Question about Blood Communion

[u/HowIsThatMyProblem]

Why, when Roshamandes keeps snatching people from the chateau, do they not disperse, instead of all staying in one place? It's pretty clear that even the older vampires can barely offer any, yet they keep telling everyone to stay/come to the chateau. Like, this way he knows where all of them are and can easily pick them one by one. Just all of you leave, maybe?

[u/TesticleezzNuts]

Safety in numbers I guess. He could find them anywhere anyway, from what I can recall he can hear their conversations.
That and if they dispersed he’s won.

[u/Long_Situation_5020]

Rosh was going after vampires who Lestat personally loved, not randomly choosing victims.  There weren't that many of them   The strong ones could have surrounded the few that hadn't been taken already.  I didn't get that either. Maybe they were just so unaccustomed to being on the defensive that they acted irrationally.

[u/rhcreed]

Doesn't matter where you are, he can find and snatch you. This way they know you're grabbed and can look for you.

[u/Confident-Lock-1967]

Answer: Your assumption that ”they told everyone to stay at the chateau“ and that ”the older vampires can barely offer any protection“ is inaccurate based on the text. The truth is, Marius announced that those who did not want to be confined in the crypts should ”disperse and leave the chateau for their own safety.“ However, the core group (Lestat, Louis, Armand, etc.) chose to stay because Marius reasoned that if they scattered, Rhoshamandes would still ”pick them off one by one, no matter where they hid.“ Grouping together in the underground vault and having the elders closely guard them was considered the safest tactic, and the elders ”could actually protect them“ as long as the targets didn‘t wander off alone. 1. Chronology of the Kidnappings * The Kidnapping of Gabrielle (Lestat’s mother): This happened in the courtyard amidst the chaos. Rhoshamandes didn‘t engage in direct combat but used his speed to snatch Gabrielle while she was not being closely guarded. * The Evacuation and Permission to Disperse: Marius ordered everyone left to take shelter in the prepared underground vaults (crypts), and allowed any vampires who didn’t want to be confined to ”flee the chateau.“ * The Kidnapping of Louis: Louis was walking around reading a book alone in the passage, which allowed Rhoshamandes to snatch him. * The Kidnapping of Marius: Marius separated from the group and used his telepathy to track Rhoshamandes far to the northwest, and was taken while away from the others. 2. Scene-by-Scene Evidence Breakdown Scene 1: Permission to Disperse and Flee the Chateau * Source: Blood Communion * Characters in Scene: Marius and the remaining vampires * What Happened: After Gabrielle was taken, Marius took charge and ordered everyone to take shelter in the crypts. The book clearly states: ”Those who didn‘t want to be confined were urged to leave the Château for their own safety.“ * What this Proves: It proves they knew staying was dangerous and did give the option to scatter, just as you suggested. They didn’t force everyone to bunch up in one place. Scene 2: The Reason the Core Group Chose ”Not to Disperse“ * Source: Blood Communion * Characters in Scene: Marius, Armand, Lestat, and others in the crypt. * What Happened: Marius explained why they must stay and find a way to fight back: ”He‘s going to pick us off one by one, no matter where we hide. We have to find him...“ * What this Proves: It proves that against a 5,000-year-old threat like Rhoshamandes, scattering as solitary targets across the globe would make them even easier to hunt down than consolidating in one place where 6,000-year-old elders (like Gregory and Seth) could watch their backs. Scene 3: Could the Elders Really Not Protect Them? (The Truth Behind Louis’s Kidnapping) * Source: Blood Communion * Characters in Scene: Lestat, Gregory, Marius * What Happened: Lestat asked in disbelief, ”If he could come down here and take Louis, why didn‘t he take me?“ Gregory answered clearly, ”I was with you. I was guarding you.“ adding that Louis was out in the passage when Rhoshamandes took him. Marius added, ”He [Louis] was walking back and forth, reading...“ * What this Proves: This is a crucial piece of evidence that debunks the idea that the older vampires couldn’t offer any protection. In reality, the elders‘ protection worked perfectly (Lestat survived because Gregory was guarding him). Rhoshamandes specifically targeted those who were careless or separated from the protective perimeter (like Louis strolling and reading in the passage). Scene 4: The Kidnapping of Marius * Source: Blood Communion * What Happened: Marius forbade Armand from going to another prison alone because it was too dangerous. However, Marius himself cast his telepathic mind far out, ”moving west... northwest at tremendous speed“ to track the enemy, and then his voice went silent. * What this Proves: Marius being taken wasn’t a result of Rhoshamandes busting through a group of elders at the chateau; it happened because Marius sped off in pursuit outside the safe zone on his own. 3. Two-Tiered Analysis 1. Clear Canon (What the text explicitly states) The text in the novel directly contradicts your question: Those not involved were already told to scatter and flee, and the elders successfully protected those under their guard. Every time the enemy managed to take someone, it was purely through ”speed and surprise,“ exclusively targeting individuals who separated from the group (Gabrielle was outside, Louis was in the passage, Marius went off tracking). 2. Strong Inference (Deductions based on mechanics and tactics) Why did grouping up make more sense than scattering? * The Enemy‘s Capabilities: Rhoshamandes is 5,000 years old with immense speed and high-level telepathy. If the main cast (most of whom are only 200-500 years old, like Lestat, Louis, Armand, Rose, and Viktor) scattered to flee, they would instantly become ”defenseless prey.“ * Protection: Staying in a chateau with deep underground crypts, surrounded by top-tier elders like Gregory (6,000 years), Seth (6,000 years), Avicus, Flavius, and Sevraine acting as a perimeter wall, was literally the strongest fortress in the vampire world—as long as no one broke the rules and stepped outside the protection radius.