Ascension; Before the Hunter

Ascension has always been rooted in honor, the aspirations of greatness are lost on this generation. They've lost their purpose. We all have.

History

In the Golden Age, long before their descent into madness, the Vampires would take care of their own. There was no need for courts and endless trials. It was a time before the Hunters, their own people, peasants, would hunt down their rightful lords without mercy. Shame follows the Vampires, deep regrets hidden within the unspoken words in our history. The reason behind this change is kept a secret from most.

The first Vampires had no reason to fear the common folk. The undying were considered saviors after the Fall, praised for their sacrifices. The ideals and convictions that they held were unimaginable to most. They were new, inflamed with passions and desires no longer impossible within mortal constraints. Though few, they slaughtered the Outsiders with reckless abandon. Those that fell numbered in the tens of thousands. Gibbering horrors that preyed upon the weakness of dying civilizations, cracking open the damaged shell to feast on the flesh within, were ridden down by thousands of horses. Where mortals faltered, the inhuman nature of these Vampires was enough to level giants and consume the predators in the merciless maw of their undying fervor.

Time passed. Once, many believed that the Vampires would rid the world of corruption within a year. That turned to five years, then ten. Hundreds of years have passed, and yet the Outsider remains. The passion began to die, turning into a corrupted vision of itself. Vampires plotted openly, manifesting their dark, selfish desires. What could have been was forever lost as the First fell into bouts of madness, slaying his 'children'. Baseless accusations levied against one another drew the originals into seclusive fear. Without witnesses, nothing stopped the Vampires from gaining unchecked power, turning those they ought to protect into their fodder.

Execution

In a dimly set room, a mortal stands before the Vampire ordained to be their sire. The Vampire will slit one of its major arteries, allowing the mortal to drink deeply of its accursed blood. Then, the aspirant offers its neck, allowing the Vampire to drain it of their life. Passing between life and death, the mortal is torn, pulled between the currents of absolution and the mockery of undying life. Those that survive the transformation are weak, devoid of most of their power, barely breathing.

Then, the sacrifice is offered.

Participants

The Sire, the common term for an Elder Vampire, is the key to the Transformation. The importance and prestige gained from a Sire correlate to how many Vampires it has spurred. To be turned by one responsible for ten others is an honor. To be turned by one who has made a hundred more? It is to die for.

The recipient, the mortal who would be like a god, is the guest of honor. They come, bearing nothing. It is there, surrounded by righteous shadows, that they make their final rites, swearing themselves to their eternal purpose.

The mortals' right hand would appear last, only brought out once their friend hangs between life and death. Speaking quietly enough for the dying to hear, they will say the words they believe would keep the Vampire on their chosen path. A memento, often that of a sword or an amulet, is firmly clasped in the dying's grip. Then, once everything has been said, the Vampire would succumb to the wounds, only to rise once more. They would be the first sacrifice.

Observance

The ascension would occur on hallowed nights under moonlight. During the earliest days of known Vampirism, their dark ascension would take place on the first of the cold months. They would then be left to meditate until it was time to reemerge. During this time, lesser vampires, created as tools and not leaders, would be made. These, needed until the snow melted and the animals returned from their burrows, would become the followers of these ascended beings.

Related Organizations

• Kjurvog