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Blücher Family History; To be added to the background?
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Topic Started: Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 17:18 (1,098 Views)
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Alarik
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 17:18
Post #1
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- [Url=http://w11.zetaboards.com/DanseMacabre/topic/8173761/1]Alarik Blücher[/url]
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The gules escutcheon of House Blücher signifies a family of warriors and martyrs, embodying the qualities of military strength and magnanimity. The argent crossed keys of St. Peter on the shield represent guardianship and dominion, while the choice of metal is meant to invoke peace and sincerity. The closed helmet is appropriate for a family of lesser nobles.
Markgraf Odolff Blücher - Marcher Lord of the Holy Roman Empire
Odolff Blücher was the second son of Wertislav, the quasi-barbaric Prince of the Obotrites. Through gavelkind succession he inherited a few valuable estates of his father's in 1123. Odolff pretended to be a loyal vassal of his relation, Lothar I, Duke of Saxony, from whom he received the Margraviate of Lusatia, to the east. After Lothar became King of the Germans, he accompanied him on a disastrous expedition to Bohemia in 1126. Denied access to new lands, he led a failed attack on the castle and lands of the King's son-in-law, and was consequently deprived of his March by Lothar.
His fortunes changed when he was approached by Maltheas, who is whispered to be a Monitor of the secretive Inconnu during these modern nights. The Blücher oral record of their family history maintains that the clan founder's sire was of German blood, having been Embraced by the Methuselah Veddartha in the 6th century. In exchange for immortality, Odolff was tasked by Maltheas to drive the Slavic people from German lands, and more particularly to eliminate any Kindred that held Dominion over these men. It was a task to which the bloodthirsty man gladly gave his assent.
Though still deprived of lands, the neonate Ventrue went on campaign to Italy in 1132 in the train of the King. His services and growing skill with Clan Disciplines were rewarded in 1134 by the investiture of the Northern March, which was again without a ruler. Once he was firmly established in the Northern March, Odolff's covetous eye lay also on the thinly populated lands to the north and east. For three years he was occupied in campaigns against the Slavic Wends, who as pagans were considered fair game, and whose subjugation to Christianity was the nominal aim of the Wendish Crusade of 1147 in which Odolff took part. He became somewhat infamous for his practice of 'baptising' his enemies in the blood of their slain childer.
A mortal puppet family — the House of Ascania — was permitted to take up many of the benefits by making a deal with the last of the Wendish princes of Brandenburg, Pribislav of the Hevelli, When the prince died in 1150, these mortals created the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Eager for blood, Odolff pressed the "crusade" against the Wends as this families' exceptionally long-lived marshal.
The family record is sketchy on the time and nature of Odolff's demise. Presumably, he continued to be a useful pawn in his sire's ongoing struggle against the Transylvanian Tzimisce until the night of his Final Death. While the Blücher Ventrue are taught to avoid speculation, there are several theories. One theory holds that Odolff was slain during the the First Anarch Revolt at around 1484, having sided with other 'younger' Kindred in demanding that Elders fight back against the humans, rather than sacrificing their neonates to the inquisitors. An even more evil rumour suggests that it was Maltheas himself who did the slaying, though one is advised not to say this to a Blücher's face. Regardless of what happened, it was Maltheas and Maltheas alone who made an appearance at the Convention of Thorns in 1493.
The Seven Childer
While Odolff's legacy was ultimately one of arrogant, often undirected greed and aggression, he did leave seven childer whose words and deeds would continue the line. Most of these were soldiers, Embraced for the express purpose of fighting against the Tzimisce and often sharing in their sire's penchant for physical strength and cruelty. After the death of their Sire they came together and met in a small forest in a territory that is nowadays known as Mecklenburg.
They were united under the banner of the eldest Kindred, Ingfried Frantzius, who had summoned all the others. Inspired by their Sire they decided to forsake their human names and become Blüchers - becoming a family or sub-clan within Clan Ventrue. Taking further inspiration from Arthurian legends, they constructed a small castle, with a round table that could seat seven Kindred at the exact place of their meeting. After the castle had been completed, they came together once again, drinking each others' blood on three successive nights and swearing an oath to fulfil their sire's mission. Since that night, the family motto has been Malleus Tzimiscorum - Hammer of the Tzimisce. Of these seven Kindred of the seventh generation, only four are currently known of by well-informed Ventrue and high-ranking Camarilla officials:
- Ingfried the Ambitious, Champion of House Blücher - Dead since 1601
Though he had been a courtier rather than a soldier, Ingfried was been Embraced after his skill with a sword had drawn the attention of Markgraf Odolff. Before the latters' death, he had been using his charisma and leadership skills to turn the power of the other clans against the Tzimisce. He planned to ally his House with the upstart Tremere, using the escalating 'Omen War' between that clan and the Tzimisce to stir up trouble. He agitated for intervention by Western vampires, but his efforts were rebuffed it was revealed that the Tremere had created Gargoyle servants from the bodies of captive Tzimisce, Gangrel, and Nosferatu.
After Odolff's final death he was the eldest of the House and became its arguable 'true founder'. After reuniting the Blücher family, he planned to expand the 'family' and the land held thereby, hoping to eventually repeat the 'Northern Crusade' with a decisive push into Eastern Europe. His efforts were subsumed by the conflict between the Camarilla and the Sabbat, however, and he was never able to marshal the resources needed to mount a significant offensive campaign. As the most ambitious and competent Blücher, he became the target for assassins hired by the Sabbat. He was murdered by a pack of ghouls during the day time while resting in his Haven in 1601.
- Victor Blücher - Dead since 1508
The bloody escutcheon of House Blücher was well-represented by Victor, the tallest and strongest of the lot. He was a already a warrior-knight in his own right when he was embraced by Odolff, and became his sire's favourite. His only real aim was slaughter, and he would frequently lead a band of ghouled knights and warriors eastwards, plundering and killing as he went. His idea of the First Tradition was 'leave no survivors', and he would slaughter entire villages and share around the blood in orgies of violence that could last days, killing all the peasants - men and women, old and young - that might bear witness.
Ironically, he was killed by the Tremere, the Tzimisce's worst enemies. His death was retribution after he had burned down a monastery that had served as a local chantry, dumping all the books and "worthless" (i.e. non-golden) magickal instruments in the nearest river. He and everyone who drank of his blood are said to have fallen ill with some terrible curse that sapped their strength, dying slowly over the course of weeks, or even months.
- Oswald the Accursed / Oswald the Avenger - Alive
Though stripped of the Blücher name by his peers, Oswald still uses it as a badge of honour. Always one to consider himself the most righteous of all the Blüchers, he felt that the Clan had been become distracted from its mission by greed and power-lust, abandoning their duty to be knights and rulers. Even as the surviving Blüchers became merchants, he clung to his noble title and to the goal of exterminating all the fiends from this earth.
Eventually he considered his adoptive family to have become irredeemably corrupt, proclaiming himself a Ventrue antitribu and becoming a grim Knight of the Sabbat. Though he is sworn to fight against the Antediluvians, his ultimate goal is the destruction of Maltheas, whom he blames for the death of his beloved sire. He is rumoured to be alive today, campaigning in the United States of America, though his precise whereabouts are unknown.
- Alphonse "Moneybags" Blücher - Alive
Alphonse was born as lowly Soldier of Fortune in the Low Countries. He joined Odolff's campaign to gather riches and has been gathering riches ever since. While the Seven were still together, he served as a sort of Steward, maintaining the Estates owned collectively by the Kindred involved so that the others could devote themselves to their diplomatic and military pursuits. As the other Childer died, he grew gradually richer, expanding the family's holdings into Brandenburg-Prussia.
With little nostalgia for his medieval origins, he adopted the lifestyle of a Prussian Junker, becoming a well-mannered but reclusive landlord, who would rarely leave his estates to interact with the local population. He committed his fortunes to the economic and military development of the region, becoming one of those small functionaries that made the eventual Rise of Prussia possible. He briefly re-enters mortal history Kammerjunker in Prussia, advising the Royal Family on various matters and exerting some unknown issue on Prussian policy, most likely as an ardent proponent of liberal trading policies and German reunification.
Alphonse was a fervent supporter of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, believing that the anti-Slavic and expansionist tendencies of the movement could contribute to the advancement of Ventrue interests in Eastern Europe, and the eventual purging of the Tzimisce from that region. Already an Elder in this age, he travelled eastwards with the front and is said to have diabelerised at least a dozen of the fiends along the way.
When the tide of the war turned, Alphonse lost everything. Loathing the communist regime that was established in the east, he was forced to instead flee west, using his liquid assets to rebuild his former Empire. He settled in the Western nations' financial capital, Frankfurt, eventually becoming the Ventrue Primogen of that city. With the permission of the Prince of Frankfurt, he has sired five childer of his own, all of whom are tasked to get the funds and status needed to restore the Blücher family to its former glory. The youngest of these childer, Alarik Blücher, has just seized Praxis in London, becoming the Prince of that city.
The accounts of three Kindred of the seventh generation have been lost to history. These are:
- Antonio Blücher - Dead since 1508
Allegedly the second-eldest childe of Odolff, Antonio was Embraced in 1133 while his Sire was on campaign in Italy. They met in Rome when Lothar was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor and became Kindred drinking buddies. Despite being a man of the cloth, Antonio was quite violent. His clan weakness is said to have been an inability to drink the blood of a man whom he had not bested in personal combat. As such, their drinking sessions were usually fatal for their chosen vessels. This condition led others to whisper that he was perhaps Cappadocian, or even of Lasombra blood.
Antonio never quite adapted to the northern climes, returning to his native Italy in 1250, having served alongside his Sire for over a hundred years. He returned to the north in the 1480s after his Sire died and swore the oath proposed by Ingfried. He often joined Victor on his violent campaigns and, having drank of his friend and blood brothers' blood on several occasions during that campaign, died of the same curse that afflicted the better-known Blücher.
- Doreen the Insatiable. - Status unknown since 1601.
There is no certainty about Doreen's exact birthplace, though it was somewhere in Western Europe. Born in 1462, she was the daughter of a travelling bear trainer. Her mother was a dancer and an actress. From an early age, she followed her sister's example and worked in a brothel serving low-status customers; later she performed on stage, earning her living by a combination of her theatrical and sexual skills. She was said to have made a name for herself with a salacious portrayal of Leda in the story of Leda and the Swan.
At the age of 16, she travelled to the Margraviate of Brandenburg and became the companion of Odolff, who Embraced her and took her to wife. The Embrace killed the spark between then, and she soon found herself abandoned and maltreated by her sire and husband. Though she would likely have taken great joy in his death, she nonetheless followed Ingfried's call to arms, swearing an oath to once again take her detested sire's name and fulfil his mission.
Her presence in the Seven led to much discord. Though she was protected by Ingfried as being of the same blood, some of the others, Oswald in particular, were displeased by her presence. This was both because she was a woman, and because they had suspicions that she might have orchestrated her late husband's death. When Ingfried died, she lost her main source of protection. Oswald, ever self-righteous, accused her of having orchestrated Ingfriend's death as well, challenging her to an honourable duel to the death, so that God might decide who had the right of it. She is said to have left the company then, never to be seen again.
- Count Daniel Barnave-Blücher, pretender to Westmereland - Dead since 1620
Daniel travelled from northern England to Odolff's court at age 12, courtesy of some political intrigue the details of which have long since been forgotten. He was the second son of the count of Westmereland and had been practically discarded on account of being weak, sickly and a craven. Though the Embrace gave the boy strength an eternal life at age fifteen, it would not help him press his claim on his elder brother. Though always loyal in obeying the commands of his elders, he preferred to read and play chess with younger courtiers. Occasionally he would be found dressing up in women's clothes, even managing to pass for a young lady of the court on account of his androgynous physique.
After Ingfried formed their clan, he would most often stay at home in the castle, forming a close connection to Alphonse and, to a lesser extent, Ingfried, both of whom felt somewhat sorry for the boy. He met a tragic end when he was captured and killed at the height of the witch trials. He withstood days of torture and did not mention Alphonse's name, and is said to have cried out for his mother when the suns' rays burnt him alive.
Alphonse bides his time
Though Victor and Antonio had been dead nearly a century, 'Clan' Blücher had continued on under a coherent leadership until the assassination of its Champion, Ingfried the Ambitious, in 1601 and the subsequent disappearance of Doreen.
After Ingfried's Final Death, Oswald and Alphonse vied for the leadership of the remaining Kindred, the latter finding himself supported by both Daniel and (initially) Doreen. Oswald yielded but, disgusted with Alphonse's mercantile instincts, would eventually consider his adoptive family to have become irredeemably corrupt, proclaiming himself to be antitribu. When Daniel became the latest victim of the Burning Times in 1620, Alphonse was the sole remaining loyalist and heir to the entire fortune.
Alphonse was an unlikely Champion of House Blücher and the war against the Slavic races and their Tzmisce masters. Though he had always been polite, well-mannered and disinclined to military aggression, he also became reclusive and distrustful of the human species after the Final Death of Daniel.
Though he had personally converted to a morose, self-incriminating interpretation of Lutheranism, the continued slaughter of Kindred whom he had known for centuries at the hands of the Inquisitors convinced him to sit out the Burning Times and deal with humanity through ghouled proxies, slumbering for extended periods while a few loyal ghouls would bring him the blood he needed to survive. Only during the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) would he once again deign to interfere directly in the affairs of mortals.
(tbc)
Edited by Alarik, Tuesday, 3. December 2013, 15:37.
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Mael
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 17:21
Post #2
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What about ZE RED BARON?!
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Alarik
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 17:21
Post #3
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- [Url=http://w11.zetaboards.com/DanseMacabre/topic/8173761/1]Alarik Blücher[/url]
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No Red Baron in here.
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Makie
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 21:02
Post #4
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Non-suspicious Weak Harmless Anarch
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Sir I'm afraid you have gone mad with power
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"When you're livin' in a town like this It's easy to sit back and just forget That the world keeps on spinnin' round and round"
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Carmen Lautari
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 21:45
Post #5
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I'm afraid he has.
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Alarik
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 21:51
Post #6
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Power? Because of Alarik's mostly-crappy relatives?
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Mael
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 23:18
Post #7
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Carmen Lautari
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Wednesday, 31. July 2013, 23:22
Post #8
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Lol, oh my God...Thanks, Mael, I needed a laugh!
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Alarik
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Sunday, 4. August 2013, 23:11
Post #9
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Your GOD needs feedback before I post the missing three Blüchers! And possibly the five childer.
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Frederick
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Tuesday, 6. August 2013, 14:20
Post #10
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I like it.
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Irish, English, Greek, Latin, Scottish, German
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Alarik
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Tuesday, 6. August 2013, 22:24
Post #11
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Thanks!
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Alarik
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Tuesday, 3. December 2013, 12:20
Post #12
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((adding lore!))
The accounts of three Kindred of the seventh generation have been lost to history. These are:
- Antonio Blücher - Dead since 1508
Allegedly the second-eldest childe of Odolff, Antonio was Embraced in 1133 while his Sire was on campaign in Italy. They met in Rome when Lothar was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor and became Kindred drinking buddies. Despite being a man of the cloth, Antonio was quite violent. His clan weakness is said to have been an inability to drink the blood of a man whom he had not bested in personal combat. As such, their drinking sessions were usually fatal for their chosen vessels. This condition led others to whisper that he was perhaps Cappadocian, or even of Lasombra blood.
Antonio never quite adapted to the northern climes, returning to his native Italy in 1250, having served alongside his Sire for over a hundred years. He returned to the north in the 1480s after his Sire died and swore the oath proposed by Ingfried. He often joined Victor on his violent campaigns and, having drank of his friend and blood brothers' blood on several occasions during that campaign, died of the same curse that afflicted the better-known Blücher.
- Doreen the Insatiable. - Status unknown since 1601.
There is no certainty about Doreen's exact birthplace, though it was somewhere in Western Europe. Born in 1462, she was the daughter of a travelling bear trainer. Her mother was a dancer and an actress. From an early age, she followed her sister's example and worked in a brothel serving low-status customers; later she performed on stage, earning her living by a combination of her theatrical and sexual skills. She was said to have made a name for herself with a salacious portrayal of Leda in the story of Leda and the Swan.
At the age of 16, she travelled to the Margraviate of Brandenburg and became the companion of Odolff, who Embraced her and took her to wife. The Embrace killed the spark between then, and she soon found herself abandoned and maltreated by her sire and husband. Though she would likely have taken great joy in his death, she nonetheless followed Ingfried's call to arms, swearing an oath to once again take her detested sire's name and fulfil his mission.
Her presence in the Seven led to much discord. Though she was protected by Ingfried as being of the same blood, some of the others, Oswald in particular, were displeased by her presence. This was both because she was a woman, and because they had suspicions that she might have orchestrated her late husband's death. When Ingfried died, she lost her main source of protection. Oswald, ever self-righteous, accused her of having orchestrated Ingfriend's death as well, challenging her to an honourable duel to the death, so that God might decide who had the right of it. She is said to have left the company then, never to be seen again.
- Count Daniel Barnave-Blücher, pretender to Westmereland - Dead since 1620
Daniel travelled from northern England to Odolff's court at age 12, courtesy of some political intrigue the details of which have long since been forgotten. He was the second son of the count of Westmereland and had been practically discarded on account of being weak, sickly and a craven. Though the Embrace gave the boy strength an eternal life at age fifteen, it would not help him press his claim on his elder brother. Though always loyal in obeying the commands of his elders, he preferred to read and play chess with younger courtiers. Occasionally he would be found dressing up in women's clothes, even managing to pass for a young lady of the court on account of his androgynous physique.
After Ingfried formed their clan, he would most often stay at home in the castle, forming a close connection to Alphonse and, to a lesser extent, Ingfried, both of whom felt somewhat sorry for the boy. He met a tragic end when he was captured and killed at the height of the witch trials. He withstood days of torture and did not mention Alphonse's name, and is said to have cried out for his mother when the suns' rays burnt him alive.
Alphonse bides his time
Though Victor and Antonio had been dead nearly a century, 'Clan' Blücher had continued on under a coherent leadership until the assassination of its Champion, Ingfried the Ambitious, in 1601 and the subsequent disappearance of Doreen.
After Ingfried's Final Death, Oswald and Alphonse vied for the leadership of the remaining Kindred, the latter finding himself supported by both Daniel and (initially) Doreen. Oswald yielded but, disgusted with Alphonse's mercantile instincts, would eventually consider his adoptive family to have become irredeemably corrupt, proclaiming himself to be antitribu. When Daniel became the latest victim of the Burning Times in 1620, Alphonse was the sole remaining loyalist and heir to the entire fortune.
Alphonse was an unlikely Champion of House Blücher and the war against the Slavic races and their Tzmisce masters. Though he had always been polite, well-mannered and disinclined to military aggression, he also became reclusive and distrustful of the human species after the Final Death of Daniel.
Though he had personally converted to a morose, self-incriminating interpretation of Lutheranism, the continued slaughter of Kindred whom he had known for centuries at the hands of the Inquisitors convinced him to sit out the Burning Times and deal with humanity through ghouled proxies, slumbering for extended periods while a few loyal ghouls would bring him the blood he needed to survive. Only during the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) would he once again deign to interfere directly in the affairs of mortals.
(tbc)
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