<div align="center"><strong>Zahira Naqvi (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=93697.msg4086443#msg4086443)</strong></div><br/><strong>Lydia Dorn</strong><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd315/Kali_83/Lydia.jpg)</div>Zahira sat upright in bed with a gasp, her delicate hand flew to her throat. A soft moan and a shake of the overly stuffed down mattress alerted Zahira to her partner's unrest. Glancing down, Zahira saw Lydia propping herself up on an elbow, one hand outreached to comfort Zahira.<br/><br/>"Was it that dream again, Love?" Lydia asked in a concerned tone. Zahira just wordlessly nodded, her long black hair splayed down her back, disheveled. She hated seeing the concern in her lover's eyes, but she hated more to see the worry that Zahira might possibly be going crazy. She masked the look of fear and uncertainty on her face and offered Lydia one of her dazzling smiles, leaning down and giving her a lingering sweet kiss on the lips.<br/><br/>"It is alright, Lydia. The sun has only recently set. Go on and sleep for another hour or two. I am going topside to practice awhile," Lydia's eyes stayed closed and mouth puckered while Zahira talked, relishing the lasting affects of the kiss.<br/><br/>"If you need me, come find me, Zahira," Lydia warned, opening her eyes and nodding her acceptance. Lydia often times was able to help Zahira accomplish a goal if she was incapable to do so on her own. Zahira smiled down at Lydia once more, her glowing golden eyes trying to reassure her lover, before reluctantly leaving the warmth of the bed. She threw the comforter aside and rose as Lydia, herself, turn over to resume sleeping.<br/><div class="floatright"><strong>Kukri</strong><br/>(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd315/Kali_83/dagger.jpg)</div><br/>Zahira didn't bother to change out of her long white silk nightgown. Instead, she threw on a long silken robe over top. The nights on the mountain in the desert of Iran were quite chilly, but being a vampire, this rarely affected her. She picked up her sheathed kukri. It was nothing ornate but it had been handed down to her by her beloved Amaravati when she had trained enough to make her first ritualistic sacrifice. She left her bed chamber and walked along the stone hallways of the caverns inside the mountain.<br/><br/>The expanse of Alamut, the mountainous fortress in which most of the Assamite sorcerers now resided, was huge. It housed thousands of sorcerers and viziers of the Assamite clan, and even some warriors, though they couldn't take the seclusion for very long. It was theorized that Alamut only contained a dozen or so sorcerers and viziers, but since Alamut and its whereabouts were kept such a very close secret of clan Assamite, no outsider ever actually knew the truth.<br/><br/>Alamut also housed many humans and ghouls for many purposes. Many rituals and spells required the sacrifice of livestock, which was maintained by the ghouls, as was the general upkeep of the fortress. Many humans residing in the mountain served as a willing food source for the vampires, and were kept happy, healthy, and safe. Zahira headed now to human's wing of the fortress. She encountered a ghoul on the way and sent him to prepare an outside ritual compartment on the grounds for the particular ritual she was to perform. She'd drawn a slit on her arm and lovingly let the ghoul feed for a moment before sending him on his way. Her little pet, she smiled softly.<br/><br/>With a cold breeze announcing her, she entered the apartments of the mortals who willingly give their lives to the smoking of kalif. Kalif is a plant that can only be grown by Assamite sorcerers. It is a cousin to cannabis but very much more powerful, quite effective in altering the consciousness of vampires and humans alike. Blood laced with kalif, or the actual smoking of kalif itself, is used often in spells and rituals by the Assamite sorcerers.<br/><div class="floatright"><strong>Alamut</strong><br/>(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Alamut2.jpg)</div>The general awe of the crowd of humans was definitely noticeable, though it wasn't uncommon for Zahira to grace their presence. Not only was she powerful and old, but being the childe of Amaravati, leader of the Loyalist faction, gave her much credibility. Zahira approached a human woman who had just risen for the evening and was not yet intoxicated.<br/><br/>"I have use of your services," Zahira informed the woman. The woman was more than happy to assist her - just feeling worthy enough to be picked was incentive enough. The woman flew to a cabinet and withdrew a very ornate looking pipe. The pipe was gold and covered in an intricate design, a fine craftsmanship from the local metallurgist for sure.<br/>Staying on Zahira's heels, the woman followed her closely through the winding cavernous hallways, finally rising through a hole to the open night of the outside.<br/><br/>A few sorcerers stood about, practicing rituals that demanded the open air. Zahira's ritual did not demand such, but being under the night sky made her heart soar. She looked over and spotted the ghoul waiting patiently beside a very large bull tethered near a square of earth surrounded by stone. Zahira ventured over to the human and nodded her appreciation. The ghoul beamed before rushing back inside the mountain, his work here finished.<br/><br/>Zahira turned to the woman, who froze in awe of the vampire's glowing gold eyes. Remembering herself, she fumbled with a satchel tied to her waist. Loosening the bag, the human took part of the plant kept inside and loaded it into the pipe with shakey hands. She felt a bit of cold wind and, when she looked up, found Zahira directly in front of her without making a sound. The woman fumbled with the pipe and Zahira made a mental note to not select this particular female again. The human placed the pipe to her pinkened lips and was about to reach for a lighter inside her pouch when Zahira reached up her hand, a flame nestled in her palm. The flame jumped to the open end of the pipe and the human woman - Zahira never bothered to learn her name - began sucking vigorously on the other end.<br/><br/>The pipe lit, and the woman puffing away, Zahira approached the bull. She unsheathed her kukri and pet the bull's head, scratching around the horns and cooing to it. In one quick, deft move Zahira slit the bull's throat over the open square. Though Zahira was stronger than a human, she still almost lost control of the bull as it bucked its head and thrashed about wildly. Luckily it had been tethered and she had cut deep enough, gouging the jugular that it bled out quickly. It fell over in an upheaval of dust, shaking the foundation.<br/><br/>Zahira let the human get good and intoxicated while her eyes swept the night sky. It was beautiful in the secluded desert and she was thankful for the millionth time for the isolation. She had never much cared for the public and wasn’t sure she’d know how to act if she ever did encounter anyone on the outside. She’d been a hermit for over three hundred and seventy years.<br/><div class="floatleft"><strong>Gold Pipe</strong><br/>(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd315/Kali_83/pipe.jpg) </div><br/>Sighing, Zahira slowly walked back to the human. She stopped and slipped the robe and nightgown from her slender body, leaving them in a heap on stone surface. They were splattered in blood so she didn’t much mind when the wind picked up the robe and carried it away. She had more clothes than she ever could care to wear and wasn’t even sure how she’d accrued so many. Even as a human materialistic items had never meant much to her.<br/><br/>She approached the human female, taking the pipe and setting it on the ground. She untied her kalif satchel and placed it beside the pipe before reaching behind and unzipping the woman’s dress. It fell to the floor, crumpling. Zahira reached up and took the intoxicated woman’s hands and lead her down into the pool of blood.<br/><br/>Once in the pool, she strokes the woman’s hair lovingly before tilting her head to the side. As Zahira bit into her neck, the woman tensed and then relaxed, a moan of pure pleasure emitted. Zahira drank deeply before laying the woman down on the stairs to rest. She centered herself in the middle of the pool, the moonlight glistening across the surface, making the blood appear almost black in color. She scooped up handful after handful, pouring it over her head, and bathing in it until she was coated from head to toe.<br/><br/>She mumbled a few words under her breath and then settled into the lotus position in the center of the pool, waiting to Approach the Veil and seek apotheosis. A meditative state came over her, cool and tranquil. Then it began. The first four hours consisted of fighting off horrific and nightmarish memories and flashbacks of the most unpleasant kind. Faces, objects, and fears were put on display before her wrought mind. Once she had overcome that torment, visions of a different kind overtook her. The next four hours were spent denying such lustful dreams of entangled bodies and probing hands. Whispers and promises of pleasure swiped at her cognizance. She was successful, though, in her endeavor and her mind finally Approached the Veil…<br/>