire for social visits, instead preferring to rest while waiting for his next mission.

William waved over his commander, ignoring the persistent staffers who were continuing to pester him about the contents of his box. “Simon, can you help me with this box to the basement? It would be best if only a limited number of people saw the contents.” The box itself was heavy, but not unmanageable. As they started to carry it down the stairs, Simon was sure he heard the contents shift within the box. William noticed his superior’s hesitation and simply asked Simon to trust in him, before instructing the other clergy to allow only other night hunters downstairs until further notice.

The pair spent several minutes lighting various torches to illuminate the basement, revealing the various items stored beneath the church. The torchlight revealed: crates of old books, large casks of communion wine and the assorted tithes lined the various walls. As they finished illuminating the basement, William grabbed several chairs from about the room and placed them around the box. Once the room had been prepared, William opened the crate to reveal a young girl, eyes shining a bright crimson red in the torchlight.

Simon could only watch as William carefully helped a fledgling vampire out of the box. The vampire was dressed in comfortable clothes with no obvious signs of injury aside from her heavily bandaged arm; her pale white skin seemed to glow slightly in the dim torchlight. What madness had consumed William’s mind? Bringing a vampire into the church alive and unrestrained was reckless. Despite his initial horror at the situation, he trusted William’s judgment and there was sufficient evidence that he had not had his humanity stripped away from him. “This, Simon, is Victoria.” William then exposed his wrist and enough of his vampire’s wrist to show the matching holy seals indicating a binding pact.

The vampire did not protest or put up any resistance to William, she quietly allowed him to speak on her behalf. “I would like you to hear my entire report before making any judgment as to what happens to Victoria. For transparency could you please bring out Rose?” Simon had never seen a vampiric familiar before in all of his years working in the order, yet here was one emerging from her master’s shadow. The familiar gave a simple bow as she returned to her master’s side. Both stood courteously and silently; the pair knew their place to some degree and did not wish to break their understanding of protocol.

William then resealed the box in which the vampire had travelled and proceeded to spread out a collection of blood-caked teeth around a blasphemous idol on the box’s surface. Simon could manage to stammer “What in the world...” as he stared in disbelieve at the various trophies on display before him. Not only had William brought with him the vampire he was tasked with subduing, but he had also defeated a pack of werewolves. As Simon examined the assorted werewolf fangs his mind processed William’s unprecedented accomplishment. “What you have achieved on this mission is... far beyond what I, no... we expected. I do not know what deal you made with this vampire, but given the exceptional results I believe that there may be merit in hearing your report.”

William had begun to detail his journey, reporting his captive’s surrender and her subsequent actions, when the basement door flung open as four newcomers barged into their heavy debriefing. The group consisted of three men and a woman, mostly dressed in the same standard issue leather armor that William wore, with the exception of the largest man, who wore simple monk’s robes. One of the more vocal members of the group loudly interrupted William’s explanation, demanding information. “What is with all of the secrecy?” The man in question got a rough smack on the back of his head from his commander, “Quiet Warin, learn to read the room.” The monk gave an apologetic bow to Simon, before closing the basement door. The leader of the group turned his attention to William, “Hello, William what have you found tha...” the group leader’s voice trailed off when the extent of Victoria’s existence was realised.