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sunflowersensei-blog · 7 years

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The long wait is over! Here’s part two of the Elder Vampire monsterpost extravaganza! Above is a portrait of the King of Night and his entourage, Srinivasa Githa and Vermeer. This time we’re going to go over the King, what he’s done to earn all of his fancy titles, as well as the backgrounds of his two retainers, which are quite interesting in and of themselves.

Let’s get into it!

About the King of Night:

-Vincent la Varr, The Immortal, Butcher of Malaket, Master of Darkness, Avatar of Primordial Dark, King of Night, Ruler of All Monsters, and the last living Elder Vampire was born the fifth child of nine, ensuring he would never see any wealth, fame, respect, or authority under normal circumstances. This fact never bothered Vincent, however, and he grew up a well-adjusted young man in a time of unprecedented peace under the rule of his grandfather, the first King of Night.

-For some time after the First Crusade, the Kingdom of Night was being rebuilt. Monsters starting families in new homesteads were rewarded, and there was great demand for adventurers to explore and take stock of the natural resources of the Kingdom. Wanting to get out of the castle and see the world, Vincent left to walk the land and take in its untamed beauty.

-Vincent journeyed the World of Dark for many years, exploring ancient tombs, investigating abandoned Lich towers, searching for the mythical Bright-Eyes, and retracing the footsteps of the four legendary monster heroes who awakened the Elder Vampires. Eventually, though, Vincent became homesick and returned home, to the newly finished Castle of Night. When he returned, however, he learned the news: the King was dead, slain by an ambush, and his father had taken up the mantle.

-The King’s subjects were not at all pleased by this development. The new King was considerably lesser than his predecessor, in stature, might, and the respect he garnered. The Devils, Vampires, Liches, and Lycanthropes all started bickering amongst themselves about who should be the next King should the current one fall in battle. Some even openly stated they were preparing to challenge the King in single combat and take the crown for themselves. This debate also extended to the Royal family, with Vincent’s older brothers and sisters challenging each other to duels to see who could take on their father and become the next King or Queen of Night.

-Vincent was quite disheartened by the state of the Kingdom, and the aloof attitude of his father didn't help. Fed up with his family’s constant infighting, Vincent left the castle once more, this time to journey the World of Light, a land that was totally alien to him. He left a note behind to announce where he had gone, found a waygate, and used it to jump between Worlds.

-Vincent spent many years in the World of Light, using shapeshifting to appear as a Human, and exploring the lands of his ancestors’ enemies. In his adventures, he collected rare artifacts, magical items, and defeated dangerous creatures. He gained quite a reputation among the desert tribes, and tales of his deeds even made it to the Kingdom of Light.

-In his travels, Vincent grew to understand Human society and culture and made a couple Human friends, coming to the realization that Humans were not exactly the violent murderers that he had thought they were. Humans were just as complex as Monsters, and were capable of good as well as ill, and perhaps there could be reconciliation between the two Worlds. Vincent began helping Humans in need, and brought water to a nomadic tribe that had been wracked by sandstorms and ran out of drinkable water, staying with them for a time.

-He became quite close with one of the daughters of the Chieftain, but his advances were put down by her guardian, the swordmistress Srinivasa Githa. Vincent lived and journeyed with the tribe for a few years and became well-liked among the tribespeople. One day, though, a messenger came for Vincent, and told Vincent he had been summoned to meet with the King of Light. Vincent immediately broke into a cold sweat, but agreed to meet with the King. So, he left with the messenger and walked across the desert to the Ringed City, the capitol of the Kingdom of Light.

-Vincent, still in disguise, was led to the Grand Castle to meet with the King. Vincent felt weakened, having been affected by the Heliosphere, but he kept his composure. He entered the audience chamber, knees shaking, and was relieved to see he was not alone. Thousands of adventurers from all over the World of Light had apparently been invited to hear a message from the King. At the far end of the hall, the King of Light and his entourage made their entrance.

-The King looked over the crowd and gave his speech. Each adventurer, warrior, scholar, sorcerer, and craftsman there were all storied heroes of Light and were to be given a lordship should they join the Army of Light and take up arms as Crusaders like their ancestors once did. Vincent’s heart dropped. There was going to be another Crusade. He had to get back home and warn everyone. The King finished his speech by giving everyone there one month to decide and that the Crusade would begin in a few years time, but that they needed to prepare as soon as possible.

-Vincent stumbled out of the audience chamber, weaving through the crowds of adventurers, and settled down in a shaded alleyway. He composed himself and made his way out of the Ringed City. Once he left the city, his powers and vitality returned, and he made his way back to the tribe he was living with. When he arrived, he found his love asleep in her tent. Not wanting to wake her, and not finding the strength to tell her what he was, Vincent wrote a letter to her, detailing where he came from, what he was, and why he had to leave. He left the letter by her bedroll, then disappeared.

-He returned to the World of Dark, hoping to warn the Kingdom of Night of the coming war. However, the bickering he left behind years ago had turned into deep resentments, splitting the Kingdom along racial lines. His family had long since separated, living apart in different manors. Anyone left in the castle was simply too weary to care about Vincent’s warnings. Even his father, the King of Night, could not believe that the Humans were willing to commit to a second Crusade after the Kingdom had been shown to be strong enough to repel such an invasion.

-Not knowing what to do or who to turn to, Vincent remembered the four Monster heroes of old and how they met with the Beast. Thus, he descended deep into the castle, below the dungeons, below the waste tunnels, even below the ancient temple that lay beneath the earth, and entered the Pit of the Beast. Vincent spoke to the Beast, begging it for assistance. It responded: to save your people, you must take the throne for yourself, for no other has it in them to do so.

-Vincent refused, at first, asking if his older siblings were better for the task, to which the Beast listed everything his brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews thought and believed. Everything they would do should they rule was revealed, and Vincent was shocked. Each one of them would wipe out one monster race or another, enslave some or privilege others, or would not have the strength to overcome the Crusaders. Each would fail in some way, destined by the flaws in their worldviews to commit one great mistake that would doom the Kingdom. Only Vincent, who had journeyed the Worlds of Light and Dark, who had seen and known they ways of its people, and who had overcome great obstacles could shoulder the burden of the whole World and not falter.

-To become King, the Beast commanded, Vincent must go to the manors of his family members and slay them one by one. The Beast revealed why this must be so: it saw beyond the veil of time, into the many possibilities of each event, and saw that Vincent was destined to die at the hands of another Elder Vampire, one who was related to him by blood. If Vincent was to remain King, there must not be another to challenge him. Vincent could not argue with God. If this was his fate, then so be it.

-Vincent agreed and the Beast allowed him to drink from its ancient shadow, to commune with Primordial Darkness, and be baptized in the river of the night sky. Vincent was one with darkness from then on, the Avatar of Primordial Dark. He left the Pit, returned to the castle, and begun hunting and killing his family. He left no stone unturned, invaded every manor, and spared nobody, even slaughtering his infant nephew. With each that fell, Vincent’s power grew. Some ran, others fought, and those who fell in combat planned to get revenge when they were reborn, but no rebirth came. The Beast was playing favorites this time, and those who died were dead for good.

-When every member of his family was dead by his hand, Vincent returned to the Castle of Night and challenged his father. The story goes that the King got off the throne, stood before his son, and prostrated himself. The moment his head touched the ground, he died of grief. Vincent didn't even have to lift a finger. Thus, Vincent la Varr became the third King of Night and immediately set out to reclaim the lands that the Kingdom had lost, build his army, and prepare for the coming invasion.

-The campaigns took years, but the Kingdom was almost finally complete. The Army of Darkness was over a million strong, though mostly undead, and the Kingdom was prepared for war. During this time, Vincent was wracked with grief over the death of his family and spent many nights drinking powerful spirits until he blacked out.

-One day, Vincent was alerted that two mysterious travelers had arrived seeking an audience with him. Vincent met them in private, where they revealed who they were: Vincent’s love, Olivia, and her guardian, Srinivasa. Olivia couldn't believe what was in that letter, but when Vincent never returned and the Kingdom of Light announced that a second Crusade was underway, she started to wrap her head around what was going on. Though it had been almost a decade, Olivia never forgot Vincent. When it came time for her to be married off to another tribe’s Chieftain, she begged Srinivasa to kidnap her and take her to see Vincent. Githa originally refused, but relented when she saw Olivia’s real fear and sadness.

-Srinivasa stole Olivia away during a sandstorm and took her to the nearest waygate. They journeyed to the World of Dark and disguised themselves to hide their Humanity. Not knowing where they needed to go or what they were doing, they tried asking around for help. They were set upon by vampires who could smell their Human blood, though Srinivasa slew two of them with her mysterious swordmastery. Before they could be overrun, they were saved by a tribe of Lycanthropes, who took them in and asked what they were doing. Olivia told them they were hoping they could meet with Vincent la Varr, to which the Lycans looked at each other in shock.

-Olivia and Githa were told of what had transpired, and that Vincent was now King. Githa was mortified and demanded that they return home, but Olivia was determined. She knew Vincent was good at heart and there must be some mistake. Seeing that they would not be persuaded, the Lycanthropes took the two travelers to meet with the King of Night. And so they did.

-Vincent was thrilled to see Olivia again, but had to keep her secret. If any challengers to the throne should learn of his Human love, they might use her to get to him. Olivia was fine with living in the castle in private, as long as she could be with Vincent. Srinivasa was not fine with this, and argued for Olivia to have a private manor with the amenities worthy of her high birth. Vincent was about to agree to the terms, but Olivia put her foot down. She wanted to be close to her love. The next day Vincent and Olivia were married in secret and Vincent stopped drinking.

-They lived in peace for some time until Olivia became pregnant. At first, she was happy, but as the months passed, she became weak. Their child was half Elder Vampire and half Human, and nobody knew what was going to happen. Vincent was worried that Olivia might be injured or worse. He tried to spend as much time as he could with her, but there were many Human incursions around the waygates. The Second Crusade was drawing close, and if any Celestials came through, Vincent was the only one who could best them in a fight.

-On the day the Crusade officially begun, the Army of Light stormed the waygates, hundreds of thousands of Crusaders marched across the Plains of Ugain, lead by four Celestial Paladins. Vincent had to leave his wife’s side. While he was away, Olivia gave birth to their daughter, with Srinivasa acting as wet nurse. Olivia named her child Helen Minerva, after the demigoddess of wisdom and clean water. Olivia was very weak, her essence had been drained by her daughter, and she died in her sleep. When Vincent returned from the battle, he found his wife’s body and his crying daughter. Then and there, Vincent vowed that he would do everything in his power to end this war and protect his daughter, the last memory of his wife, from the horrors of the World.

-Vincent fought in almost every battle from then on. He let loose his power and both Crusaders and Celestials knew his presence was death. Even with the King on the battlefield, many lives were lost, millions died, and the full might of the Sunlight Scripture was unleashed. The war raged for years until the last Crusader force was pushed back to a waygate. They retreated, but Vincent followed them through. He was blinded by bloodlust and fury. He slaughtered every man, woman, and child in the village of Malaket on the other side of the waygate. Once Malaket was butchered, Vincent singlehandedly cut a swath of violence, death, and destruction straight towards the Ringed City.

-The eldest Prince of Light, favorite son of the King, was gifted a holy artifact from the three-headed God of Light, the legendary Spirit Saber, whose blade could assume any form and take on any Concept. The Prince stood before the raging King of Night and fought to defend his people. The battle was long and both were severely wounded, but Vincent could fight on through any wound. Eventually, the valiant Prince was slain, skewered by his own shadow. Vincent took the Saber and continued his rampage.

-When the King of Night made it to the walls of the Ringed City, all three suns eclipsed by Vincent’s dark presence, his form grotesque and monstrous, he saw a figure standing alone on the wall. Vincent recognized the piercing gaze of the King of Light, standing arms-crossed, without weapons, glaring with equal fury to the Avatar of Dark. The two Kings met stares and an entire conversation of intents was carried out in a single glance. Vincent came to his senses, knowing he couldn’t murder the entirety of the Ringed City and deal with the King of Light while being weakened by the Heliosphere. Vincent merely held up the Spirit Saber, showing the trophy of his victory over the Prince, and disappeared into the dark, taking his great shadow with him. The Second Crusade was over.

About Srinivasa Githa:

-Srinivasa Githa, Githa for short, was born the daughter of a tribal blacksmith in the Great Desert of the World of Light. She was born blind, but her excellent senses of hearing, smell, and touch allowed her to grow into a successful young blacksmith in her own right. Like other tribesmen, she learned the blade and bow, though she preferred swords. Githa spent many years honing her sword skills, though she couldn’t read the books of philosophy and religion that the traveling pilgrims and adventurers would bring to the tribe.

-Wanting to know of the theories of the Scholars, she asked her friend, Olivia, to read the books to her. Olivia was delighted to. So, Olivia and Githa spent many hours together each day, reading increasingly esoteric tomes on Concepts, the nature of reality, the origin of the World, and the myriad correct ways to move and live one’s life. Eventually, they ran out of books, but Githa needed to know more to better understand the way of the sword that her Soul yearned for. One day, she bid her friend farewell and left to find herself in the wastes.

-Githa journeyed far, did battle with a Sphinx, witnessed a gathering of Sirens in a hidden magical lake, meditated with Lizardfolk under a waterfall, and discussed philosophy with a Dragon. Eventually, she came to understand that the sword at her waist was only a tool for cutting, but the intent of the action to cut was what her Soul yearned for. Hesitant, yet driven to grow, Githa unsheathed her blade and dropped it somewhere among the dunes. She returned to her tribe a true master of blades.

About Vermeer:

-Vermeer, the Gentleman, grew up in the Ringed City. His past is mostly shrouded in mystery, but he eventually joined a secret order of spies and assassins under the direct command of the King of Light. Vermeer carried out many missions, executing heretics, hunting Vampires and Devils, and infiltrating the World of Dark to rescue Royals who had been captured and made Thralls or Cattle.

-When he became a senior agent, he was given the dangerous mission to infiltrate the Castle of Night and spy on the Monster King, to learn their secrets and relay information that might aid the Crusade effort. However, he was caught and brought to kneel before the King of Night. Vincent took pity on the old man and gave him a choice. Dropping a knife before Vermeer, Vincent told him he could either kill himself or die by the King’s hand. However, Vincent would take his sweet time and savor the sadistic pleasure of slicing a filthy spy to ribbons over the course of months.

-Vermeer took the knife and cut his right eye out and handed it to the King, a symbol of enslavement. Vermeer was basically handing his life and freedom over to the King of Night in a desperate plea to serve, regardless of who it was. Taken aback by this bold show of desperation, Vincent took Vermeer as a slave and a prisoner of war and started him as a manservant.

-Eventually, Vermeer proved his worth and gained the trust of the King. He slowly made his way from manservant, to assistant butler, to head butler, all the way to Resident Headmaster. He commanded the respect of every maid and butler who worked in the Castle of Night, and made efforts to recruit more from the poorer Monster families. Under his efficient guidance, even the Homunculi entombed in the temple under the castle were awakened and put to work. Even while the Second Crusade raged, the Castle of Night was a comfortable, safe place where wounded Monsters could hide out and rest.

-Though he is quite old, Vermeer is a mysterious man who wields strange powers and is more than a match for all but the most powerful Monster. He generally keeps to himself, though he takes an interest in the goings-on of the castle and will appear to witness any duels that take place on castle grounds. He can put Sainted Silver daggers in the eyes of a Vampire at fifty paces in a heartbeat and every Monster who lives in the castle, the Princess included, all fear the Gentleman.

Vermeer and Zonder:

-Vermeer was not entirely happy in this predicament, however. He, too, had a wish. Since his childhood, Vermeer had a dark shadow over his Soul. He had compulsions to bind, torture, and kill others, and was sexually attracted to children, both boys and girls. These compulsions haunted him, and he constantly fought to control these urges, but he sometimes failed to contain his evil.

-His Soul was torn in half and he made two wishes: one part of him wanted to be free of this taint and live out his life in piety, while the other wanted to overthrow the King of Night and take the (at the time) young Princess Helen as his wife. The impossibility of these two wishes individually and their incompatibility allowed his Soul passage to Zonder.

-Where Helen was first, and Alles was second, Vermeer came shortly after. The fact that his Soul had made such a disgusting wish and that part of him was recognized by the Universe as valid disturbed him. He tried to hide his shame. While Alles and Helen journeyed for the shards of Magic, Vermeer explored the World of Dreams and aided the two. He dared not make a wish, lest the darkness in his Soul be released and realized. When the two fated Souls overcame Lord Death, Vermeer gladly left Zonder, never to return.

And that’s it for this installment! This one was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. That combined with having to deal with a lot of family stuff this week really set me back. I really wanted to make sure this one was done right, though, so I hope you like it. Next time, we’re finishing off the World of Dark, so watch out for that!

Anyway, hope you enjoy! See you next time!

#monster #elder vampire #world of dark #zonder

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