I don't know, that's more of a 'Carry On My Wayward Son' kind of situation.
(Any Supernatural fans out there? 
)
I was just quoting Metallica and throwing out story hooks :mrgreen:
[tab][/tab](I like mister green. It is my favorite emoticon. Wish I could make it work on Facebook)
Celdoni, the bartender, he leans over and whispers to you guys The truth is this. El Piròman was pronounced dead, but there was a spark of life left within him. The Lord had decided to spare his life, but to atone for the arsonist crimes of his youth he must act as a scourge against those who would corrupt and harm Barcelona. Erat Caecus is his arch enemy. Formerly they were mere rivals. Erik tells me that el Piròman's near death was the result of an assassination attempt, a hit ordered by Erat Caecus he suspects. El Piròman had been investigating corruption and potential code violations that could be lined to the blind one. That's what they call the guy. Erat Caecus means "he was blind" and they mock him and say he is still blind.
[tab][/tab]Look, I feel like a putz for squeeling like this, but English Erik is in way over his head and needs help. He has put together a counter network to observe Erat and counter his actions. A few other Redcaps are in on it, Tiana is supicious but knows nothing about it. But the Obsidian Ring of Erat Caecus cannot be so easily penetrated. Three cells have been exterminated in the last three months, el Piròman was the target of a failed assassination, and a Jerbiton magus helping them was murdered by his own shield grog.
Yeah! You bet!
Metallica too 
The old one at least.
[color=blue]"I am not familiar with this...Obsidian Ring," FĂŠdora whispers and looks around at the others.
[tab][/tab]It's a secret society. Or a crime family. Not really sure. Maye both. Erat Caecus rules the local faction, but it goes way beyond him. Don't really know much more than that.
[tab][/tab]Maybe a little more. I hate that trope. The only guy that knows something can drop bare hints but omits obvious known facts.
[tab][/tab]They run a vice operation at the Silver Shark around the corner and up the street. I know that. They are well connected with the Hermetic Black Market, and control some of the business around town. What else? They run a protection racket. One that actually works though. Pirates won't touch you if you pay the Ring. Plus sex magic and necrophilia. I think? Strange cult stuff.
"I'm sorry, I have to confess I get a little confused about what you call them, vice operations. Did you say sex magic and, oh I think I'm going to be sick. With the dead?"
[tab][/tab]That's what they say. Never seen them do it. You know how gossip is.
FĂŠdora purses her lips thoughtfully. [color=blue]"I'm not at all familiar with this 'sex magic,'" she says thoughtfully, [color=blue]"and I'm fairly certain I don't want to be with necrophilia. You?" She looks to Fleur.
Fleur is holding her stomach while she shakes her head. After a few moments she adds "I wouldn't mind learning more about sex magic, the other I have no interest in. Just thinking about the possibility..." she places her hand to her mouth again.
Well, imagine the things people think and say about otherwise normal people who happen to have the Gift or Blatant Gift 
Sex is just about Fleur's religion, and necrophilia a blasphemy...
And rumors and slander are just rumor and slander.
Lust as a major flaw is one thing (and you play that up too strongly sometimes). But sex as a religion may be a bit much and is setting you up for Infernal trouble.
Metaphorically her religion...
and it is the idea of necrophilia which makes her sick, regardless of the veracity of the rumors.
So, where do we go from here?
Pere's shacked up in one of the rooms at Yuval's with the new girl, so he's not hard to find if they decide to do something immediately. If not, he won't object to sleeping. 
((I feel like I'm missing something painfully obvious that is not only staring me in the face but is about to chew my bloody nose off, but it might be Saturday before I can set aside time to read the whole thread to see what it might be. So, if I'm quiet(er than normal), that's what it is.))
Well, you need to visit the other covenant houses in the area. We can handwave that if you can write some sort of interesting narrative that I can reward you for :mrgreen:
You also still need to visit the squatter in La Vella, the portal at Doisettep, and the new covenant in Pamplona.
But there is something gnawing at you, and I think I know what it is. You (Peragrine) are the sort that likes to read and read, and often complained how the wiki is stuffed with a lot of old data stored from previous generations of this saga. That causes me to suspect you have read dozens of miscellaneous tid bits. You have also been paying attention to the subplots and loose threads I have been weaving into the current saga. And I have been dropping Easter eggs like jelly beans. And you remember the elements of the Barcelona story that flopped around Christmas (Christmas overwhelmed me, and I lost my connection for a month).
I will not put the pieces together for you, but I will reiterate them for you.
- Tiana told Fedora that she suspects that the Redcaps working this district are corrupt and aiding their mundane cohorts by letting them use the portal network.
- Tiana mentioned she suspects English Erik to be up to something suspicious and connects that with her portal suspicions.
- Fleur was flirting with English Erik, but was put off when a mysterious stranger showed up and told him "the Blind Man is on the move".
- When Matteu (a companion and security specialist for Barcelona Covenant) was pressed about the identity of the cloaked man, he said "They say that it is el Piroman, Trentus of Flambeau, returned from the grave to avenge his murder"
- Trentus of Flambeau was reported to have been murdered just last Christmas. But upon follow up investigation, no body could be found.
- Erat Caecus was accused of assasinating him, and was suspected to be involved in the deaths of Erus Pavo of Jerbiton and another Jerbiton magus from out of town wearing a red shirt (red shirt meaning that he was unnamed and was just tossed in to add to the body count).
- To sew up the story and get on with new things (after I got my internet connection back), The plot was these murders were revealed to have been the influence of a daimon (or devil or demon), whom Erat Caecus accused Barcelona to have been in league with. It turns out that a deceased former magus of Barcelona Covenant had conversations, not dealings, with a spirit named Tyretscius. In the old Iberia book, he is described as a Demon. But that was Third Edition. I offered the alternative idea that he could have been a Faerie (a Devil) or a Magic being (a Daimon). Teaming up, Golda used a Jewish Folk Witch ritual to call Tyretscius up and the collected magi struck it down with Perdo Vim spells covering all three possibilities.
- But Erat Caecus is afflicted by a succubus, the same one that haunts Solomon. He saw it with his own eyes.
- Fedora and others are unaware of it, but as players you may have read in the "Terror in Transylvania" thread that Vocis and Poena had a serious discussion about Erat Caecus.
- The Obsidian Ring is a known criminal organization that has frequent dealings with Hermetic Magi. A long time ago a player created a magus named Octavian of Tremere with his own custom cult that was somehow tied to or rivals with another cult coincidentally named the Obsidian Ring. Also, there is an actual enchanted permanantly inlayed circle, located in Val-Negra, which is called the Obsidian Ring and is made of obsidian. Erat Caecus favors wearing numerous magical rings on his fingers, and has one that is called the Obsidian Ring and is made of obsidian. He also has a jade dragon ring. Be afraid of that one.
- English Erik came back to the bar seemingly frustrated. Failed in his quest? He took Fleur upstairs to make whoopie, his performance was poor, he passed out. Talking in his sleep, she got the following out of him "..not dead..."; "...Everyone thinks your dead Piroman, assassinated..."; "...Erat Caecus? He can't see you. He is a blind man..."
I think that covers most of it.
Yeah, it's a crying shame Vocis doesn't know any of this information. You'll be reiterating most of this again once he starts his own investigations.
And you will apparently have a set of allies in your quest
Right now t is the middle of the night and Fleur has Erik in her room who is both suspect and a disappointing partner in bed, and it is her preference that we leave now to the next stop, though she understands that this could be a terrible inconvenience to anyone else, and if we are not going is there anyone else who would allow her to share their bed. She can keep her hands to herself if they insist.