"It is late winter. Three of us have already died in the cold, and another eight won't survive the night. The rain is pouring down, and the waves makes it impossible to stand up. We lost the other boats to the darkness what feels like days ago. There is still no sign of land, and most our supplies have been lost in the storm. Anglalond was still beyond the reach of human eye. We are not going to survive the journey, no matter how much we prayed to Aegir. We shall sacri~"
-inscription found on stone tablet part of the remains of a Viking dragon ship found in a field in Isle of Grain, Great Britain.
No One. The Anonymity.
"For centuries I have been known simple as No One. But as times have changed, so has my name. And the children of darkness now call me The Anonymity. And I control London."
No One
Name:
Date of Birth: ca~ 800 CE
Place of Birth: somewhere in Denmark
Sex: Male
Title: The Anonymity
Language: Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, English
Family: (originally) Clan Adair
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 65 kg
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Light blue
Skin colour: Pale
Personality: Unknown
Philosophy of Life: Life is more than being alive. Even dead can live.
Religion/Beliefs: Asatru
Marital status:
Clan: (originally) Adair, (currently) The Hidden Clan
"For seven lifetimes I have lived. Seven names I have carried. Seven places I have lived.
And now, I retreat to shadow. No longer will I carry a name. No longer will I be known.
I have become no one. With this letter, I denounce all that I have ever been.
I reject all I've ever known. Henceforth, I do not exist. This letter will serve only as a
record of my past. What is written here is the seven lives of a single being.
Not a man, not a god. But shadow.
And now, I retreat to shadow. No longer will I carry a name. No longer will I be known.
I have become no one. With this letter, I denounce all that I have ever been.
I reject all I've ever known. Henceforth, I do not exist. This letter will serve only as a
record of my past. What is written here is the seven lives of a single being.
Not a man, not a god. But shadow.
My first life
In my first life I was known as Grimar Surtursson.
Son of Surtur Ormarsson and Freyja Emblasdottir.
I had a wife, Tofa Haelgirdottir, and a son, Ulfar.
We were Gautar living in Danamörk, in a small village society.
We had a Merkismathr that oversaw our society who
communicated with the Jarl of the closest
stronghold through trained ravens.
But rivalry between the Daner and the Gautar often caused us trouble,
and we began preparations for migrating.
We had heard raid tales of the land of the Bretons.
Bretland, which would soon be called Anglalond.
Our main god was originally Freyr, but worship of Aegir the ocean Jötun
soon became more common practice as our society
was pushed further out the coast by the Danes.
Son of Surtur Ormarsson and Freyja Emblasdottir.
I had a wife, Tofa Haelgirdottir, and a son, Ulfar.
We were Gautar living in Danamörk, in a small village society.
We had a Merkismathr that oversaw our society who
communicated with the Jarl of the closest
stronghold through trained ravens.
But rivalry between the Daner and the Gautar often caused us trouble,
and we began preparations for migrating.
We had heard raid tales of the land of the Bretons.
Bretland, which would soon be called Anglalond.
Our main god was originally Freyr, but worship of Aegir the ocean Jötun
soon became more common practice as our society
was pushed further out the coast by the Danes.
As a child, we lived in relative peace as the Danes didn't know about us.
We lived in a secluded piece of land near modern day Hjörring.
My great grandparents had migrated here through Southern Sweden,
via Norway and across the Strait. But as our society grew,
so did attention fromt he Danes.
Clans clashed often and our society went from farmers to warriors.
My generation was the first that indulged in raids. And we became good.
I became known as Grimar Skuggbogi - Grimar Shadow Bow.
I was an assassin, a talent I would soon learn to become vital for survival.
We were six bowmen in our clan, ten axemen, and fourteen swordsmen.
The village a quarter day's hike West had more men.
When the Jarl was killed by Danes, we decided to migrate to Angalond.
We had built three longboats, one of which was a dragon ship
with a carved figurehead my father had worked on.
The survivors set sail in late winter, myself included.
We had stored several animals and weapons and grains
on our boats to take to this new land. And each day on the water,
we made sacrifices to Aegis. Unfortunately it was not enough.
Soon, Thor began battle with Jörmungandr and the storm caused two boats to sink.
And when the storm passed, our ship was the only one left.
But the storm had brought with it a cold so fierce we thought Fimbulvetr had begun.
We lived in a secluded piece of land near modern day Hjörring.
My great grandparents had migrated here through Southern Sweden,
via Norway and across the Strait. But as our society grew,
so did attention fromt he Danes.
Clans clashed often and our society went from farmers to warriors.
My generation was the first that indulged in raids. And we became good.
I became known as Grimar Skuggbogi - Grimar Shadow Bow.
I was an assassin, a talent I would soon learn to become vital for survival.
We were six bowmen in our clan, ten axemen, and fourteen swordsmen.
The village a quarter day's hike West had more men.
When the Jarl was killed by Danes, we decided to migrate to Angalond.
We had built three longboats, one of which was a dragon ship
with a carved figurehead my father had worked on.
The survivors set sail in late winter, myself included.
We had stored several animals and weapons and grains
on our boats to take to this new land. And each day on the water,
we made sacrifices to Aegis. Unfortunately it was not enough.
Soon, Thor began battle with Jörmungandr and the storm caused two boats to sink.
And when the storm passed, our ship was the only one left.
But the storm had brought with it a cold so fierce we thought Fimbulvetr had begun.
I woke up to a grey sky. My clothes were frozen stiff,
and my beard was sprinkled with tiny crystals and the ocean wind still bit my skin.
I was laying on the remains of the dragon ship. My wife and son had been taken by the sea,
and so had our Jarl.
I managed to crawl up to a seated position,
leaning against surviving animal furs that were strapped to the bow of the ship.
The dragon head my father had carved was gone and as I looked around,
there were no bodies to be seen. The sea had taken them all,
and the only reason I was still on board, though half the ship was missing,
was because a rope had made it around my leg.
It was broken, with a part of bone poking out through the skin,
but I couldn't feel any pain because of the cold. And then I felt myself drifting off again.
and my beard was sprinkled with tiny crystals and the ocean wind still bit my skin.
I was laying on the remains of the dragon ship. My wife and son had been taken by the sea,
and so had our Jarl.
I managed to crawl up to a seated position,
leaning against surviving animal furs that were strapped to the bow of the ship.
The dragon head my father had carved was gone and as I looked around,
there were no bodies to be seen. The sea had taken them all,
and the only reason I was still on board, though half the ship was missing,
was because a rope had made it around my leg.
It was broken, with a part of bone poking out through the skin,
but I couldn't feel any pain because of the cold. And then I felt myself drifting off again.
Next, I woke up in a stone monastery.
Never had I seen a stone building of such detail and precision.
Each block of stone was smooth as leather. It was remarkable, but frightening.
And a man approached. He was dressed in dark robes, and his scalp was shaven.
The man spoke to me in a foreign language I did not understand, and it looked like he was performing a ritual.
I later found out that he had prayed to a foreign god to watch over me as I got better.
But I wouldn't stay better for long.
One day a dark shroud was swept across the monastery and mystery men slithered inside,
ripping the monks to shreds. I tried to fight back and managed to get hold of a sword.
I cut down three of them before what I thought was their leader approached me.
It was as if though he moved through the shadows for suddenly he was right in front of me,
lifting me up by my throat, and I looked into his eyes, and I saw Ragnarök.
Never had I seen a stone building of such detail and precision.
Each block of stone was smooth as leather. It was remarkable, but frightening.
And a man approached. He was dressed in dark robes, and his scalp was shaven.
The man spoke to me in a foreign language I did not understand, and it looked like he was performing a ritual.
I later found out that he had prayed to a foreign god to watch over me as I got better.
But I wouldn't stay better for long.
One day a dark shroud was swept across the monastery and mystery men slithered inside,
ripping the monks to shreds. I tried to fight back and managed to get hold of a sword.
I cut down three of them before what I thought was their leader approached me.
It was as if though he moved through the shadows for suddenly he was right in front of me,
lifting me up by my throat, and I looked into his eyes, and I saw Ragnarök.
My second life
(tbc)
My third life
(tbc)
My fourth life
(tbc)
My fifth life
(tbc)
My sixth life
(tbc)
My last life
(tbc)
The House of Anonymity
The Hidden Clan
The House of Anonymity was founded by The Anonymity in the late 1600's. During the Industrial Revolution they were, among the other Vampire Houses, known as The Hidden Clan. No one knew where they were situated. No one knew who was a member. All anyone knew was that anyone who crossed the Anonymity would vanish mysteriously. They had spies in almost every House in London. Even spies in the Palace and eventually in politics. They had spies in the New World as the British Empire colonized the Americas, in India, Africa... But in September of 1939 The Anonymity cut off communication with spies outside of London. He'd started drawing too much attention to himself. People would seek his spies up in hopes of being recruited. As war waged on across the world, The Anonymity decided that it was time to become a shadow again. And for years no one heard of the Hidden Clan and many of the other Vampire houses began rising in power again. But in 1950 he reappeared again. And once again he proved that no one should ever cross him. Three entire Houses were eliminated before the remaining ones agreed to make the Anonymity the representative of all the Vampires of London. He had control once again.
Though it is called the 'House of Anonymity' it is not an official House, since the Anonymity once belonged to a House himself. And although he's an ancient Vampire, he cannot create his own House if he already belongs to one. And although he has tried, he hasn't been able to kill the last of Clan Adair, also known as the House of War. Until that moment, the House of Anonymity will remain a clan.
The Hidden Clan consists of a special hierarchy. Beginning with The Anonymity at the very top. After him sits the Bishop. He serves as voice for the Anonymity when he cannot be there himself. The Bishop has the ability to host The Anonymity's consciousness for a limited time so that he can still speak in person without being there physically. The Bishop is also blind, so that he cannot judge based on what he sees, but only by what he hears. Under him are the Revenants. They are said to have died twice to prove their devotion to The Anonymity, but the nature of their existence is unknown. They wear masks covering their faces at all times, and people say that they are hideously scarred underneath. Their mystical powers surpass most other vampires, but they rarely show off their talents. They serve as advisers, bodyguards, and representatives or messengers at Clan meetings. They're also known as The Order of No One. After them comes the Berserkers. The Berserkers serve as enforcers and are trained to be physically strong, but weak in mystical abilities. The Berserkers are often used to uphold the order among the London Houses, and if a House or Clan would do something to overstep The Anonymity's bounds, they serve as reminders that it is the Anonymity that holds power. Their physical strength is enhanced by herbs and mystical rituals. Then comes the Marauders. They serve as assassin's and general foot soldiers. They are the most plentiful soldier typ in The Anonymity's Clan. They're trained in stealth and speed. They can move soundlessly and can become nearly invisible in the shadows. Their weapons of choice are long silver infused wooden staffs that they can break into two long wooden stakes would they need to. Lastly are the Thralls. The Thralls are the loyalists. They're regular vampires that serve as spies in other Houses and Clans.
Visual guide:
The five Revenants of the Order of No One.
A group of Berserkers and abducted vampires.
A group of Marauders.
Example of a Thrall.
The House of War
Clan Adair
(tbc)
Clan Adair is one of the oldest Vampire Houses in Britain. It is a clan based around Celtic worship, and has been around since the Bronze Age. Regardless of age, it is a relatively small House and has only had a large amount of members during pre-Christian times. As Christianity became the main worship in Britain, clan Adair suffered great losses through religious Vampire hunts. The House has changed name twice during its time. The original name translated loosely into 'The Cult of Oaks and Teeth', though no one knows for sure what was the meaning of that was supposed to be. The founder of the House died long ago, years before Grimar was turned.
The Council
The Vampyre High Council
(tbc)
