Leorblaka

Shieldness — The shield symbol of the Coven.

General Information

A small Coven lead by Vidar since ancient times., this coven consists of very few numbers, all warriors, tradesmen & women and above all, a tight knit family. The Leðrblaka know little of the Lycan/Vampire war that had raged for the better part of a thousand years (Ref: Underworld Films). This disassociation has allowed them to make alliances and friendships in the past with other Therian species.

Members of the Coven are allowed to travel as they please, though few chose to do so. Most trips are business, though some sightseeing is occasionally taken up.

Companies and Services

The Leðrblaka own and administrate a series of small companies. These investments (administrated mostly by humans in major cities), more than anything, provide the Leðrblaka with Income, Resources, Materials, Technology and above all Food, listed below. The coven has stakes in many fields of business. The companies are run from the Château, however, executive offices are located in the Capital of Brussels, Belgium, or in smaller branch offices of Major cities. All of these companies are in, or near, Europe.

Ziodex Contributors

The Leðrblaka are a major co-contributor for Ziodex, providing money (For Materials and Research in Ziodex) in return for shipments of the Product, and mutual business opportunity.

Hibernation Services

The coven house (Château de la Nuit), houses a complex of subterranean tunnels. One of these sets of tunnels is a specialised series of vaults, built specifically for Hibernation. Customers may come to the Château in search of a safe place to hiernate. The chambers are stocked with Intravenous sachels of Ziodex - cloned blood that has no memory markers. This allows customers to hibernate without inadvertanly being roused by blood memories. When the time comes to be awoken, their bodies will not have physiologically decayed due to the enriched blood supplies.

(These chambers are also used to house coven members as punishment. See laws and punishments at the bottom of this page)

SanCom

The Leðrblaka have turned their attention to researching and funding blood-based food products. SanCom (Which stands for Sangre Comida - "Blood Food") have been working on various products with condensed, dried and synthesised forms of blood. Given a decent degree of demand for new food sources, SanCom have successfully released several products.

Hotel chain

To raise revenue, create safe houses and meeting spots, and maintain business opportunities, the Leðrblaka have opened a chain of hotels in several major cities, including Brussels, Venice, London, and several others.

Though these hotels provide accommodation for mortals, but can be used to contact the Leðrblaka if the correct code of conduct is undertaken to do so.

Château de la Nuit

Overview

Currently, the Leðrblaka have taken refuge in Château de la Nuit (Castle of the Night), a Medieval castle within the extensive terrain of the Ardennen Ranges (Ardennes Forest, Belgium).

The Château is a large fortification hidden deep in a section of the forest that borders old and new growth, covering considerable territory.

Basement Level 1: This image shows the general layout of the first basement level, as labeled, showing The Ziodex Storage area and the Hiernation Chamber area. Unshown on the map, these areas are well secured with reinforced doors and bulkheads.

The Leðrblaka bought the Castle shortly after WWII, after the owners met an unfortunate end during heavy fighting (Battle of Bulge) between Axis and Allied powers. Since this time, most of the Leðrblaka's financial resources have been put into developing the Château into a home, and a place to raise their future children. With an old, unimpressive appearance from the outside, the Leðrblaka have maintained a quiet living outside of the local public eye.

The main entrance is a large entrance hall, who's walls are covered in a large creeping ivy, faces north - on the edge of the horizon, one can

small townships from the elevated position of the Château. The immediate area is grass, which slopes gently downhill after a 100m plateau of man made-earth. Beneath this artificial man made level turf is the bulk of the actual Château. The occasional oak tree makes its mark on the grassy field. This is the only section of the castle not directly adjacent to to the forests. Château de la Nuit Estate is a large region of land, carved in the shape of a rough rectangle. Much of this land is steep hills, rising to the East towards the Alps, and sloping downwards towards the foothills in the west. The angling of the land is such that the Château de la Nuit does not see direct sunlight until late into the morning. The windows of the Château are all covered in a UV Blocking Laminate, though most external walls have slender, stained glass window designs. To the south, the Château Estate is defined by a long ridge, small cliffs that mark the sudden elevations towards the higher points of the Ardennen Ranges. To the north, grasslands extend into woodlands, who then form dense coniferous forest. Just beyond the estate fences, the forest declines, cut through by roads and trails, and eventually, the aformentioned townships.

If need be, the Leðrblaka have access to safehouses and other bought estates across north western Europe. Though they do not hold much land elsewhere, the Leðrblaka have acquired considerable wealth over the centuries.

General layout

The extensive walls that line Château Estate grounds are referred to as the "Outer Curtain". These walls Line the grounds on all faces, except

the ridges, which provide their own barrier.

Extensions of the Château itself is what's known as the "Inner Curtain", a wall with medieval fortifications but also part of the main structure, backing directly to rooms, halls, armories, and the surface buildings amalgamated into a single structure. Gate-entrances exist on all four faces. The Driveway entrance has been partially reconstructed and is the only break in the wall, in itself a gap of fifty meters. This space has been filled with a single-story main entrance hall (See above) and allows visitors to see the parts of the Château itself when entering the estate.

The Château central structure is at the southernmost point of the Inner Curtain and overlooks the inner ward (In most castles, this is a courtyard held within a complete inner curtain. See the diagram to the right for a reference to a normal castle) and out across the sloping terrain. Within the inner ward, to the right of the main Château structure, lies the Helipad.

Because of the uneven terrain, the Château was originally constructed without a moat. In modern day, the space where a moat could have been built has been taken up by subterranean structures.

Visting Château

Visitors to the Château are not uncommon, though most are not of the human variety. With the exception of cleaners, gardeners and daytime

Second Floor Guest Wing — Level Two: Layout of the Guest Area. Note that the Entrance Hall is a ground floor structure and therefore has no defining lines.

security, few humans are seen at all. The main surface buildings cater to guest-rooms, offices, and other facilities. Guests may wander the gardens as they please, but are tightly restricted to specific guest-accessible parts of the Castle and the bar.

For the human staff, the bar has food and wine. These members of staff are generally unaware of the fact the bar also contains blood-based food and wine supplements, too.

The Château is not necessarily open to new patrons, however visitors are rarely turned away. Violence on the premesis is strictly prohibited, with the exception of sparring undertaken at night within the Château's Inner Ward.

Guest accommodation is located on the second floor, in the right wing of the Inner Curtain. See image on right hand side for floor plan.

The Coven keeps a dedicated staff membership on the estate. Though rarely do the coven members interact with these personnel, human staff such as gardeners, caretakers, chefs and other necessary staff are given large quarters and full facilities. Other staff do exist, such as the bartender or cleaning crew (For the guest quarters) who do not live on the premesis.

On display all over the building are glass cases, including a replica of the recently acquired Egg of Myrrh, taken in a business transaction; The original in storage underground. (The egg belongs to Esperanza Adana, though is not in her possession).

Population

The Leðrblaka make up on a small faction, currently no more than 30 Adult members in total, though this can change at any time. There are several children who make up the Leðrblaka's newest generation. The Leðrblaka have never been a large coven, and for several centuries were threatened with complete extinction.

The Leðrblaka as a coven is not entirely made of up of Vampires, and at various times may house Therians or Immortals, or both. Separation from the Vampyre/lycan war in the Corvinus houses, the Leðrblaka have enjoyed the benefits of cross-species alliances, friendships, and trade agreements.

History

The birth of the Leðrblaka is mostly shrouded in mystery. A wealth of written history was lost during a pitched battle between the Leðrblaka and what had once been a sister coven. But some oral history remains.

Leðrblaka are a distinct clan of Vampires, primarily from the ancient northern territories that make up modern day Scandinavia. Each generation have mostly been created, rarely born, by existing Leðrblaka members. Though there are several members from other lands or covens who have been amalgamated into the Leðrblaka family.

Oral history of the civil war:

It is told that the civil war is a period in history where two Vampire factions, the "Leðrblaka and the Hrafn" entered a protracted and bloody conflict that lasted for centuries.

1000s AD

"The war was started between the 'old leaderships', warlords of two neighboring territories, mainly because of greed for food (Human populations) and territory (Feudal control). By fate, Vidar was taken in by the Leðrblaka and turned when the fighting reached his home town only decades after the outbreak of the war. The Hrafn, who had stormed the town in search for food, had taken in his brother, Balor. It is said that these brother were the only two survivors of the Vampire bite in just under a hundred years. "

1030s AD

" The fighting was intense, but was contained to several small kingdoms within a valley system. It wasn't until several decades later that each brother became leader of their respective covens as they each showed an affinity for survival and leadership. By this stage, the battling became so violent that neither coven was left with a home. Every castle was sacked, every town razed."

1330s AD

" Throughout three centuries of fighting, nowhere seemed safe. Alliances were made and broken with various Therian and Vampire covens, and in the end, the fighting was no longer about food or land, it had become survival of the fittest, a fight to the death. "

1420s AD

" Heading into the fourth century, the Leðrblaka were losing the war against the Hrafn, but the influence of the old leaderships was waning as each warlord and elder was killed. Peace looked hopeful. Within only a few short short years after this, the Leðrblaka successfully raided and destroyed a new fortress being constructed along the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The war ground to a halt and the Leðrblaka were able to seize the opportunity to hide."

1480s AD

"After a half century of rest, and constant moving to avoid detection, an emissary was sent to the Hrafn with an offer of peace. And the peace lasted five centuries. It was only until the early 1900's that war was rekindled, when the Hrafn revealed that their leadership still had one of their first (And most genocidal) warlords sleeping in hibernation."

1909 - 2009 AD

" It was a surprise attack.

The Leðrblaka were assaulted with new age weaponry, the first time they entered conflict with guns and cannons. Of course, there weren't many of them or us, but we gave them hell! The Leðrblaka lost their homes once again, and early in 2008, Vidar raided Balor's stronghold. The fighting was terrible. But by the end of the battle, the Leðrblaka, and Vidar, had killed most of the Hrafn fighters, including Balor."

In 2009, the Coven decided to finally settle in Château de la Nuit, a long-term investment that they had been hiding from the Hrafn. Though Château de la Nuit was already inhabited by caretakers, some aristocratic members and the children, most of Coven stayed away to avoid inadvertantly allowing the Hrafn coven to find and destroy the building.

Hierarchy

The Leðrblaka are ruled by an administrative council of five outside of war time. Diplomatic issues are discussed through this council, however the term 'diplomacy' is loosely applied to a range of subjects.

Within the Leðrblaka each member has a job, trade or profession that could minimize contact with the outside world. Access to resources and information is greatly enhanced in the last century thanks to electronic communication. Skills sets such as construction, teaching and science are practiced within the enclave to ensure the education and self sufficiency of the tribe remains intact. The jobs could range from working in stock shares to Coven security. Fix'em jobs, such as plumber and technician, are taught to most Leðrblaka as a basic skill set and are not considered occupations or jobs within the Coven.

Coven Laws

Leðrblaka law is upheld by the council. If they decide actions are against the Covens, or an individuals best interests, punishments can be dealt at their discretion. While there are many laws in the Coven, most are well known and are not written down. These Unwritten Rules are more or less common sense. Below is a list of some written rules, and punishments that can occur depending on circumstance.

Written Laws

A new member by bite is the property of the one who bit them - until such a time that the member can be considered a proven member of the coven.
Property is responsibility - Negative actions taken by a new member will result in punishments to both them, and their creator.
Leðrblaka can not tell humans of their kind, unless intending to turn or feed on the human.
Negative actions taken taken towards other Leðrblaka, or Leðrblaka property, is strictly forbidden (Unless they pose a direct danger to other Leðrblaka or the Coven as a whole).

Punishments

Exile
Lashes
Loss of Rank
Blood Rations
Verbal Warning
Forced Hibernation
Ultraviolet Exposure (Not necessarily sunlight)
- UV Laser Pointer
- UV Lamps
Sunlight (Execution)

Some criminals have UV-producing chemical capsule embedded into the base of their skull if prove to be especially dangerous. The capsules are electronically activated by remote, and are instant execution if a tagged criminal poses ongoing threat to the coven.

These tags were also used in the latter half of the war against Hrafn prisoners.

RPG Members

Vidar - Created by pyronixcore.
Cáel - An NPC created by pyronixcore.
Fawn - An NPC created by ashescry.
Jacquelynné - Created by synergicfuture.
Veşnică Drăculeşti - Created by SorrowBurn.