As a summary before you read all my bs, the idea will be to play as vampires from different clans and different Courts and.... well, fuck each other over, mostly.

As a tldr, the main plot will be that the vampire Empress dies suddenly and unexpectedly and a Proving of Inheritance (the violent process by which a new ruler is chosen) is called, except none of the Courts are prepared for it because no one expected it would happen for at least another few hundred years. So, the clans within each Court fight for a bit over who to send, there's some political drama, and then they go on to the Proving which is just a whole other extremely violent affair, with some other stuff going on that I don't want to reveal yet. So, it'll definitely be a more long-term plot with a lot of scheming involved and it'll probably take a while to really ramp up and then even longer to resolve itself. And then even if it does, there's still a lot more going on the world we could do if we're not sick of this yet haha.

So yeah... I put a lot of info in already, but there's also more to be added. But I didn't want to put a ton of work into it and then have no one be interested.



All of life, really, is naught but an elaborate, unending masquerade. From the time you are old enough to utter our first words you begin putting on faces that are not your own, no matter how they may look so. You slip from costume to costume, stitched together from pieces of yourselves but even in your most intimate moments never do you truly unmask yourselves. Anonymity is protection, after all; hiding safely in rules of tradition and politeness that you have tailored so lovingly, so intricately, so restrictively for yourselves, like a delicate and suffocating corset. You hide in painted, dark eyelashes and layers of silken fabrics, thinking perhaps that if you cover enough of yourselves you might truly be beautiful. But your true nature is betrayed by claw-like jewelry and blood-red lipstick; you have not forgotten who you are. The scent of fear and blood still stirs something primal within you and when you fall asleep you dream of hunting in moonlit forests, and you awake and tighten your corset and think that things are easier this way. And yet, another stitch has broken.

Soon the seam will come undone.


Many thousand years ago, vampirekind grew tired of being hunted and slaughtered by humans. Mankind had survived that far only because vampires were divided and afraid, and when they finally came together under one banner and one cause, nothing could stand against them. They overcame the human kingdoms with ease, slaughtering most and keeping alive only those that they needed to feed, mainly children that they could raise to be subservient. Under the original thirteen vampires that led the revolt developed the thirteen Courts, and each staked out a claim of land for themselves. They set up cities and duchies, chose kings and queens and an Empress, and though at first they worked much as peasants to build their empire they realized soon that the humans had much more use than only that of blood. Thus, vampires elevated themselves to the status of nobles, forcing the humans under their control to perform the unskilled labor in exchange for a little less cruelty.

There have since been five Empresses since the first. Now is the time of Empress Cassiopeia of Court Alecsandri. In the past 5,000 years the Thirteen Courts have flourished and expanded, the once near extinct species growing to number in the thousands. The place of humans has remained relatively unchanged as a whole, though each Court treats those under their rule to different standards; some treat them as livestock, pets, or worse, while others attribute them some limited rights and protections. The vampire Courts, in turn, squabble as any human kingdoms would, fighting for prestige and territory and other, more petty things.

Now, it seems that a time of upheaval may be coming. Even beyond the Court of Ioveanu- known for their dreamwalking- dark nightmares stir in the minds of vampires all over the Empire. There is political dissent in the south and religious zealotry brewing in the north. We are not comfortable and secure, and our minds wander to desires far beyond mere survival, and our numbers have grown so that we may now plot in relative anonymity. It has been just long enough for a status quo to develop, and so, just long enough for it to be broken.


The continent of Vannesmar is divided politically by thirteen Courts of vampires that rule the lands. Each Court is divided further into counties- ruled by counts and countesses- who in turn rule over the vampires and humans that live there. While vampires do have "families," their clan- that is, all vampires living in the same county as them- is far more important.

In all truth, much of the land is relatively unoccupied, with most vampires choosing to live in estates overlooking tightly-controlled human "settlements." Human settlements tend to be fairly primitive, predominantly resembling somewhat haphazard Dark Ages villages. Vampire manors are more ornate in Gothic and Victorian in style, and are rarely heavily as defense against traditional military-type attacks is not a concern. They may, however, have some other defenses with which to repel small-group attacks or discourage an enemy's ability to sneak into the dwelling unknown.

If they must fight a battle, they tend to be relatively small-scale, as even large clans usually consist of perhaps a couple dozen individuals at most. There have been times where vampires have chosen to have humans under their command fight by proxy, but this is only a functional way of settling conflict if both sides agree not to become directly involved, as even one or two vampires can easily tear apart scores of well-trained and armored humans. In turn, when the vampires do decide to meet on the battlefield, their fights tend to be long-lasting (sometimes going for days without respite or reinforcements), bloody, and extremely brutal, and more often than not come down to the last living members of either side hunting each other down desperately in the wilderness. When they do go to war, there are typically few survivors. Thus, many vampires prefer to use more subtle methods of assassination to remove threats, though some clans have more success at this than others.





Humans live in villages overseen by vampire lords, who have varying degrees of control over their subjects' lives based on Court, clan, and the purpose of the settlement. In the best places (for humans), the village may function more-or-less of its own accord with fairly little interference so long as it fulfills its purpose to the satisfaction of its lords, and obeys their rules. In other places, every aspect of a human's life and day might be dictated by their masters, from when and what they may eat or wear to who they may marry. Additionally, Courts and clans offer their humans different levels of rights as living creatures. In some places, wrongdoings may result in trial and more-or-less reasonable punishment; in other places, they may be killed on a whim.

Some humans may work more directly with vampires, acting as servants in their manors, and even as handmaidens and personal butlers. Whether this is a preferable situation or simply a more dangerous one varies. However, it is almost universally the case that humans known as "Companions" are treated well above that of any other.

Companions are humans who are chosen for three things, typically at a young age: beauty, obedience, and flavor. Each human tastes a little bit different, after all, and vampires prefer only the finest things. Why shouldn't they always have a succulent snack on hand? And of course, their pets must be obedient, so as not to cause them any trouble, and must be beautiful so that they can show them off. Nearly all vampires have at least one Companion that lives in relatively close quarters with them, often accompanying them to social events dressed nearly as finely as their masters. They are ornaments, and highly prized ones. Truly, it is as close to nobility as any human could obtain- a life of unparalleled luxury and leisure so long as they remain young, beautiful, and silent, and willing to donate a little blood.


The Proving of Inheritance is the method by which the new Emperor or Empress is chosen. One is typically called towards the end of an Emperess's life, when she is beginning to show her age and knows she will soon need replacement. At this point, she calls for a Proving, in which each Court (except for the Lunari, for reasons explained under their Court information) chooses a young adult- between 150 and 300 years of age- to represent their Court in a position called "Heritor." Heritors are the candidates to be chosen as the next monarch, and they must be chosen young to ensure a long rein should they be chosen for the throne. Each Heritor is, in turn, allowed to choose two Escorts from any of their Courts to accompany them, whether for safety or political advisory, or for any other reason.

In most situations, Courts begin to negotiate their Heritors and Escorts years before a Proving is called; as soon as an Empress begins to show any sign of growing old, the clans begin to bicker about which among them is worthy to serve in the Proving. Typically, a child of the ruling clan is chosen as the Heritor, though there have been times when this has not been the case. Instead, the other clans gain their swaying power through Escorts, which may be of any age, clan, or social standing. Thus, it is an important decision, and one over which blood is often spilled. Finally, each vampire in attendance- the Heritor and their two Escorts- may bring a human Companion of their choosing. Although intended more for comfort and decoration, extra bodies means extra opportunity for advantage, and thus Companions are typically also chosen somewhat strategically, although their use is far more limited.

Once a Proving is called, the Heritor and their entourage travels to the Citadel, the capital of the Empire, where they will live with no external communication (except what news is given to them by the Lunari living at the Citadel) until a Crown Heir is chosen. One would think that giving each Court an equal number of representatives in the Proving would mean that each Court has an equal chance of begetting the next Empress or Emperor; this is not, in reality, the case. Though the Empress (or Emperor) has a sway in which Heritor will be their successor, theirs is not the final decision. Instead, the first days of the Proving often consist of the Heritors of some Courts pledging fealty to another, effectively taking themselves out of the running. This typically to ensure deals between their Courts; the assurance that if the Heritor of a certain Court does become the Crown Heir and eventually gain the throne, that they will reward those that pledged allegiance to them in some way. Many of these deals are negotiated by the Courts prior to the Proving even being announced, and thus must Heritors begin the Proving with a fairly clear idea of who their allies and their enemies will be. The Empress does have some sway in their successor; for example, they may choose to expel Heritors who overtly break the rules, may try to sway their allegiances to grant a more favorable outcome, and in the case of a tie in which it seems that two or three Heritors are on more-or-less equal footing and will not back down, they may break the tie. Otherwise, much of the Proving is a slow game of intimidation, negotiation, and- of course- elimination.

It is an understood fact that the Proving is exceptionally bloody, and each vampire that enters it knows that there is at least a decent chance they will not make it to the end. Thus, it is preferable to either surround oneself with many and/or powerful allies, or else to pledge allegiance someone more powerful. That said, it is also possible for a Heritor to reject another that attempts to pledge to them, if their pledge would make them enemies or otherwise weaken their position. Similarly, though there are rules to the Proving- murder, for example, is forbidden- there is also an understanding that this is an intrinsic part of the process. After all, anyone who is powerful enough to be in the running and yet not smart enough to avoid getting themselves killed has no in the dangerous position of Emperor or Empress. Therefore, killings in which the culprit is not obvious- for example, the motive is not clear, there are no witnesses, and the culprits do not let it slip- will not be too heavily investigated; not officially, at least. There is nothing stopping a victim's allies from investigating their death and taking revenge if they are able, but the same rules apply to revenge killings: don't get caught. This includes betrayal, lies, and subterfuge of any kind.

The issue with this Proving, of course, is the suddenness of the Empress Cassiopeia's death. In most situations, Courts begin their plotting well ahead of the death of their ruler, and in fact much before the Proving is even called for officially; however, in this situation, the Empress was very young, having only been chosen as Crown Heir herself around 200 years ago, and ascending to the throne a bit over 100 years prior. It was thought that it would be at least another 800 or 900 years before the next Proving was called. As such, Heritors and Escorts and allegiances between Courts had not yet been so much as mentioned, let alone ironed out. To make things more complicated, a Proving had never occurred in which the Empress was already dead; while this doesn't mean that the Proving process will have to change all that much, it does mean that it may very well drag on longer than most, and with no leadership for the Empire in the meantime. In most situations, because much of the deals have already been worked out, from the time a Proving is called to the time it begins is less than a month; in this situation, the kings and queens of the Courts have agreed to extend the deadline for a season, a little less than three moons. At the beginning of winter, the Proving will begin.

The center of the northern Eye of the continent, nestled in the rolling hills between the mountains of Moldovia in the east, and the flat lowlands of Vlaicir and Mirceya in the west. Their central location and proximity to Kivhei- the mountain on which the capital of the Empire sits- makes them a crossroads, and thus they predominantly deal in trade, politics, and culture. They have relatively few resources of their own, but are often mediators and collectors and thus are able to get what they need. They the most urban of the Courts, often living in sprawling cities rather than sparse estates, with their humans living with them in servants’ quarters and laborer houses. Humans tend to be treated more as a commodity than as creatures by the Alecsandri.

In appearance, Alecsandri are often slight of build, dark-skinned, pale-haired, and pale-eyed. They often dress very ornately, considering they don't often have much movement or manual work to worry about their clothing getting in the way of. They tend to prefer vivid colors, particularly the blue of their banner, but though white and purple are also quite common.

Their banner is light blue and features a rearing white stag with the crescent moon resting on his back.


Drahgess dominates the southern eye of the continent, occupying most of the mountains and southwestern coast of the region. Drahgess deals predominantly in metal and metalwork, putting their humans to work in the mines and smithing weapons and tools from the ores within. In the less mountainous areas, humans are put to work farming or logging, or given more domestic tasks. Drahgess has a habit of treating their humans reasonably well comparative to other Courts, having learned long ago that delicate tasks such as mining are easily sabotaged and no degree of fear will quell rebels with nothing to lose. Thus, humans are allowed to be more-or-less self-sufficient and self-governing so long as they obey the rules put forth. In exchange, vampires only take the voluntary as Companions and servants, and allow them to rule themselves.

Drahgess are commonly solid in build, with broad shoulders and sturdy muscles, typically toned by their time at the forge as well as time spent moving through the mountains and wilderness. Their hair is often black or dark red, though dark brown and shades of gray are also common. Their eyes are typically charcoal in color, gray or black. However, there are those born within the Court that have eyes burning red with fire; it is said that these vampires are the last of the bloodlines of dragons, and whether or not this is true, it is doubtless that the Fireborn have the ability to turn their bodies to fire, and a greater resistance to the sun. Only a couple Fireborn yet live in modern times.

The banner of Drahgess is black with a golden dragon forging a sword with its fire.


Mirceya occupies the lands along the western coast of the continent, separated by lakes from Leonta and sharing the plains with Vlaicu to the north. Mirceya is considered the bread basket, its open space and warm, humid climate ideal for producing the vast majority of the Empire's grain and fruit. Due, perhaps, to their life of ease and luxury even compared to other Courts, Mirceya dedicate their time in nearly its entirety to vanity; it seems to work, as they are commonly considered the most beautiful. They are also a purely matriarchal Court, each clan ruled by a countess rather than a count, and always ruled by a queen. They tend to treat their humans well, but in the way that one would treat working cattle well; they rely on them for farming, but they are not entirely undependable.

Mirceya vampires are often fairly heavy-set and well-fed, with curves in all the right places. They tend to lack particular muscle definition- they don't need it- giving them perhaps a bit of a softer, rounder appearance than most others. Because of this, they are sometimes thought of as weak; this couldn't be farther from the truth. They are often golden-haired and copper-skinned, sometimes with freckles. Perhaps due to biology, perhaps due to exposure, but it seems that Mirceya are able to withstand a little more sun than other vampires. In clothing style, they often choose outfits that are seductive, strategically hiding or showing skin, and prefer to wear only the softest or most silken fabrics.

Their banner is golden background featuring a peacock with a spread tail made of wheat.


The Court Dimiris makes their home predominantly in castles and fortresses in the rolling northern mountains, bordering the rolling tundras of Vlaicir to the west and south, and the lowland forests of Cosovei to the east. Dimiris is first and foremost known as a Court made of warriors; they prefer to consider themselves honorable knights, though at times it has seemed that they are more mercenaries than anything. Their role, after all, is to serve as fighting forces and enforcers for other Courts where necessary, though they can be commended in that they only take contracts which they feel are morally sound. Because they hold themselves to a high standard, the humans under their command are not treated outright cruelly, though Dimiris expect absolute obedience and therefore any dissenters or problem causers are met with swift and definitive punishment.

Large in stature; muscular; blood-red hair.


live on the southeastern islands; secretive and will do anything in pursuit of knowledge. Particularly skilled and knowledgeable about alchemy and potion-making.

typically small and narrow in figure, without much defined musculature. Usually have curly, wild dark-colored hair.


live on the tundra in the northwest. Arrogant, power-hungry, and greedy. Known for being quite underhanded.

small in build, with very pale hair and light, grayish skin, reflective of the snowy lands they come from.


southeastern forests, sharing most of their border with Drahgess. Most of their social structure is based off of wolves, with which they are very close; many live alongside them and consider them family. Thus, marriage and family loyalty are a big deal to the Valdescu.

muscular, typically fit, and fairly large in stature. Often have wild, untamed hair coming in earthy shades of red, auburn, and brown. The ruling families have the ability to take the shape of wolves.


live in the forested mountains along the east coast of the continent. Known as the ultimate hunters, and most are trophy and sport hunters. Much of their jewelry and ornamentation consists of trophies of their hunts, and they have a tendency to go after dangerous, rare beasts and raise the orphaned offspring of their prey as pets and trophies.

vary quite a bit in size and stature, but typically have a lean, muscular figure built for durability and stealth. Tend to dress utilitarian, including keeping their hair either short or in tight braids pinned so that don't get in the way.


live in the lowland forests and meadows in the northeast. Known to be stubborn and unchanging; a smaller Court in terms of raw numbers, but very powerful. Often wise and clever, and carefully consider all options before making decisions. Considered stubborn and slow-acting by others.

typically quite large in stature, and dark-skinned and dark-haired.


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