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Welcome to the Empire of the Night

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 Greetings, 

 May I Introduce Myself?

I am the Empress of the Empire of the Night, my name is Empress Theodora Augusta.

For the last half a millennia I have allowed my people to know me as Mistress T.

And, so I shall refer to myself by this name in these written records, as recommended

to me by Belisarius, the General of the Imperial Bloodguard and my closest minister.  

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I wish to explain our Empire and introduce our guests to the realm in which we 

preside. We live in peace and harmony with Humankind. It has been a grand 

achievement for the two kinds, Human and Vampire, to have come to a relatively                                                 Mistress T

friendly meeting of minds. Now, there are some humans who still live in ignorance of our presence in 

their midst, but that is for our protection. 

 

The Empire of the Night spans across the globe.  After the chaos of " The Wilds" we have managed to keep peace and civility within our borders, both amongst ourselves and with humans, since our creation in 1000 AD. There are some vampires that remain outside of the Empire, that is their choice and for now our diplomatic relations with them are civil. We are proud that for just shy of a millennia we have managed to provide sanctuary to our citizens. It is our greatest desire that it remain so for many more millennia.

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How Does One Become A Citizen?

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Any vampire can apply to become a citizen of the Empire of the Night. It is important that one declares their alignment and 

Blood Ties when they apply. We accept all vampires regardless of their alignment, whether it be benevolent, neutral, or malevolent. 

You must fill out a Citizenship Registration form and pay a once in a lifetime fee of $65.

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*Humans can also join the Empire, however they are given Human status, as a Confederate of the Empire.

 

You are welcome to attend our events if you decide not to be a citizen. Citizens enjoy access to the online reference area, private forums, Empire chat, Celestial Gallery, and other areas created for them to enjoy. They also will be offered special deals, merchandise, and will have access to reserve seating/tickets at our events. Citizens have privileges. 

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The process of becoming a vampire in this community it is called a Blood Tie and you do not actually die. You remain a living human being that shares their existence with a shard of the Azure's essence inside of you. The actual rite of a Blood Tie will be described in the reference section provided to citizens. We follow the vampire mythos of the Slavic peoples in which these creatures were considered humans born with two hearts and two souls.

 

However, in this universe we put a spin on that tradition. The second soul is not a ghostly evil presence that haunts the mortal world after one dies as the Slavs believe. It is understood that your second soul is your second chance at life, an immortal existence that defines your truest self. We consider your true nature, or second soul, to be the type of vampire you choose to be, evil, neutral, or good. Also, your second heart is the Azure, if you are benevolent it remains closer to you, if you are malevolent it hides deep within your soul fleeing from the darkness it senses. Many Benevolents call Malevolents "those with no heart", "black souls" (upierzs or upiórs in Polish).

 

In other words, your true nature/self is what may corrupt you, or make you better than the human you once were. Tying a Blood Knot does not involve demon possession or any religious significance. There is no corruption of your soul other than the new powers one comes into. It is up to the individual whether that new power is a corrupting influence. The Azure just resides within you as a life force that makes you immortal and possess supernatural qualities. But it remains a neutral alien essence that does not impose upon your will, but keeps you alive. 

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Vampiric Alignments:

 

Benevolent Vampires:

Benevolent Vampires live by a peace abiding code of conduct. Some feed on humans, but only

the willing, and they do their best to not take life unnecessarily. Older benevolent vampires are

able to feed off energy sources other then humans. They can feed off of sunlight, which does not

harm them if they are exposed to it. This is due to the fact that they are more aligned with the

Azure than malevolent vampires so they are able to preserve a kinship with their celestial origins.

 

Older Benevolents are easily recognized by spiraled or curled fangs due to the fact that these 

vampires have willed their canines to no longer be instruments of death.  Some prominent and

noble benevolent vampires have intricately carved canines/fangs that look very much like tiny ivory

carvings. It is a status symbol amongst their elite. They have a more healthy pallor to their skin. Their eye colour and shape of their iris remains more human in resemblance.  

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                              Some Elder Benevolents remove their                             This is an example of the ornate 

                           fangs/canines and use them as adornments.                 carving that is done to some Benevolent

                                                                                                                              vampire fangs/canines.

 

*Some Benevolents do not feed on the life energy of living things at all and shun consuming blood. Once a Benevolent vampire reaches a certain age they do not need blood at all. 

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Many benevolent vampires are involved in diplomatic relations with the Human world and running the day to day bureaucracy of the Empire. They are also the main supporters of humanitarian works, the Environment, the Arts, and have a great admiration for the ingenuity of Humans. The malevolent vampires often site this affection for the Human world makes benevolent vampires weak and blind to the dangers that mortals pose to the Empire. A famous quote from a malevolent elder was,

                                         

                                                "We were not created as superior creatures just to lower ourselves to play with our food."

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Neutral Vampires:

Neutral Vampires are creatures that do not feel drawn toward the two polar alignments, benevolence and malevolence. They remain in the middle able to decide on how their behaviour is affected by their reactions to life situations, or circumstances of events, rather than a strict code of conduct. Many of the younger vampires prefer to adopt this school of thought in the beginning of their supernatural (second soul) existence. These vampires, in their younger years, are the most human looking. Their fangs/canines are small to medium, but still look more like human canine teeth than fangs. 

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Many neutral vampires prefer to dine on willing hosts, but typically in the most civilized of methods. They drink the blood from drinking vessels. The older ones are able to feed off other energy sources, but not as efficiently as Benevolents.  They can be exposed to sunlight, but depending on their nature, they may be affected by it to varying degrees. 

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It is only later that many neutral vampires find themselves firmly entrenched in a polarizing alignment. It is hard to remain neutral after millennia of life in this world, too many choices have been made to stay "Grey". Older vampires that have managed to stay neutral after a half of a century are deemed "Greys". There are very few Greys in the Empire. The ones that are are usually drafted into the Imperial Council and the Empire Congress. They are seen as esteemed members of the Senate and the Bloodguard.

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                                                                               General Belisarius of the Bloodguard

                                                                                        An Elder Neutral Vampire

 

Malevolent Vampires:

Malevolent vampires are not necessary evil incarnate or Nosferatu like creatures. They are definitely influenced by darker desires and often involved in the more nefarious activities of the Empire. They are still accepted as citizens in the Empire. However, they must abide by the laws that all vampires are expected to follow and are enforced by the Bloodguard. These vampires begin to take on a more feral look as they age. Their irises become more catlike, their fangs look more like that of an animals, and their skin pales.

 

The Older Malevolent Vampires tend to become solitary and erratic in their behaviour. These types of vampires find it difficult to fight the need to hunt living creatures due to the fact that the Azure does not sit well in their souls. The connection to the Celestial bodies and the ability to feed off of solar energy is lost to them. The darkness in their soul acts as a veil that hangs between the Azure and the stars. They must feed off of the life energy of living creatures to replace the Celestial energy that is deprived from the Azure within them.

 

These vampires are the ones to blame for the folklore and myth that sunlight burns our skin. Sunlight does not cause a malevolent vampire's skin to burst into flame, but it is not pleasant for them to be exposed for any length of time to solar rays, the effect varies depending on their age. The older the malevolent vampire the less likely it will be tolerant of the light of day. A side effect from a malevolent alignment tends to be the development of excellent night vision. Their eyes reflect light like that of a cat's.

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It is common to find the older malevolent vampires to be heavily involved in Trade. They are covetous of material items and tend to horde wealth. Many of the wealthy middle class vampires involved in Trade are to some degree malevolent. Quite a few of the Great Galere Houses were established by an Elder Malevolent. 

 

 

 

 

 

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An Important Note on the Codes and Conduct of Our Community and Events:

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We have seen too many events and communities devolve into feuding and vicious in-fighting between the attendees, as well as attacks on the businesses/organizations themselves. This has caused dissolution and/or disruptions of these events. For the enjoyment of everyone we are making this declaration so that our policies and intentions are clear.

 

The Empire of the Night Entertainment Service staff and management will not become involved in these types of interactions. If you have a complaint/grievance with our company and its practices contact us directly. We will not permit negative comments at our events or on our online presence. If you should decide that the Empire is not a community that you wish to support, do not attend or become/remain a member.  This community is not a real life existence, it is an entertainment/hobby service. As part of the Canadian business community we understand that we exist in a Capitalist economy and your are welcome to spend your dollar elsewhere if desired. We maintain that we provide a high standard of customer service and ethical practice. It is our greatest desire to provide a pleasant experience for 

everyone.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

 

How Our Community/Events Work:

The Empire of the Night is not a LARPing community. It does not run by any game rules or system. When you join the Empire you 

will be encouraged to create a persona based upon a person you wish to role play as. The person can be human or vampire, from any 

time period, fictional or historical, and must have some sort of history (background) established. The background is a highly suggested facet of your citizenship. It allows you to be able to carry on conversations more intelligently as your persona and enables you to enjoy a more immersive experience at events. Think of the Empire of the Night as a community not much unlike historical re-enactment groups, persona based.

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Code of Conduct for Our Citizens:

We run our community with the understanding that our members are expected to follow a code of conduct that promotes civility. As 

adults we do not expect everyone to love each other, however, we do require that all members operate in ways in which they all get 

along peaceably and respectfully outside of and as their persona. We will not tolerate harassment, abuse of any form, or attendees 

using our events/online community to commit criminal activity. Those who break our Code of Conduct will have their membership and access to our community/events revoked without reimbursement. 

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Our members will be held responsible for their conduct and discord is heavily discouraged. If there is a dispute or offense 

we expect our members to be adult enough to be able to resolve it in a proper manner on their own. The Empire of the Night is a community of adults that is governed by the laws and civil codes of Canada. We are not responsible for the behaviour or actions of our members during, or outside of our events, as well as within our online community. We remain an 18+ community for this express reason.

 

If a member breaks the law, it is up to the parties involved to report to the suitable authorities and inform us. We follow regular business practices such as; what is within legal and reasonable requirements to keep our events/online community safe for our members. A member is encouraged to report harassment, abuse, or disruptive behaviour to our staff. If they choose not to involve our staff we cannot, and will not, assume responsibility. We have procedures in place to deal with members who are abusive or unpleasant. However, The Empire of the Night is purely an entertainment service, not a police force or governing body, we are an entertainment business and follow Canadian business practices.  

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We reserve the right to revoke a membership/citizenship if that person should cause unreasonable grief or disturbance to the day to 

day operation of the Empire of the Night. There will be no tolerance of political disputes at events, on our social media outlets or website, 

or any gatherings related to the Empire. This is an avenue for our members to enjoy a few hours of entertainment outside of the 

rigors and disruptions of the Mundane (Real) World. Please leave your Socio/Political platforms at the proverbial door, act like cultured 

adults, conduct yourselves in consensual and positive interactions, and by all means do not create dissent. 

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                                                                Origin Myth

Of the

Empire of the Night

 

Our Origin:

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This is the origin tale of our beginning. It has been passed down by those who came before, from those who came first. Much of our origin has passed into myth and mystery. We only have whispers that have slipped from behind the veil shrouding our elusive past in the mists of forgotten time. Many who were the first of our kind wish to remain lost to us. Never allowing their identity to be recorded, they form the oldest Council of Vampires. And, if they do venture out into the modern world, few of us will ever know that The First Ones are in their company.

 

This is what has been allowed to be written in our history, the only permissible record of those who came first.

It has been translated from the words of an Old One who wrote in a long lost ancient tongue.

The text has been adapted by myself, Mistress T, in order to be more comprehensible to a present day

audience. Please be patient with the translation, it is difficult to truly convey the full context in English.

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However, the modern day Imperial Council and Parliament deemed it necessary that the youngest of our 

Empire understand their origin. We lost so many to "The Wilds", the time when there was no Empire, 

no way, meaning, or laws in our existence. A newly bound vampire was expected to find their own way

in their new life with no explanation of what had happened to them. So many became mad and feral, 

so many were lost. Now, we have the Empire of the Night. We have laws and direction, we have 

peace.

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And, so with the blessing of the Imperial Council, I take it upon myself as your Empress to enlighten

my people and teach them of our beginning. Our origin was one of starlight and the vast dark mantle

of night. At first there was One, not father or mother, just One. The One was but a glimmer of light

and spirit that traveled the night sky as a lonely wanderer looking for brethren. Solitary and forlorn this essence visited

world after world seeking the company of a kindred spirit.

 

                                                                As it passed the great celestial bodies of brilliant light it fed from the energy it                                                                                                       discovered within the tears the of stars, flashes of brilliance erupting from their

                                                                   surface. The sustenance it  gained fed its need for energy, but did nothing to fill its hunger for                                                                           union. The ripple of light traveled through its essence as a wave that merely flashed and then                                                                           dissipated as quickly as it had come. The One began to seek a greater more sustained

                                                                source of nourishment, that of its spirit.  

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We do not know how much time passed, or how many leagues this essence journeyed through the great expanse of the Universe, before it came upon a beautiful blue gem, a glimmering orb in a sea of darkness. It drew closer, like a moth to a flame. The One did not comprehend at the time, that just like the moth that succumbs to a flame and burns its wings, it too would suffer a similar fate. The One would burn its celestial being, lose its "wings", so to speak, by drawing so near our kind.

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Enamored by the dazzling beauty of our world the essence drew closer with an anticipation tinged

with cautionary shyness. Having spent so long alone The One was shy of being near a sea

of beings so vibrant and dynamic; the bombardment by Humans of its awareness was

painful and overwhelming. The detection of the thoughts and emotions of a myriad

of beings rife with such intense cognizance was like when one feels a electricity in the

air during an intense thunderstorm, but so much more invasive. It felt the sparks of human

consciousness within its very being, like electrical shocks that brought ecstasy through jolts of pain. 

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The One was drawn to us. It felt such a sense of longing to have union with another awareness that was cognizant like itself. The essence observed our world with wonder and curiosity that fed a deep desire. Very quickly it began to crave our company, communion with us. The desire moved the entity to throw itself from the edge of the night sky, leaving its brethren of celestial bodies, to fall to Earth in a blaze of light. As it fell it grew dimmer until it landed upon the Earth with a pale glow and was a shadow of its former self.

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                                                             The effort it took The One to reach the Earth caused it to burn more and more of its essence to fuel                                                                     the fall. The closer it came to the our world, the more it cooled and solidified. When it reached                                                                              the embrace of our Earth it had become a crystalline entity of clear blue carbon, like an                                                                                         azure diamond. And there, cradled in the bosom of rich moss and deep soil, it lay trapped

                                                                    unable to reach out to let us know it had arrived. The One had no knowledge of how to                                                                                    speak to us. It could not move or change its plight. A solitary observer once again locked in its                                                                           isolation.

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Unknown to The One a human woman had observed its dazzling entrance to our night sky. There may have been others, we do not know, there are no accounts to confirm this. If there were other observers, none felt the curiosity and wonder of the event as much as this lone soul. She had long dreamed of the stars above, what they were and if they were all godly beings watching the Earth below. The woman longed to touch the sun and embrace a star. She watched the star fall from heaven with an unbridled rapture and spiritual jubilation. She believed a God had come.

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The woman journeyed great distances through many lands to find the source of her wonder. She followed the

path the blaze of light traced through the night sky and carefully tracked its descent. Her search took

many years, but never did she falter, nor doubt her direction. Until one day she found it. Nestled in the

fresh earth of an Eastern land was the object of her adulation. When she finally cradled the azure gem within

her palms she felt the culmination of a lifelong search. She knew a much longed for union.

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As she held the gem before her eyes The One reached within her mind and touched her spirit. The energy she experienced surging through every pore of her being was exhilarating and intoxicating. Both beings had felt such isolation before this meeting, that the union they shared answered every longing, every desire for communion. They could not bear to break the bond that held them together. For days the woman sat gazing into the depths of the azure gem. Transfixed by the link of consciousness they shared.

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The woman came to know the entity as The Azure. A name they gleaned from the human

word that described how she saw The One. They enjoyed a union of energy and awareness.

The Azure learned of humanity and the woman, she learned of the stars and the heavens.

It was an binding that reached deep into each of them and galvanized their entanglement,

making it impossible to break.

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Soon The Azure felt the woman’s energy waning. Her thoughts became clouded and disjointed.

It only understood too late that the woman was not an immortal essence, but made of mortal flesh

and bone. The union they enjoyed had deprived his mortal companion of all awareness of appetite or self-preservation.

The woman had sat transfixed upon The Azure without eating or sleeping for days. Her spirit began to ebb, her body to fail.

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Terrified of the loss of his one true companion, and their tenuous union, The Azure experienced a crisis. This was something it had never felt before. Having absorbed the thoughts and emotions of humans, it internalized these foreign intrusions to its consciousness. And began to feel and think in a way it had never known before. In its attempt to find a way to save the one true union it had found in Millenia, The Azure struggled to understand how to save the woman.

 

                                                                               It was not able to truly understand what it is to be human, or mortal. It was neither good,

                                                                                 nor evil, but a being that could not identify with either alignment. Since it had never                                                                                            experienced hate, love, or the Human Condition. All of this new awareness was                                                                                                      overwhelming to it. Drowning in the hurricane of fear that now gripped The Azure,

                                                                                something that seemed so alien to its core, it experienced a dilemma.

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The Azure knew of a desire to have union, but this did not come from a benevolence within. It also did not know of malevolence. It did however feel loss. And it was the fear of loss that birthed the new sensation bursting forth from within its depths. The Azure considered the loss of the woman’s essence, her life force,  from the Universe as wasteful. It concluded that it could not allow her energy to cease to exist because of their union. The waste of energy was something it could not abide.

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The Azure struggled to discover a way to stop the woman’s expiration. But being new to

this alien world and the reality of its existence, it was at a loss to prevent her demise.

The entity did not fully comprehend the limitations of flesh and bone. It had never

been contained within an outer shell. The fragility of the human vestige of a mortal

body was frightening to it. It shrank in confusion and horror.

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When the Azure’s consciousness withdrew from the woman in repulsion she slumped forward. The woman's life force spilled forth as The Azure's consciousness fled from her body. She fell to the ground as her heart stopped beating. The Azure felt a grief that ripped it apart at the realization that it had caused this lose of life. It burst into a million shards of light that flared like a starburst in the air above the dying woman. They shimmered and flashed around her body in a dazzling display of fractured illumination.

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                                                                                      The shards of energy that was suspended in the air about the woman compelled                                                                                                      themselves into her body with a terrific force. It was an act of desperation by the                                                                                                  Azure, a mindless desire to prevent a loss it could not justify. The Azure acted                                                                                                      without thought to the  consequences of its deed, with no thought for itself. It had 

                                                                                      found a profound peace it could not bear to lose.

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The force of the energy funneled into the woman’s heart was enough to make it beat again. This action not only prevented her death, but the energy from The Azure twisted about the atoms of her being. The two became one entity, no longer human, no longer Azure, but something that had never been before. The Azure sacrificed itself to create a new existence for the woman so that it would never experience the loss of union again. But, she was different. 

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This is how the first of our kind was born. This was the very first binding.

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The first binding was in no way a true union of two equal bodies of energy. It was not a melding, but an entwining. The Union, as they called it, at first was one of discord and confusion. They struggled to find balance between the desires and needs of both entities existing in one body. One was alien and not able to comprehend its human side, the other was soon corrupted by the power she felt from the binding and her base human nature soon held sway.

 

It was not long before the woman understood the true nature of her new body.

Her flesh was impervious to injury and she could command powers only formerly

attributed to the Gods. She began to see herself as a God and took her vengeance

on those who had wronged her in her former life. The woman became cruel and

wicked in her ways. In the human world she now ruled she called herself “Azurelle”

and made herself a queen.

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She quickly forced what was left of the Azure to bow to her will. It had become weak due to the fact that it could not make sense of the sensations it was experiencing. Fear ruled its awareness and it hid deep in the inner recesses of the woman’s soul, fleeing the corrupt thoughts she fostered. Not long after this victory of wills Azurelle started to struggle to be in the light of the sun. It hurt her to be exposed to its rays. This was due to Azurelle's pall of dark machinations in her mind that hung between the energy of the celestial bodies and The Azure itself. The Azure grieved the loss of connection to its Celestial brothers, a source of energy that gave it strength. The connection was cruelly broken by the darkness in the woman’s mind.

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                                                                                                    It fled from her and withdrew from all that existed outside of her person,                                                                                                               refusing to feed off the energy of the heavens above in case it strengthened her                                                                                                          malice. It mourned its former existence, the solidarity it once had, the                                                                                                                      freedom of the heavens. The Azure longed for escape from the dark place it                                                                                                           found itself imprisoned within. But, it did not know how to free itself from                                                                                                          the binding. This caused the woman to shun the light from the heavens and                                                                                                           turn to the mantle of night.

 

Soon Azurelle became hungry.  She needed to find a way to replenish The Azure of its life force so she could continue to enjoy her powers. But, it would not oblige her by feeding from the sun or the stars. It turned its face from all the light and lay in sorrow in the pit of her dark soul. The woman felt her powers waning and was furious. She would not lose her godhead. It took many nights for her to scheme of a way to replenish the life force she coveted so deeply.

 

Then, it was that Azurelle ventured forth into the night. She came upon a small village

and waited in the shadows for the perfect victim. The woman had surmised that

Humans contained a life force, like hers, that could give her the energy she

hungered for. She believed that force must have been what attracted the

Azure to her. She was so overcome with her own power that she failed to realize that 

The Azure fell for Humanity, not her, alone.

 

So, Azurelle deemed that she would take it for herself.  These

creatures were beneath her in power, they existed for her pleasure alone. She

believed that if she drank a person’s blood she could steal their life force. The

Azure knew of her plans and found her abhorrent. The concept of draining one

life force to serve another's base hunger caused it to ache with a longing to be free from such darkness. 

It is your soul that determines your alignment, it is your desires that lead you to evil or good. Lest we forget what we have done, 

we are cursed to repeat it. The Azure is within you and whether you nourish it with malice or benevolence, that is what determines 

the type of vampire you become.

 

Azurelle stalked her prey and drank from the flesh of her victim. The Azure tried to preserve the helpless person's life force by breaking off a part of itself and fleeing into them. It could not entirely disconnect from Azurelle, it still could not bring itself to cause another entity to cease to exist. So, it splintered into two shards of itself.

 

Enough of the Azure bonded with the woman’s victim to create another entity, another vampire. This vampire went on to repeat the deeds of Azurelle, it floundered in madness. She left her children to the madness of The Wild's, not comprehending the chaos she would unleash. Let this be a warning and a lesson to all vampire's of the Empire, we must never forget Our Darkest Hour, The Wilds, let there never be a brethren left behind.  

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And so the pattern has continued throughout bloodlines and history until now.

 

The process of the blood tie is not entirely explained by this origin myth, but this is the history that has been passed down to all those who come after, from those who wish to remain lost behind the veil of the unknown, lost in the darkness of our past.