A Journey of Black and Red

Chapter ex2: Glossary.

List of bloodlines

Amaretta: A bloodline focused on prophecy and vision. Their Progenitor is active but only meditates. Most Amaretta members are female and they are concentrated around the western Mediterranean.

Known member:

• Aisha, member of the North American knight squad
• Amaretta, the Progenitor

Cadiz: A clan based in Spain, whose members are known to achieve supernatural focus. They boast many of the world’s greatest duelists, though they sometimes suffer from tunnel vision. Their Progenitor has gone through a portal in search of a challenge. Many of their members support the Eneru faction.

Known members:

• Ceron: Lord, first met by Ariane in the fortress, contributed to her escape in exchange for Lancaster confidential information.
• Jimena, Ariane’s friend and blood sister, knight, owner of a soul sword called Justice.
• Suarez: Lord, first encountered during the Charleston heist. Ariane had previously rescued his Vassal and he repaid his debt by helping her escape the knight squad when they came to slay her.

Constantine: Constantine himself has not yet sired a Spawn. His powers are unknown.

Known members:

• Constantine, the man who established the political order for all vampires in North America, under a unified system of laws called the Accords. He is the Speaker. He has some limited military power and is also one of the world’s greatest living blood mages, making him a powerhouse.

Dvor: Dvor vampires bind with a territory and mostly remain there. They are significantly stronger when defending it against intruders and weakened while away. All of them support Eneru and make up most of the alliance’s upper ranks. Their Progenitor is asleep in his city somewhere in North Africa, while his descendants concentrate around the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Known members:

• Torran, Lord. Not much else is known at this juncture.

Erenwald: Based in Germany and central Europe, Erenwald vampires favor nature and the wilderness. They are the only bloodline animals do not shun, and rear most Nightmares. Some of them can perform druidic magic and their Progenitor turned himself into a tree. They contribute heavily to the Followers of the Path, the third vampire faction.

Known members:

• Ogotai: Ariane’s jailor back at the fortress when she first woke up. He turned against his superior Lady moor out of hatred and opened the fortress to the Order of Gabriel. He was killed years later.
• Wilhelm: not much is known about this lord, only that he is Constantine’s steward.

Hastings: Hastings can walk in undirect sunlight, though they consider it unpleasant. They also naturally wake up early and can consume food and drinks. In exchange, they are physically weaker than the other bloodlines though they should never be underestimated. Their Progenitor recently eloped with a mortal and they hide somewhere in the English countryside. The clan is a major contributor of the Mask alliance. They concentrate in the United Kingdom and France.

Known members:

• Hastings, the Progenitor. She is on holiday.
• Sephare: not much is known about her yet.

Ekon: Ekon vampires are obsessed with new experiences, gathering their impressions in a magical repository known as the Great Book of the Ekon. Their Progenitor died to experience the sun and share his experience. Several copies of the Book exist across the land updating themselves as soon as a new entry is made.

Ekon vampires possess increased Thirst and pain resistance to assist them in their endeavor. They are mostly neutral and seldom gather, preferring to travel the land in their never-ending quest for the new and the exciting. As a result, they do not have a main territory. They are also one of the few clans recruiting in central Africa and the Guinean gulf.

Known members:

• Naminata the Singing Spear, Master, Ariane’s friend. Known for her reckless nature and legendary sexual appetite.
• Kouakou: Lord, one of the few Ekon who does not travel much. He handles Ekon financial interests in Louisiana and is a major supporter of the clan as one of their few sedentary Lords.

Kalinin: Kalinin vampires can resist and even wield holy symbols so long as they believe their cause is just. Their Progenitor was killed in combat and devoured by Nirari. They make their home in western Russia, particularly around Moscow and Saint Petersburg. They are neutral.

No known members so far.

Lancaster: Lancaster vampires are exceptional at Charm. They are the other clan operating in the United Kingdom and also support Mask. Their Progenitor was killed by a once in history alliance of mages, Gabrielites and even some vampires.

Known significant members:

• Moor: Lady, (previous) head of the Louisiana House.
• Melusine: recent Master, made a nuisance of herself for Ariane. Capable mage. She recently entered a truce with Ariane.
• Lambert: Master, enforcer, mage, had his heart on the other side of his chest. Slain by Ariane in single combat.

Natalis: Natalis vampires boast incredible physical strength. It comes at a cost to their intellectual abilities, though most of them are not completely stupid. Their Progenitor has disappeared and some suspect that he has died. Natalis are mercenaries and bodyguards, having very few holds of their own. Most Natalis Lords support the Eneru faction.

Known members:

• Jarek, Lord, not much is known about him yet.

Nirari: The Devourer bloodline, the first vampires. Nirari can absorb a fragment of the strength of their victims and keep it for themselves at the cost of particularly strong instincts. Because of the Progenitor’s use of his Spawn, only four Devourers are currently alive while some newer bloodlines boast numbers in the hundreds. Lord Nirari himself is locked in a secret war with his mother, a conflict that has spanned millennia. He is considered unstoppable by most organizations.

Known members:

• Nirari: Ariane’s sire. Ancient Prince of Babyon. The first one to receive the elixir of flawed eternal life. He is cruel and vindictive though he always respects his word.
• Ariane: you know.
• Svyatoslav : the first Spawn to gain his independence. Svyatoslav was a prince of Kivan Rus'. He is currently operating in Russia.
• Malakim: Nirari’s right hand, a tortured soul devoured by hatred.

Roland: Roland vampire boast an unbreakable will that lets them train harder, fight longer and pursue passions with more determination than any other bloodline. They, unfortunately, tend to be stubborn as a result. They are based in France and make up the core of Mask’s military. They have a tradition of being patrons of the arts, even more so than the Rosenthal. Their progenitor is currently slumbering in an unknown location.

Known members:

• Gaspard: Lord, slain by Nirari at the vampire fortress after provoking him.
• Anatole: a Master previous head of the knight squad, he is an arrogant prick. He went after Ariane hard out of blind hatred and got exiled for it. Nashoba called him a pretender.

Rosenthal: The Rosenthals boast an eidetic memory and synthetic mind. They are completely neutral and act as the lorekeepers, bankers and administrators of vampirekind. They benefit from a positive relationship with other factions of the supernatural world and boast a powerful mortal military made of well-trained and loyal mercenaries. Rosenthal vampires are mostly uninvolved and are forbidden from taking part in conflicts by their Progenitor herself. They operate out of Switzerland but recruit everywhere.

Known members:

• Isaac, Ariane’s banker and wealth manager. He became a Master following a hunt they shared. He has a rebellious streak.
• Salim: Isaac replacement after he departed from America.

Vanheim: The wild cards of their kind. Their powers are unpredictable, and the Progenitor is unknown. Vanheim are rare, few, and often isolated though they are not shunned outright.

Known members: none so far.

The three vampire alliances:

Mask.

Masks dominate Western Europe. They favor infiltration and influencing the world from the shadows. They are known patrons of the arts, funding extravagant works and hosting grand balls. Their games and contests are often cruel. Masks dominate Western Europe except for Spain.

Eneru:

Eneru members postulate that vampires, as long-lived and resilient individuals, have the potential to be superior rulers. That is not to say that any vampire has the necessary leadership skills, of course. Member of Eneru will semi-openly rule small domains over which they have near complete control, employing talented mortals as representatives and agents. They tend to be traditionalists though many of them still understand the need to change. Eneru vampires control Spain, parts of north Africa, parts of the middle east and parts of the Balkans. They are more fragmented than Masks.

Followers of the path.

The Followers are isolationists and can be considered a faction only insofar as they oppose the two others. Followers control central and Northern Europe as well as Western Russia.

The Accords.

A good number of vampires have moved to North America, until a community formed under the patient rule of Constantine. The Accords heavily regulate conflict between the eclectic members of the group. Constantine’s personal guard as well as himself and a squad of knights ensures that discipline is enforced with deadly efficiency.

The White Cabal.

Based in the state of New York, the White Cabal is a group dedicated to the protection and development of mages in north America. They have recently started to gain a significant amount of power. Their budding military mixes mages and mundane soldiers and uses specialized tactics.

The Order of Gabriel.

A fanatical order devoted to the extermination of all things supernatural, they are well-trained and well-funded for the most part, and do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives in the hope of killing one more monster. They go mostly after practitioners, rogue and otherwise, but will attack vampires if they think they have a shot at taking one down. The attrition rate of the order is extremely high but there is no shortage of volunteers to join their ranks as supernatural entities often leave many vengeful victims in their wake.

Other characters:

• Achille: Ariane's brother, currently still alive. He is a bit on the judgemental and stubborn side though he does have a good heart. We know little of him save that he made the family business prosper and had many children.
• Aintza: Jimena’s Servant and long-term lover. She was instrumental in freeing Ariane from Lancaster servitude.
• Arthur: Melusine's Vassal, he died saving her from an order ambush.
• Cecil Rutherford Bingle: an adventurer and a gentleman. He returned to England after sharing an adventure with Ariane, and married the woman he had met there, Rose. He has a peculiar magic that turns everything dramatic around him.
• Dalton: Ariane’s first vassal, he was killed by the key of Beriah during the 1812 conflict. His death was avenged by Ariane after a major battle after which she gained the ability to destroy magic with her claws, at the cost of energy.
• Erlingur: Loth's uncle. One of the oldest living Dvergur and possibly the dumbest as well, he is known for a strange mix of courage, blind luck and sheer stupidity.
• Harrigan: Ariane and now Merritt’s head of security, a despicable but disciplined man.
• Jonathan Hopkins: dark hair, dark eyes, a sober man with a mind like a bear trap. Jonathan first joined the Order before switching allegiance and turning the White Cabal’s military into a professional force.
• David King: a rescued slave who joined the odd squad after Ariane bought and freed him. His father died fighting wendigos.
• Kitty: the Dream’s leading girl.
• Loth of Skorrag: A Dvergur (dwarf) from Scandinavia, Loth is a master artificer and a deadly fighter. He is also a scholar who will happily talk about his family’s long and tumultuous history. He recently returned to his home country. Loth is extremely tall, bulky and the proud owner of a dark bushy beard. A few strands of silver have made their way into it, not that he much cares. Notably fond of mature beauties.
• Alexandria Merritt: previously free mage who joined Ariane as her second in command. Merritt is loyal though she is still fond of the occasional mischief. She has two children: Ollie and Lynn. All three are redheads.
• Semiramis: Nirari's mother and the single greatest mage who ever lived, she was granted immortality by the entity known as the Eye or the Watcher against allowing his essence into the world. Semiramis is sometimes tasked by the Watcher with creating an elixir of flawed eternal life. Upon consumption, the chosen will become the Progenitor of a new bloodline. She is trying to become a goddess and is locked in eternal conflict with her son Nirari, the first vampire. Her den possesses strange dimensional properties.
• Sivaya: an ethereal beauty and princess of the Likaean court of Blue, she is a magical genius. Politically, however, she is a disaster according to Likaean standards. She is currently working on a way for her people to go home.
• Sola: a beautiful albino girl, a rare natural healer and purifier, capable of closing even grievous gut wounds. She is part of the white Cabal.
• Nashoba: shaman of the Choctaw nation. He made the earrings Ariane is still using to evade detection. He could see the future, and called Ariane 'daughter of thorn and hunger'. He died from Ariane's hand as a way to escape the pain of his disease. Ariane liked him fondly and carries his memory.
• Papa: technically named Hercule Reynaud but effectively Papa forever, Ariane's dad was ever supportive of his child even when she lost her soul. He met her several times and they kept a steady correspondence until his death in the early 30's. His wife Diane died very early in Ariane's life, making him her sole parent, a role which he dedicated himself to.
• Sinead: the most powerful Likaean on the planet, and a prince of the Court of Summer. He is at time a rogue and a dilettante, and at times a deadly schemer. No matter what, it always looks like he gets what he wanted in the end. Both Ari and him have done things for the other that they did not have to do...
• The Watcher: the embryo of a creator god, the Watcher will one day 'die' to give birth to a new universe, or at least this is what Semiramis believes. Nobody is exactly sure what its agenda is, or indeed if it has one to begin with. All that is known is that the Watcher is sapient, can communicate and is intimately tied to vampires and their existence.