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Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 12:46 am
by Liander
Assailants (Last Known Blood / Current Blood)
Aralyn (N/A / 2522)
CrimsonClover (N/A / 15,392)
Daciana (1274 / 1281)
Daly (N/A / 2374)
Drayden (N/A / 15,978)
Narcissa (33,053 / 32,554)

Defenders (Last Known Blood / Current Blood)
ladypeacek (10,890 / 10,983)
Pulse (N/A / 3242)
Rubi (7225 / 7228)
Seyda (10,949 / 10,427)

Unaffiliated (Last Known Blood / Current Blood)
Michiru (20,788 / 20,786)

*Unfortunately, blood counts prior to initial attacks/retaliation are unavailable. Updates will be provided as they come.



It will come as no surprise to most of you by now that vials have been flying in the streets over the last twenty-four hours. The mess of it all is in plain view for all, in every major publication, and taking over the bars. While Ab Antiquo appreciates the efforts of various citizens and representatives of the Mayor's Office to inform the public of these events, it has come to our attention that certain key information has been withheld from public light. This is not to dismiss previous efforts; all activity and voices are as welcome as ever, but it is our hope here to present a full, factual, and objective view. We will not repeat the drama here - such things are best left to editorials. What follows is the empirical data we have at our disposal, alongside some light tactical analysis.

Last night, various members of the din Kolesi lineage assaulted Seyda St. John. The alleged reasons for this are varied and controversial. The current official standpoint of the assailants, however, is best surmised as "because fuck you, that's why."

Daly wrote:I gathered my lineage together, sat them down, told them I was hitting Seyda. When asked why, I told them I was tired of being part of the system where all we do is talk shit to each other. Wait around for a big war to break out, and use our personal issues to group up and fight each other. No one did this to zero her. Just to tell her simply, fuck you.

The attacks were met with swift retribution from a few in the St. John lineage. There was a brief live fight between Daly and Pulse which ended 4-2 in Daly's favor, as well as a notable slip in Pulse's trigger finger when he used Garlic Spray against Daly well before hitting the proper blood range for such weaponry. St. John were not the only ones to err in this initial skirmish, however. There was a reactive hit against Seyda’s childe, Rubi. And Daciana - who is noted to be underpowered - also used Garlic Spray against Seyda improperly. When questioned as to why a fledge was allowed to engage:

Daly wrote:Well, she wanted to, for one. I know she should have been told to sit it out and focus on powers, that's the general rule in this city. But I didn't learn that way, and no one crammed that down my throat then. So I figured she could go out and get some practice. She used the wrong weapon, and we've all been there, but I wouldn't have said "No, you're too little." When I was fighting when I had less powers than her. I'd be a hypocrite.

Also of note was Seyda's outright refusal to physically engage Daly despite an exchange of marked agitation between the two -

Seyda: I am not going to touch you. Not one time.
Seyda: Because you are simply not worth the effort it would take for me to pick up the vial.
Daly: Alright.
Daly: You talk.
Daly: I'll throw vials.
Seyda: Because you are worthless to me.
Daly: I don't caaaare.
Daly: I did this to fiiiight.

In spite of this, other members of the St. John did not hesitate to retaliate for her, a tactic the city has seen recently in another ongoing conflict. In response to this initial attack, ladypeacek took it upon herself to attack the vampire Michiru. While there was initial confusion as to why, ladypeacek offered the following reasoning -

ladypeacek wrote:So if Crimson can hit my wife because fuck her, I can hit her wife because fuck Mich. yeah? Seems fair enough to me.

A notable facet of this choice, aside from being completely uninvolved, is the fact that Michiru is the childe of Elizabeth, the matriarch of the de Bouillon lineage. When asked for comment as to whether her lineage would become involved in this conflict, Elizabeth said only -

Elizabeth wrote:Elizabeth smiled. "I'm weighing my options."

Vetras added -

Vetras wrote:The most I can see is that she reaches out to question why Michiru was hit, if she does not know already and then assess from there. Since her lineage is not a dictatorship, it will be put to a vote, should she want to aid Michiru. We all have equal say in what we will be doing.

The results of Elizabeth reaching out to ladypeacek to address the issue can be found here.

From a cursory glance, it would appear the attackers have the advantage. Having struck first blood and currently holding more numbers, the untrained eye might be led to believe this will be a short conflict. It would be foolish to assume those of Seyda's lineage would not take up arms to defend their matriarch. There is also Seyda's recent siring to Annabelle to consider. And indeed, rumors amongst members of the St. John indicate a wave of incoming hitters being organized.

That said, tactical advantage is not the only thing to consider when it comes to city skirmishes. It is no secret that Seyda has appeared itching for a fight, agitating a number of individuals with stunning regularity ever since she and her wife took it upon themselves to kickstart a new brand of city politics. Notably trending on the streets right now is "#NotMyMayor", brought to popular use by the Caedis lineage. In contrast, a new trend has risen within the last few hours - "#DalyForPresident." Individually, these tidbits are hardly newsworthy. However, when paired with the flow of recent events, it seems as though members of the city are drawing their proverbial lines in the sand. Just this evening, Aralyn Caedis, second in command of her lineage, also joined the fray and struck a vial against Seyda. As to whether this signifies the involvement of the lineage as a whole, Aralyn was unavailable for comment.

All hits and perceived insults aside, it's been said that opportunistic ideals played a role in this attack with the assertion that Seyda is now retired. The last time someone attempted to fly with that, Seyda herself offered the following -


Stay tuned.


CLARIFICATION - 11/19/17, 13:35
In regards to clerical and political accuracy, Michiru has expressed that we clarify the House of din Kolesi as a whole is not involved. din Kolesi is the joint lineage between CrimsonClover and Michiru and while those involved may carry the name din Kolesi, these actions are of individuals and not the whole - most notably, it is CrimsonClover's lineage which has chosen to engage St. John. Michiru herself has taken to Elizabeth's residence and expresses her continued desire to remain uninvolved in this conflict. She also wishes ladypeacek and Seyda the best in their future endeavors, willing to dismiss the errant holy water thrown her way.

Michiru wrote:Now the incident with ladypeacek, she had decided to hit for the reasons that were put in your article, however her private conversation with me speaks to her belief that I have spoken poorly of them in the shadows. Anyone who knows me, who truly knows me, knows I have zero issue with speaking my thought to them, face to face in any area. As I had informed pea, for she is just that, ladypeacek, and not a mayor for Lord Raven has not bestowed such title upon her that. Anytime someone has asked my opinion, I have stated she has a large heart for wanting to bring life back to The City. I have stated too that she often stands in her own way with the inability to keep her emotions and thus her mouth in check publicly. However, some really go for that sort of thing and I encouraged any and all to spend time with her and make a perception for themselves.

She has defended her spouse. That is honorable but done so in a way that it involved people who were intentionally not involving themselves. This is an act that speaks to that emotional instability l mentioned a moment before. Commendable however equally careless. Whether or not she will receive retaliation for her act upon me has yet to be seen. I am a forgiving person and one who wishes to understand more than I often wish to be understood.

So in short, there are two matters that will be dealt with. One is the matter of The Family fight of Daly din Kolesi and his siblings and sire against Seyda St John. And a secondary issue of ladypeacek Adaire-St John, crossing a boundary with me.

This is not a matter of House din Kolesi.

As far as updates go, we have none to provide except to note Pulse has struck Daciana, who now sits at 1193 pints of blood. This is the only noted retaliation to follow the initial engagement.


UPDATE - 11/19/17, 17:55
At the time of this writing, the second round of attacks was made by CrimsonClover's lineage against Seyda. During the engagement, the vampire Pulse was noted to have thrown an early Stake at Daly, which he dodged easily. Rubi, who Seyda noted on The Beat as having not thrown a weapon and not being involved, succoured to Seyda during these attacks and followed Daly as he moved. His response was, unsurprisingly, to hit her.

As that vial was thrown, Seyda and Rubi engaged Daly live, which was followed by CrimsonClover engaging Seyda live. To say nothing of Seyda going back on her word to not throw a single vial against Daly, the numbers here show a clear victory for the din Kolesi members.

The vampire Daly has drunk 1875 pints of blood.
(Original: 2374)
The vampire CrimsonClover has drunk 14139 pints of blood.
(Original: 15,392)
The vampire Seyda has drunk 7375 pints of blood.
(Original: 10,427)
The vampire Rubi has drunk 6622 pints of blood.
(Original: 7228)

Of note is also the fact that there have been alleged break-ins against residences owned by CrimsonClover and Michiru, respectively CrimsonClover's Hideaway and Mandruleanu Manor. The vampires Rubi and Seyda have posted themselves in the former and the vampires ladypeacek, Ryukotsusei, and Whitefang have taken the latter. As of now, no further attacks have been made against the vampire Michiru, who is known to still be residing in her sire's residence. Whether this act is meant to provoke her remains to be seen.

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:01 am
by Amaya_Shannis
Worth considering: will Virgo take up arms for her 'girlfriend'?

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:12 am
by Reyna
Amaya_Shannis wrote:
Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:01 am
Worth considering: will Virgo take up arms for her 'girlfriend'?
You're hilarious.


On topic: I'm assuming 'din Kolesi' is now the name for the Argentavis/Mandruleanu lineage as a whole?

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:15 am
by Drella
There you go, Alex. Take notes.

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:41 am
by Vex
Excellent piece, and very interesting indeed. Have fun, everyone >.>

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 3:46 am
by ladypeacek
Except a lot of inaccuracies and assumptions yet again. We were not attempting a news report. He is, therefore it would be expected that he at least attempts to speak to both sides. Does he even read the stuff he writes about journalism?

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:44 am
by Vetras
As Liander has shown through more recent coverages, he has been more than willing to update his articles when people in the comment section have pointed out the assumptions or inaccuracies or downright outdated knowledge.

That being said, I doubt he would have much of a problem expanding and/or editing this article to reflect a more accurate representation of the opposing side. So then I ask, what are the assumptions and inaccuracies that are a part of this article? Being an avid reader and - as of yet - not taking part of the current, growing conflicts in the city, I'm curious.

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:49 am
by Dae
Mrs Pea, you are more than welcome to give your side of the story - you can either speak with me or with Liander. In fact I was going to speak with you last night but something came up and I was unable to. Perhaps tonight we can have a drink together and you can tell me in your words what happened, your wife is of course free to join us.

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 8:11 am
by Alex Ayres
Drella wrote:
Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:15 am
There you go, Alex. Take notes.
As journalism is not my medium, that would be a waste of my time. But thank you for the suggestion!



Liander, enjoyed the read! =)

I have but one criticism and it has nothing to do with content, just clarity:
From a cursory glance, it would appear the attackers have the advantage. Having struck first blood and currently holding more numbers, the untrained eye might be led to believe this will be a short conflict. It would be foolish to assume those of Seyda's lineage would not take up arms to defend their matriarch. There is also Seyda's recent siring to Annabelle to consider. And indeed, rumors amongst members of the St. John indicate a wave of incoming hitters being organized.

The opening sentence of this paragraph doesn't set up the rest of the paragraph well. As a reader I'm lead to believe you will talk more about the advantage the attackers seemingly have, but in the paragraph, only half of a sentence ("Having struck first blood and currently holding more numbers") actually refers back to this point. The rest of the paragraph talks about the length of the conflict.

It appears that you mashed two different ideas into one paragraph, which created one incomplete thought (the apparent advantage of the attackers) and one complete one (why the length of the conflict may be longer than people think).

I would split these ideas into two separate paragraphs. As a reader, I am interested in knowing more about this advantage. It seems you are nuanced in the ways of city skirmishes, so a short paragraph dedicated to this topic would be welcome, as opposed to half a sentence!

The other option in my opinion would be to take out the sentence mentioning the attackers' advantage all together, as the message of the paragraph becomes convoluted with it in there.

As I said, I would go with the former. The format of your article, statistics, then interviews, then your own analysis leads to an interesting read, and I would like to know more about your opinion on the advantage the attackers hold!

Look forward to reading more, have a great day all!

Re: Conflict Coverage: din Kolesi VS St. John

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 8:32 am
by Aralyn
ladypeacek wrote:
Sun Nov 19, 2017 3:46 am
Except a lot of inaccuracies and assumptions yet again. We were not attempting a news report. He is, therefore it would be expected that he at least attempts to speak to both sides. Does he even read the stuff he writes about journalism?
Except you've already said your piece in the lovely form of a so-called press release by Alex Ayres. News report it was not but I mean, if he didn't do a good enough job of covering your side of the story, maybe you should fire him. I think we all got the picture, though.
As mentioned, Liander's seemed quite willing to update and amend where needed. Sounds like you're reaching, though.

Nice read. o/