Post by Rule Hound on Apr 15, 2016 19:54:48 GMT
Life in the forests of northern Europe can be simple, quiet, and rewarding, far from the madding crowds of civilization. Her Celtic tribe was one with the land and honoured the old ways, and she was trained early in the pagan arts to serve the gods with enthusiasm and devotion...until the day the priests came with their black robes declaring that there was only one true “God” instead of the many she had known. They went so far as to build a grand monastery to their new Lord and set it up on a hill, soft and gentle men of the cloth sitting atop a vast pile of riches, a shining beacon in the night, but sadly also a tempting target few could resist. And so it was that one day the black ships appeared on the horizon, and the fury of the Norsemen descended. The Vikings gave little heed to innocents or bystanders and slaughtered all in their path, including her tribe. The young and promising were bound and carted off to a life of servitude, as was their way.
She was pleasantly surprised to learn that Viking theology had far more in common with her Celtic roots than with the priests' monotheism. She endeavored to learn all she could about their pagan ways, noting the many differences yet frequent similarities with her own beliefs. Life as a slave among the Norsemen was not particularly pleasant or comfortable, for they are a hard people in a hard land, but it was at least proving to be informative.
Yet for all their bluster and undeniable prowess in battle, the Vikings still told hushed tales of terrible things in the night that gave even such men as they pause to huddle and reflect around the bright light of the longhouse fire, anxiously awaiting the dawn. So it was that one moonless night they came...the Draugr of the tales, the undead. These ones called themselves “Gangrel”, and they effortlessly swept the Vikings aside in a single night of blood and fury. They even fell upon the slave quarters in their rage, and few were spared. But they must have seen something in her, and a few others, and thus they were taken into the clan, born again as hunters of men and lords of the night. They were sent into the wilds to test their mettle, as was their way, and eventually she returned to the clan, wiser and more powerful than before.
The Gangrel too had their own peculiar ways, and so it was that she became a child of three cultures, yet feeling like she truly belonged to none. There were many similarities, yet many differences too. She learned what she could from her new tribe, but eventually there was nothing more to glean. The others were satisfied to stay in the north, but she wanted more.
She was pleasantly surprised to learn that Viking theology had far more in common with her Celtic roots than with the priests' monotheism. She endeavored to learn all she could about their pagan ways, noting the many differences yet frequent similarities with her own beliefs. Life as a slave among the Norsemen was not particularly pleasant or comfortable, for they are a hard people in a hard land, but it was at least proving to be informative.
Yet for all their bluster and undeniable prowess in battle, the Vikings still told hushed tales of terrible things in the night that gave even such men as they pause to huddle and reflect around the bright light of the longhouse fire, anxiously awaiting the dawn. So it was that one moonless night they came...the Draugr of the tales, the undead. These ones called themselves “Gangrel”, and they effortlessly swept the Vikings aside in a single night of blood and fury. They even fell upon the slave quarters in their rage, and few were spared. But they must have seen something in her, and a few others, and thus they were taken into the clan, born again as hunters of men and lords of the night. They were sent into the wilds to test their mettle, as was their way, and eventually she returned to the clan, wiser and more powerful than before.
The Gangrel too had their own peculiar ways, and so it was that she became a child of three cultures, yet feeling like she truly belonged to none. There were many similarities, yet many differences too. She learned what she could from her new tribe, but eventually there was nothing more to glean. The others were satisfied to stay in the north, but she wanted more.