Vampire Elders
A Vampire Elder is one of the three original Vampires, including the first Vampire. These three Vampires are Marcus Corvinus, Viktor, and Amelia. Marcus was the original Vampire and he sired the Hungarian warlord Viktor on his deathbed in exchange for his military prowess and the use of his army to aid Marcus in capturing his brother William, the first and most powerful Werewolf who was unable to control his rage. For this task, Viktor’s troops were turned and made into the first Death Dealers. Marcus later sired Amelia for unknown reasons. As the oldest living Vampires, the three of them founded the Old World Coven and were soon regarded as Elders. Viktor was considered the most powerful and Amelia was highly influential. Marcus, however, was undermined and over-shadowed.
Politics
Viktor and Amelia both sought to undermine Marcus's authority, but Viktor believed the lie that should Marcus or William die, the rest of the species would die with them. Thus, he never sought Marcus's death.
It is possible that Viktor and Amelia have been deceiving the Vampires by implying that the Vampires' immortality was linked to the bloodlines of all three Elders.
The Vampire Elders have an intricate system known as the "Chain", during which one Elder rules while the other two slumber in the crypt in Ordoghaz for every century, thus preventing their conflicting styles of leadership causing division between them.
Generally, only an Elder will awaken another, as they have the ability to organize their thoughts into a cohesive record for the next Elder to refer to; however, it is possible for any blood to provoke an awakening, although other Vampires lack the mental clarity required to coherently organise their thoughts.
The ruling Elder is possibly the thirteenth member of the Vampire Council.
It is possible that Viktor and Amelia have been deceiving the Vampires by implying that the Vampires' immortality was linked to the bloodlines of all three Elders.
The Vampire Elders have an intricate system known as the "Chain", during which one Elder rules while the other two slumber in the crypt in Ordoghaz for every century, thus preventing their conflicting styles of leadership causing division between them.
Generally, only an Elder will awaken another, as they have the ability to organize their thoughts into a cohesive record for the next Elder to refer to; however, it is possible for any blood to provoke an awakening, although other Vampires lack the mental clarity required to coherently organise their thoughts.
The ruling Elder is possibly the thirteenth member of the Vampire Council.
Powers and Abilities
The Elders' advanced age in conjunction with being sired directly by Marcus granted them much more strength and power than younger generations.
- Endurance and Healing: They can heal faster and with more finality than younger Vampires and sustain far greater damage, as Viktor was able to recover from being stabbed through the mouth and out the back of his throat.
- Strength: They are far stonger than younger Vampires and can overpower and kill them with ease. Their strength is on par with that of Lycans, and they can kill them with relative ease, so long as they are prepared and well armed. They are also strong enough to slay Hybrids, though they must have great skill and fighting prowess in order to stand any chance.
Viktor
Viktor is a Hungarian general and warlord born sometime in the mid to late 5th century.[1] [2] As Viktor is nearing the end of his life, Marcus Corvinus, the first Vampire, comes to him with an offer: Immortality in exchange for Viktor's military expertise and army in combating the Werewolves, spawn of Marcus's own twin brother, William. When Marcus converts Viktor, the general becomes a Vampire Elder and the first Death Dealers are created from Viktor's army.
In 1202, the Vampires are finally able to locate and capture William. Viktor promises Marcus he will not harm William, despite the Werewolf's uncontrollable nature. In order for him to deal with the problem without breaking his word, Viktor has Amelia, the third Vampire Elder, deal with William. Viktor and Amelia finally manage to find William and the Werewolf is captured. Viktor then betrays Marcus, giving orders to keep William as far away from Marcus as possible. Viktor locks William away in a fortress, where he cannot harm anyone or create more of his kind. However, with the Death Dealers loyal to Viktor, Marcus can do nothing. Viktor keeps two keys to William's dungeon; one under his chest, in his ribs, and the other around his daughter Sonja's neck. The relationship between the two Vampire Elders was always strained. Viktor, with Amelia's support, undercuts Marcus's power as ruler of the Vampire Coven, ensuring Marcus will never have the strength to free his brother. However, Viktor never stages an outright coup against Marcus, as he had been told that should Marcus ever die, all in his bloodline will follow him to the grave - including Viktor. To prevent this from happening, the Chain is constructed, a system in which only one Elder rules while the other two slumber. Viktor even domesticates a new breed of the Vampires' enemies, a humanized version of the Werewolves known as Lycans, which he uses as watchdogs to guard the Vampires during the daylight hours. Eventually, Viktor is at the center of sparking a new war with the Lycans.
Viktor's daughter, Sonja, falls in love with a Lycan slave named Lucian and becomes pregnant. Viktor eventually discovers this and fears the blending of the species that would result should the child be born. He and the council condemn Sonja, Lucian, and their unborn child to death. Sonja is burnt alive by exposure to sunlight while Lucian, chained to the floor, is forced to watch. Before his own execution, Lucian uses the full moon to transform and escape - but not before taking Sonja's pendant with him. He then summons the Lycans and original Werewolves to battle, during which time Viktor personally duels Lucian. Although the Vampire Elder is more powerful, Lucian makes use of Viktor's weakness, sunlight, to incapacitate the Elder, and stabs Viktor through his mouth. Viktor manages to survive and retreats with Andreas Tanis and the other Elders while the rest of the Vampire coven are slaughtered by the Lycans.Viktor, determined to keep the location and map of the dungeon a secret from Marcus and Lucian, slaughters the family of the man he had commissioned to design it. He spares the man's daughter, Selene, due to her striking resemblance to Sonja. He converts her into a Vampire soon afterwards. The war rages on, and eventually draws to a close after Lucian is seemingly killed by a Vampire named Kraven. After this, Viktor gathers more power for himself, making himself leader of the Old World Coven, Ördögház, and going so far as to alter history. In the revised version of history set out by Viktor, he, not Marcus, is the original Vampire. In time, he exiles the Official Historian Andreas Tanis, who knew that Marcus was the first Vampire. Although not a pure-born Vampire, Viktor is nevertheless obsessed with the purity of the bloodlines, as shown in his attempts to establish a hierarchy by trying to arrange for Sonja to become an Elder. His fixation on blood purity is so great that he considers his victory over various Lycans to be only natural, as he views them as nothing more than dogs and slaves. Due to this, he views the possibility of a Hybrid as an "abomination" and takes extreme measures to prevent such a creature from ever existing. Viktor also views immortality as a gift above all others, as seen when he tries to reason with Selene when she discovers he had killed her family, that his "gift" to Selene (making her a Vampire) should more than make up for what he took from her. This interest in blood purity is also exhibited in Viktor's false claims that he and Amelia are pure-born Vampires. Viktor is shown as a skilled, ruthless and charismatic leader for the Vampire race. He is also power-hungry and quite manipulative, as he takes steps to alter Vampire history books into viewing him as the first and most powerful of the Vampires. He rules over Marcus and undermines his power at every turn with Amelia as his ally, even banishing Vampire historian Tanis, the only Vampire who knew the truth, among other things. However, he is also extremely arrogant and equally as brutal towards anyone who disobeys the rules created by himself and the Council. This is arguably the driving factor of Lucian's rebellion against the Vampires and causes Viktor to gain a fair share of enemies, even among those of his own kind.
In 1202, the Vampires are finally able to locate and capture William. Viktor promises Marcus he will not harm William, despite the Werewolf's uncontrollable nature. In order for him to deal with the problem without breaking his word, Viktor has Amelia, the third Vampire Elder, deal with William. Viktor and Amelia finally manage to find William and the Werewolf is captured. Viktor then betrays Marcus, giving orders to keep William as far away from Marcus as possible. Viktor locks William away in a fortress, where he cannot harm anyone or create more of his kind. However, with the Death Dealers loyal to Viktor, Marcus can do nothing. Viktor keeps two keys to William's dungeon; one under his chest, in his ribs, and the other around his daughter Sonja's neck. The relationship between the two Vampire Elders was always strained. Viktor, with Amelia's support, undercuts Marcus's power as ruler of the Vampire Coven, ensuring Marcus will never have the strength to free his brother. However, Viktor never stages an outright coup against Marcus, as he had been told that should Marcus ever die, all in his bloodline will follow him to the grave - including Viktor. To prevent this from happening, the Chain is constructed, a system in which only one Elder rules while the other two slumber. Viktor even domesticates a new breed of the Vampires' enemies, a humanized version of the Werewolves known as Lycans, which he uses as watchdogs to guard the Vampires during the daylight hours. Eventually, Viktor is at the center of sparking a new war with the Lycans.
Viktor's daughter, Sonja, falls in love with a Lycan slave named Lucian and becomes pregnant. Viktor eventually discovers this and fears the blending of the species that would result should the child be born. He and the council condemn Sonja, Lucian, and their unborn child to death. Sonja is burnt alive by exposure to sunlight while Lucian, chained to the floor, is forced to watch. Before his own execution, Lucian uses the full moon to transform and escape - but not before taking Sonja's pendant with him. He then summons the Lycans and original Werewolves to battle, during which time Viktor personally duels Lucian. Although the Vampire Elder is more powerful, Lucian makes use of Viktor's weakness, sunlight, to incapacitate the Elder, and stabs Viktor through his mouth. Viktor manages to survive and retreats with Andreas Tanis and the other Elders while the rest of the Vampire coven are slaughtered by the Lycans.Viktor, determined to keep the location and map of the dungeon a secret from Marcus and Lucian, slaughters the family of the man he had commissioned to design it. He spares the man's daughter, Selene, due to her striking resemblance to Sonja. He converts her into a Vampire soon afterwards. The war rages on, and eventually draws to a close after Lucian is seemingly killed by a Vampire named Kraven. After this, Viktor gathers more power for himself, making himself leader of the Old World Coven, Ördögház, and going so far as to alter history. In the revised version of history set out by Viktor, he, not Marcus, is the original Vampire. In time, he exiles the Official Historian Andreas Tanis, who knew that Marcus was the first Vampire. Although not a pure-born Vampire, Viktor is nevertheless obsessed with the purity of the bloodlines, as shown in his attempts to establish a hierarchy by trying to arrange for Sonja to become an Elder. His fixation on blood purity is so great that he considers his victory over various Lycans to be only natural, as he views them as nothing more than dogs and slaves. Due to this, he views the possibility of a Hybrid as an "abomination" and takes extreme measures to prevent such a creature from ever existing. Viktor also views immortality as a gift above all others, as seen when he tries to reason with Selene when she discovers he had killed her family, that his "gift" to Selene (making her a Vampire) should more than make up for what he took from her. This interest in blood purity is also exhibited in Viktor's false claims that he and Amelia are pure-born Vampires. Viktor is shown as a skilled, ruthless and charismatic leader for the Vampire race. He is also power-hungry and quite manipulative, as he takes steps to alter Vampire history books into viewing him as the first and most powerful of the Vampires. He rules over Marcus and undermines his power at every turn with Amelia as his ally, even banishing Vampire historian Tanis, the only Vampire who knew the truth, among other things. However, he is also extremely arrogant and equally as brutal towards anyone who disobeys the rules created by himself and the Council. This is arguably the driving factor of Lucian's rebellion against the Vampires and causes Viktor to gain a fair share of enemies, even among those of his own kind.
Amelia
Born in the early 6th century, Amelia was most likely bitten by the first Vampire, Marcus Corvinus, to help control the chaos created by Marcus’s brother William, the first Werewolf.
Amelia supported locking William in a coffin-like prison in a remote place where Marcus could not find and release him due to William's uncontrollable rage and Marcus's inability to control him. The capture of William could not have happened without Amelia’s help. She became one of the three Vampire Elders ruling the Vampire Coven, alongside Marcus and Viktor. She was somewhat allied with Viktor, who sought to undermine Marcus’s authority in light of Marcus's relationship with William. Having returned from New York by way of Vienna just one day before she is to awaken Marcus, Lycans ambush her and her entourage on a train they are using to get to the ceremony at the mansion. Though guards from the mansion are supposed to assist her, she has been betrayed by the Coven regent, Kraven, who struck a deal with Lycan leader Lucian to kill all three Elders and gain control of the Covens for himself. She is bled dry by Raze, a Lycan henchman, as part of Lucian's plot to turn himself into a Lycan-Vampire Hybrid.Due to being an Elder, Amelia is stronger and faster than younger Vampires. She likely possesses the same skills and powers as other Vampires, but to a much higher degree, including superhuman endurance and healing. She is experienced in the use of silver crossbows, and is also proficient with swordplay. As with her fellow Elders, Amelia is capable of sorting her blood memories into a coherent record of her reign.
Amelia supported locking William in a coffin-like prison in a remote place where Marcus could not find and release him due to William's uncontrollable rage and Marcus's inability to control him. The capture of William could not have happened without Amelia’s help. She became one of the three Vampire Elders ruling the Vampire Coven, alongside Marcus and Viktor. She was somewhat allied with Viktor, who sought to undermine Marcus’s authority in light of Marcus's relationship with William. Having returned from New York by way of Vienna just one day before she is to awaken Marcus, Lycans ambush her and her entourage on a train they are using to get to the ceremony at the mansion. Though guards from the mansion are supposed to assist her, she has been betrayed by the Coven regent, Kraven, who struck a deal with Lycan leader Lucian to kill all three Elders and gain control of the Covens for himself. She is bled dry by Raze, a Lycan henchman, as part of Lucian's plot to turn himself into a Lycan-Vampire Hybrid.Due to being an Elder, Amelia is stronger and faster than younger Vampires. She likely possesses the same skills and powers as other Vampires, but to a much higher degree, including superhuman endurance and healing. She is experienced in the use of silver crossbows, and is also proficient with swordplay. As with her fellow Elders, Amelia is capable of sorting her blood memories into a coherent record of her reign.
Marcus Corvinus
(see "Corvinus Clan" for information.)