Prologue
Did you know that there's a world going on underground? Yes, indeed there is. It is a shadowy, subterranean world full of all manner of ghoulies and ghosties and wee little beasties and things that go bump in the night. And it's night all the time down there.
Go down below the city streets and basements into the subway tunnels. Go farther, down through the pipes and sewers. Go even farther, down into the catacombs. Follow this tunnel, the ancient rock walls cold and crumbling. The tunnel slopes downwards, and you round a corner. Close observation may reveal a thread of red light: this beam, a perimeter sensor, is incongruous indeed. But not nearly so strange as what is behind the door up ahead.
Behind the door is a cavern, with roughly hewn stone walls. An iron-wrought chandelier, dangling shards of all manners of glass, crystal and porcelain imaginable, hangs from the ceiling over a long table of dark wood. On the right side of the room, what appears to be a small leather-panelled refrigerator stands against the wall next to a wash basin which is, in fact, a small fountain which could probably be traced back to fall of the Roman empire. In the left corner of the room, a quantity of assorted armchairs, couches, divans and ottomans are arranged in a semicircle. Their upholstery ranges from turquoise velvet to cerise brocade, and all degrees of black patchwork, patterned silk and emerald satin inbetween. The door on the far side of the room leads to the inhabitants' rooms, with a few to spare. Because you never know who's going to show up.
And who are the inhabitants? Vampires.
First there is Anya, the leader, turned in Kiev in 1111. A Russian of Viking origins, she retains a strong accent, despite not having seen her homeland in many hundred years. As consistently in control as she is clad in white, Anya has choppy, frost-white hair and a stare of such pale intensity that it would quite possibly give Attila the Hun bad dreams. She used to be held in quite high regard in the Coven, before the Great Blaze, but left right before that unfortunate incident, fed up with the Elders and the covenant. She took many with her, and now they live in the underbelly of the city and prey on those foolish enough to get in their way. They are referred to as a "gypsy coven" with great disdain by the inhabitants of the mansion, though they take great pride in the label.
Barely contained in second place is Luther, born a vampire, his ambition matched only by his cleverness and his sincere love of violence. Although not conventionally attractive, Luther has a definite magnetism, and takes certain pride in his dress (black, white and grey) and features (pale, of course, and unusual, with sandy blonde hair and pale eyes).
Also born a vampire is Malachi. Certainly the most restrained member of the coven, Malachi is a sombre and taciturn sort, favouring flowing and tattered black clothing, matching his wild hair and ebony eyes. He spends much time musing, often pretentiously, on all manner of broodsome things.
Often playing Prime Minister to Anya's supreme monarchy, there is Carabas, turned in 1331, origins unknown. A black man of average build, Carabas relishes wildly extravagant and colourful clothing from all time periods, and is especially fond of three-pointed hats. He also generally tends to serve as the coven's medic-cum-forensic investigator, and knows everything about any anatomy anyone could possibly imagine, and some things one can't.
Then there is Dagmar, a survivalist at heart. Turned in 1433, Dagmar sometimes likes to pretend she has principles, but she really doesn't, and quite probably has never told the truth in her life. She prefers dark clothing in an anachronistic blend of corsetry and combat boots, and is garnering a large collecting of elaborate jewellery, as well as patchworked and panelled skirts.
Dagmar's partner in crime tends to be Morgana, 1446, with auburn hair and a similar penchant for corsetry, although she surpasses all reason in her appreciation of striped stockings. Pairing that fashion with boots and shorter skirts, she fits in quite perfectly with today's club scene, making it quite easy for her to feed inconspicuously. Morgana's instincts exist in and for her stomach.
Probably the least lethal, and possibly the most human, member of the coven is Lamia, a Parisian prostitute turned in 1751. Even after 253 years and a switchover to the other kind of nightfighter, Lamia's attitudes have changed little, and she can most commonly be found fluffing around the dining room in low-cut clothing and generally carrying on. However, the coven has grown quite used to her and she is tolerated as being relatively benign.
Most recently turned were the brothers Kane and Abel, who were enjoying a pastime of painting LSD on doorknobs in 1968, the year they were turned. Still learning the ins and outs of being 'Creatures of the Night', Kane and Abel tend to enjoy living the life of the undead badass immensely. Both favouring the same fashions, relatively modern dark clothing and reflective sunglasses, the brothers are quite similar, although Kane is taller and Abel is generally more ridiculed. Their popular culture jokes tend to be ignored.
And then there is Crowley, the rogue Lycanthrope. Crowley likes to eat things.
Go down below the city streets and basements into the subway tunnels. Go farther, down through the pipes and sewers. Go even farther, down into the catacombs. Follow this tunnel, the ancient rock walls cold and crumbling. The tunnel slopes downwards, and you round a corner. Close observation may reveal a thread of red light: this beam, a perimeter sensor, is incongruous indeed. But not nearly so strange as what is behind the door up ahead.
Behind the door is a cavern, with roughly hewn stone walls. An iron-wrought chandelier, dangling shards of all manners of glass, crystal and porcelain imaginable, hangs from the ceiling over a long table of dark wood. On the right side of the room, what appears to be a small leather-panelled refrigerator stands against the wall next to a wash basin which is, in fact, a small fountain which could probably be traced back to fall of the Roman empire. In the left corner of the room, a quantity of assorted armchairs, couches, divans and ottomans are arranged in a semicircle. Their upholstery ranges from turquoise velvet to cerise brocade, and all degrees of black patchwork, patterned silk and emerald satin inbetween. The door on the far side of the room leads to the inhabitants' rooms, with a few to spare. Because you never know who's going to show up.
And who are the inhabitants? Vampires.
First there is Anya, the leader, turned in Kiev in 1111. A Russian of Viking origins, she retains a strong accent, despite not having seen her homeland in many hundred years. As consistently in control as she is clad in white, Anya has choppy, frost-white hair and a stare of such pale intensity that it would quite possibly give Attila the Hun bad dreams. She used to be held in quite high regard in the Coven, before the Great Blaze, but left right before that unfortunate incident, fed up with the Elders and the covenant. She took many with her, and now they live in the underbelly of the city and prey on those foolish enough to get in their way. They are referred to as a "gypsy coven" with great disdain by the inhabitants of the mansion, though they take great pride in the label.
Barely contained in second place is Luther, born a vampire, his ambition matched only by his cleverness and his sincere love of violence. Although not conventionally attractive, Luther has a definite magnetism, and takes certain pride in his dress (black, white and grey) and features (pale, of course, and unusual, with sandy blonde hair and pale eyes).
Also born a vampire is Malachi. Certainly the most restrained member of the coven, Malachi is a sombre and taciturn sort, favouring flowing and tattered black clothing, matching his wild hair and ebony eyes. He spends much time musing, often pretentiously, on all manner of broodsome things.
Often playing Prime Minister to Anya's supreme monarchy, there is Carabas, turned in 1331, origins unknown. A black man of average build, Carabas relishes wildly extravagant and colourful clothing from all time periods, and is especially fond of three-pointed hats. He also generally tends to serve as the coven's medic-cum-forensic investigator, and knows everything about any anatomy anyone could possibly imagine, and some things one can't.
Then there is Dagmar, a survivalist at heart. Turned in 1433, Dagmar sometimes likes to pretend she has principles, but she really doesn't, and quite probably has never told the truth in her life. She prefers dark clothing in an anachronistic blend of corsetry and combat boots, and is garnering a large collecting of elaborate jewellery, as well as patchworked and panelled skirts.
Dagmar's partner in crime tends to be Morgana, 1446, with auburn hair and a similar penchant for corsetry, although she surpasses all reason in her appreciation of striped stockings. Pairing that fashion with boots and shorter skirts, she fits in quite perfectly with today's club scene, making it quite easy for her to feed inconspicuously. Morgana's instincts exist in and for her stomach.
Probably the least lethal, and possibly the most human, member of the coven is Lamia, a Parisian prostitute turned in 1751. Even after 253 years and a switchover to the other kind of nightfighter, Lamia's attitudes have changed little, and she can most commonly be found fluffing around the dining room in low-cut clothing and generally carrying on. However, the coven has grown quite used to her and she is tolerated as being relatively benign.
Most recently turned were the brothers Kane and Abel, who were enjoying a pastime of painting LSD on doorknobs in 1968, the year they were turned. Still learning the ins and outs of being 'Creatures of the Night', Kane and Abel tend to enjoy living the life of the undead badass immensely. Both favouring the same fashions, relatively modern dark clothing and reflective sunglasses, the brothers are quite similar, although Kane is taller and Abel is generally more ridiculed. Their popular culture jokes tend to be ignored.
And then there is Crowley, the rogue Lycanthrope. Crowley likes to eat things.
[A/N: We'd best explain the set up here. So Anya and Luther basically got fed up with Viktor and his ilk right before the Great Blaze, and went off and started their own gypsy coven. This is like one big giant crossover. Why? Because we felt like it. Feel free to flame.You get cookies if you guess where all the characters have been imported from. If you feel like cheating, there are pictures of all of them in our profile.]