Chapter One

Stefano Robustelli was born to a wealthy family of bankers on the 15th of August in 1666 Venezia, Peninsula Italia. He grew up being taught the family trade and that he was better than people because he had wealth. Unfortunately for the Robustelli Family, he was kindhearted and didn't care about banking. He instead cared for art and wanted to travel and see the world's art. He was first introduced to art by Luca Giordano1 when he saw the man painting. He wanted to see other styles of painting all around the continent.

He got his chance to travel in 1681 when he had enough money stowed away to travel north. He traveled through the Impero Asburgico2 and the Sacro Romano Impero Della Nazione Tedesca3 to view their art and to cultivate his own.

It was in November of 1683 in Dräsdn that Stefano met a man that captivated him with his beauty and changed his life. The man was tall with shoulder length white, blond hair and iridescent blue eyes lashed with gold4. He reeled him in with his looks and caught him with his art. But then he ripped out Stefano's throat and left him for dead in an alley. It was November 12th of 1683 when Stefano died in agony and alone. It was November 13th of 1683 when Stefano woke up alone, dirty, and thirsty. It was June 12th of 1685 when Stefano met his best friend and was no longer alone.

Ragnailt Róis Buckley was born to a family of farmers on the 10th of March in 1668 Luimneach, Éire. She grew up tending to the crops and animals as well as learning how to be a proper wife. She hated every second of it and was repulsed by the thought of marrying any man. She knew something was wrong with her when she preferred the looks of women instead of the looks of men. Sadly, she could do nothing about her fate, and this made her bitter.

She was to be married several times from 1683 to 1685, but she would subtly sabotage every attempt. She did not want to be married off to a man. It was in June of 1685 that she met Stefano Zavatera, a wealthy stranger that was traveling through Luimneach. He expressed an interest in her and her parents were charmed that someone as wealthy as he was taking an interest in their daughter. They arranged the marriage and nothing she did could get her out of it.

It was in late June of 1685 that Ragnailt was married to Stefano, and she learned his secret. He took her away from Luimneach and expressed that he saw himself in her and that he married her to allow her freedom. From then on, she traveled with him, and they became close friends. It was June 28th of 1685 when Ragnailt was married off to Stefano. It was July 4th of 1685 when Ragnailt realized that she was free. It was November 15th of 1685 when Ragnailt joined Stefano in his vampirism.

Eduardo del Castillo was born to a prostitute and a thief on the 19th of June in 1565 Sevilla, Reino de España. He grew up in poverty and knowing of the dangers in the world. In 1570 his mother had died of sweating sickness and his father began to teach him how to steal. In 1576 his father was arrested for stealing from the Archidiócesis de Sevilla5 and executed. At the age of 11 Eduardo was now an orphan, so he made do with what he still had and moved around from city to city pickpocketing until he found himself in Lisboa. It was there he met Miguel de Fuenllana6 and was inspired by his dedication to music despite being blind. He wanted to learn to make music and it was a better way to make money than stealing.

He joined the Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa7 to learn from the musicians that played there. Between 1576 and 1579, he learned a multitude of instruments; it turns out that he was a prodigy of music. His favourite instrument was the vihuelist as that was the instrument that Miguel de Fuenllana was known for. After the death of his role model, he decided to travel back to Sevilla. He decided to work for the Archidiócesis de Sevilla to repent for his father's sins and to practice his music.

It was in March of 1586 that Eduardo went missing from the church and was never seen again. He had left one night to clear his head and was accosted by an enormous man with long black hair and large black eyes8. It was March 20th of 1586 when Eduardo bleed out in the back alleys of Sevilla. It was March 21st of 1586 when Eduardo woke up cold, alone, and thirsty. It was March 27th of 1686 that Eduardo found others like him and was no longer alone.

Vilhelm Njalsen was born to a soldier's family on the 29th of March in 1767 Århus, Kongeriget Danmark. He grew up with an absent mother and a violent father who expected him to join the Hæren9. He hated his father, and he wished his mother was still around. All he had from his mother was a silver necklace that he never removed. He wanted to escape his father and he didn't want to join the Hæren to do that.

He got his escape in October of 1781 when he ran away to Courtempierre and found a job as the assistant to the village doctor. He enjoyed his work and was quickly learning the intricacies of medicine.

All seemed well until June of 1785 when people began to get sick without explanation. That was when he met her, Marguerite Chopin10, a beautiful woman with long brown hair and dark brown eyes. She entranced him, she enthralled him, she killed him. It was July 1st of 1785 when Vilhelm was murdered by a beautiful seductress. It was July 2nd of 1785 when Vilhelm woke up alone in the morgue. It was July 10th of 1785 when Vilhelm was found by other of his kind and brought into their family.

1 Luca Giordano was an Italian Late-Baroque painter and printmaker who lived from 18 October 1634 until 3 January 1705. He worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain.

2 Impero Asburgico is the Italian translation of Habsburgerreich which is the Habsburg Empire.

3 Sacro Romano Impero Della Nazione Tedesca is the Italian translation of Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation which is the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.

4 The man referenced is Marius de Romanus from The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.

5 Archidiócesis de Sevilla is the Spanish translation of the Archdiocese of Seville which is a Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Seville, Spain.

6 Miguel de Fuenllana was a Spanish vihuelist and composer of the Renaissance who lived from 1500 until 1579. He wrote for both King Philip II of Spain and King Sebastian of Portugal.

7 Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa is the Portuguese translation of the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major.

8 The man referenced is Santiago from The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.

9 Hæren is the Danish word for the Army.

10 Marguerite Chopin is the vampire from the 1932 horror film Vampyr directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. I just made her younger.