Princess Athenasya becomes Queen Athenasya when her descendant convinces her to be the prince's wife. It is not a happy marriage. From the very beginning, the prince is suspicious of her and her mysterious mettle, and does not even attempt to make it a pleasant union. They argue more than anything, mostly because of his arrogance due to his mistrust of magic, and it drives the queen to leave the kingdom, her home. She is afraid her husband will one day cause Lilith to come to the surface. She spends time on a mysterious island called Athos, where a group of Witches live that have Fae magic. The island is also a gateway to the Fae kingdom. The queen only returns because of her son, the prince of Athenais, whom the king has decided to target due to a relationship with one of his captains of the guard.
The kingdom has an unspoken but prominent stance against same sex relationships, a rule which the king himself flagrantly disregards, and yet holds to the letter of this unspoken law regarding his son. Athenasya speaks with the king, or rather, demands that he leave her son alone. That evening, the king sends an assassin that is unsuccessful, which leads to Lilith resurfacing. That night, the king is brutally murdered, and a lieutenant in the jurisdiction of the captain of the guard, who is the prince's companion, makes her arrest, but protects her at the same time because she is their queen. Another captain of the guard, Arielle Sezare, decides to visit the queen when she is under a house arrest of sorts. Lilith is still in control when she comes, and there is a battle between this fierce, defiant regular human military captain and an ancient, magical vampire queen, who is determined to end her. Lilith creates her first vampire that night, even though she thought she'd killed her. Arielle is cared for by the lieutenant who had kept the queen under house arrest, and leaves the military altogether when he sees his queen savagely murder one of his own. Arielle goes on to create her own coven, though it was never her intention to create anymore like her. Over the centuries, Athenais eventually becomes modern-day Ireland while another Vampire emerges, a feeder of insatiable bloodlust. Bellatrix sets herself up as the queen of the feeders. Arielle was not an ambitious vampire; she only wanted to serve a purpose and care for her own. However, as Bellatrix begins ravaging the countryside, she realizes she has to make a choice.
Arielle is older than Bellatrix by millennia, but as former military, she is bound by an oath to protect those she considers her own, and vampires far and wide have become her family. She begins to research her vampyric origins, and unearths journals that speak of a serum that perfect their immortality, specifically eliminates the need for feeding. She surrounds herself with associates and friends who also believe in her cause. Ten individuals make up her support system, the eleventh being a former Protector of Bellatrix, Damien. It had been her objective to ensnare Damien to working for her, and it had been his idea to make her believe her plan was working in order to gain information for his mistress. What happened was what neither of them planned. Instead of deceiving one another, they began to appreciate and respect many things about the other. Romantic feelings develop between them and a physical encounter results in Arielle becoming pregnant.
Bellatrix finds out about Damien's relationship with her enemy, and is determined to make her pay for her betrayal, even though technically, Arielle is her superior. She forces Damien to return to her and threatens him with Arielle's life if he does not have relations with her. Bellatrix wants to seal her reign as the queen of terror, and plans to use Damien's offspring to make that a reality. Shortly afterward, Arielle hears that Bellatrix has had her former Protector eliminated. Over the next few years, more and more Vampires are taking Arielle's serum, even though they are true Vampires, and not products of an experiment. Eventually, Bellatrix paints herself into a corner and are captured by a band of Vampires who have taken the serum. It was never Arielle's intention that Bellatrix die. She wanted Bellatrix to scale back her attacks on the human race because she was afraid one day the regular humans would rise up and destroy all Vampires. Each of Arielle's vampire associates had children, and one of those associates, Dermat, decided that there should be written documentation of their efforts, and rules by which a vampire should conduct themselves so they wouldn't become like Bellatrix and her hoard.
These writings were meant to be guidelines for their future children, not necessarily laws by which to live. Dermat felt most at ease with organization and control, because without those, she thought there would only be chaos. Arielle did not personally read these writings, merely skimmed them before putting her seal of approval upon them. The general idea appealed to her military mind, since there were rules by which she'd had to conduct herself as a captain of the guard. Arielle's son, Damien's son, took these writings to a level neither woman had ever intended. The ten diminished after they finished teaching their children what they knew, and how to conduct themselves as Ariellians rather than bloodthirsty fiends. They felt if they remained, their children would never rely on their own judgment but consistently lean upon their parents for guidance. Avram, Arielle's son, created the Ariellian Council and the other children became representatives on that council. Avram held to his grandmother's writings as the highest level of truth and law, and made sure the other representatives did as well. He went on a campaign where he forced every feeder to take the serum so they couldn't feed, including Bellatrix's son by a regular human, Emrys. As a result, Emrys' daughter did not have choice but to not feed, since when a vampire takes the serum, their children cannot feed. Erzsebet becomes the Lady of the Underworld, a group of Vampires who operate underground to avoid attention from regular humans.
This Council becomes a vampyric government who believe they alone are the true vampire, and that feeders need to be turned to the path of truth, law, and order. The current Council are overwhelmed with their individual concern and operations, but the general integrity of that council is disintegrating before the eyes of the council director, Anastasi Vasilus, Arielle's grandson. He has broken many of his own rules in marrying one of his own representatives, with whom he has children. Bellatrix emerges after millennia of being thought dead, but she is not the bloodthirsty queen she once was. She remains largely in the shadows until the unthinkable occurs: Damien, thought long-dead, returns, which puts everything Anastasi has fought for and stands for in immortal danger.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Vampyrdom, Part One
My vampires are split into two groups. The first, and most traditional, are feeders. These Vampires are very territorial and have an entire book of etiquette and protocol. I wanted to have a group of Vampires that everyone could recognize (everyone that have read about vampires before), as well as a different kind of vampire that people are not accustomed to. The origin of Vampires is unknown. I have left it intentionally ambiguous. The question is really irrelevant; my trajectory is not the beginnings of Vampyrism, but the group that they represent. The second type of vampire began with an experiment to create the perfect human being in an effort to isolate a gene strand with which to gain eternal life.
An ancient advanced civilization wanted to know how to live forever, the essence of Vampyrism. The prototype, however, required a protein that the scientists had not included in their blood they'd given the person they'd created. They did not have time to begin teaching their prototype about morality, or rules of society in regards to human behavior, before he began to die. Accidentally, they came to realize their prototype seemed to crave blood by mouth, instead of injection. When their blood supply ran out, their prototype, who did not recognize right from wrong, acted on animal instinct, and took the blood it craved from one of the scientists. He drained him completely. A bloodlust had been born and he proceeded to feed off the other six, leaving only one alive, a female.
This was a very important female. She was born of royal birth, and possessed magic of Fae origins. Her name was Athenasya, princess to the lost kingdom of Arkenata. She was not the heir to the throne, and so she decided to pursue her lifelong interest in science. She studied with the leading scientists and scribes of the time before she joined the most important experiment of her people's history. The person they'd created killed her fellow scientists before he fed off her, as well. However, this time, he did not drain her completely. He found something particularly fascinating about her, it is unknown what exactly drew his interest. He watched as she turned into something...else. The first vampire coven had been born.
Something else happened turning the feeding, and turning. The experience dislodged something in the girl's mind, and soul. Another consciousness came to life inside Athenasya. That person's name is Lilith. For those of you knowledgeable about mythology, Lilith is mentioned in the Jewish Kaballah as the first wife of Adam, who is also the mother of the Incubi and Succubi. In my story, Lilith is a monster that comes forth from the best of women, a woman of nobility, justice, intelligence, and grace. She is much like a split personality, in the way that she is born from a traumatic experience when the subject has no protector, but unlike MPD, this is not a fracture of the mind, as it is a fracture of the soul. Lilith is Athenasya, but a dark side of her that is in each and every one of us. I have to mention one of my favorite quotes by Stephen King, "Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." This is the essence of the character of Athenasya/Lilith.
After killing her maker, Lilith goes on a killing spree that crosses two continents. Eventually, Athenasya manages to regain control, and enters a time of peace and isolation. She returns to her family, and stays with them until their kingdom recedes to a territory, to a province, and finally, a city. Her descendant marries a young lord who takes his province and creates a kingdom. Eventually, the name of his kingdom is Athenais. Certain members of her line have her magic, and Athenasya observes these with particular suspicion and care. Above all, she does not want another emerging like the person that lived inside her. Centuries pass before the young prince of Athenais comes of age to marry. Athenasya's descendant approached her about becoming his bride.
An ancient advanced civilization wanted to know how to live forever, the essence of Vampyrism. The prototype, however, required a protein that the scientists had not included in their blood they'd given the person they'd created. They did not have time to begin teaching their prototype about morality, or rules of society in regards to human behavior, before he began to die. Accidentally, they came to realize their prototype seemed to crave blood by mouth, instead of injection. When their blood supply ran out, their prototype, who did not recognize right from wrong, acted on animal instinct, and took the blood it craved from one of the scientists. He drained him completely. A bloodlust had been born and he proceeded to feed off the other six, leaving only one alive, a female.
This was a very important female. She was born of royal birth, and possessed magic of Fae origins. Her name was Athenasya, princess to the lost kingdom of Arkenata. She was not the heir to the throne, and so she decided to pursue her lifelong interest in science. She studied with the leading scientists and scribes of the time before she joined the most important experiment of her people's history. The person they'd created killed her fellow scientists before he fed off her, as well. However, this time, he did not drain her completely. He found something particularly fascinating about her, it is unknown what exactly drew his interest. He watched as she turned into something...else. The first vampire coven had been born.
Something else happened turning the feeding, and turning. The experience dislodged something in the girl's mind, and soul. Another consciousness came to life inside Athenasya. That person's name is Lilith. For those of you knowledgeable about mythology, Lilith is mentioned in the Jewish Kaballah as the first wife of Adam, who is also the mother of the Incubi and Succubi. In my story, Lilith is a monster that comes forth from the best of women, a woman of nobility, justice, intelligence, and grace. She is much like a split personality, in the way that she is born from a traumatic experience when the subject has no protector, but unlike MPD, this is not a fracture of the mind, as it is a fracture of the soul. Lilith is Athenasya, but a dark side of her that is in each and every one of us. I have to mention one of my favorite quotes by Stephen King, "Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." This is the essence of the character of Athenasya/Lilith.
After killing her maker, Lilith goes on a killing spree that crosses two continents. Eventually, Athenasya manages to regain control, and enters a time of peace and isolation. She returns to her family, and stays with them until their kingdom recedes to a territory, to a province, and finally, a city. Her descendant marries a young lord who takes his province and creates a kingdom. Eventually, the name of his kingdom is Athenais. Certain members of her line have her magic, and Athenasya observes these with particular suspicion and care. Above all, she does not want another emerging like the person that lived inside her. Centuries pass before the young prince of Athenais comes of age to marry. Athenasya's descendant approached her about becoming his bride.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Welcome to the 13th House blog
Hello there! My name is Kira and this blog is about my novel series, entitled The 13th House. It is a fantasy series involving Vampires and Witches, and the silent partner, regular humans. This is an open forum. It is my hope to receive feedback on the central ideas that make up this intricate story and its characters. I might not receive any feedback at all, in which case this will be a place where I can put my thoughts somewhere, out of my head.
This series means a lot to me as a writer. I have been writing since I was sixteen years old, and I have over forty novels completed. I am on a self-publishing website, but as of yet, I am not technically published. I haven't been working on any publishing projects for the last few years, I have only been writing. It is my hope that I will get in touch with other writers on this site, and that I might have their feedback. I am on the twelfth novel of this series and I have no idea when it will end.
The 13th House is a prophecy outlined in the Book of Shadows, which entails the union of Vampires, Witches, and regular humans. Essentially, when these houses align, there will be peace on earth. Everything I write about pertains to real-time issues and concerns. Sometimes, I don't realize why I am writing what I am writing, but then afterward it becomes apparent. I am very concerned about the fate of this planet, and the course of destruction we seem to be on. Of course, there is always hope, and that is when the opposing forces of this world come together, not to change one another, not to tolerate one another, but to appreciate and support one another. That is what The 13th House is all about.
In the following posts, I will be outlining each of the groups that constitute The 13th House, and who they represent in real time. I hope you follow along and become as involved in this series as I am, and I welcome all of your thoughts and opinions. Please remember to respect myself, and others who may be commenting, of course. My earnest hope is that some day, the words of this series might affect the world, and that somehow, we will all learn to love and appreciate one another, despite our differences, or rather, because of those differences. Thank you,
Kira Kathlene
This series means a lot to me as a writer. I have been writing since I was sixteen years old, and I have over forty novels completed. I am on a self-publishing website, but as of yet, I am not technically published. I haven't been working on any publishing projects for the last few years, I have only been writing. It is my hope that I will get in touch with other writers on this site, and that I might have their feedback. I am on the twelfth novel of this series and I have no idea when it will end.
The 13th House is a prophecy outlined in the Book of Shadows, which entails the union of Vampires, Witches, and regular humans. Essentially, when these houses align, there will be peace on earth. Everything I write about pertains to real-time issues and concerns. Sometimes, I don't realize why I am writing what I am writing, but then afterward it becomes apparent. I am very concerned about the fate of this planet, and the course of destruction we seem to be on. Of course, there is always hope, and that is when the opposing forces of this world come together, not to change one another, not to tolerate one another, but to appreciate and support one another. That is what The 13th House is all about.
In the following posts, I will be outlining each of the groups that constitute The 13th House, and who they represent in real time. I hope you follow along and become as involved in this series as I am, and I welcome all of your thoughts and opinions. Please remember to respect myself, and others who may be commenting, of course. My earnest hope is that some day, the words of this series might affect the world, and that somehow, we will all learn to love and appreciate one another, despite our differences, or rather, because of those differences. Thank you,
Kira Kathlene
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