Phantomsnare Coven

The banner of the Phantomsnare Coven.

The Phantomsnare Coven, whose members were frequently refered to as **'**Phantom's**'**, was a vampire clan founded by Regnus Beleath as one of the many splinter factions of the defeated Movarth Imperium. All were descended from the legendary vampire's bloodline. Their goal, when not embroiled in conflict, was to collect powerful artifacts that could be used to enhance their power, in particular those lost with the fall of the Imperium.

They preferred to fight from the shadows, and only conducted full frontal assaults when the odds were heavily in their favour. Known for using guerilla tactics on their opponents and being masters in a war of attrition, the Phantom's grew to become one of the most dedicated enemies the Autumnshade Coven would ever face.

## Survival and early conflicts (4E 181)

A few days after the Morthal Incident, the Battle for Hjaalmarch began. After a long fight with heavy losses, the mortal people of Hjaalmarch prevailed over the vampires of the Movarth Imperium, with Movarth Piquine himself falling in battle to Septimus Celaive of the Knights of the Blazing Sword. With their leader dead, the large number of remaining vampires fled the region, breaking off into different groups as they went. One of the surviving vampires was Regnus Beleath, first lieutenant and lover of the late Movarth. She gathered a small following of loyal subjects, as well as several powerful artifacts the Imperium had collected over the years (including a Dwemer Lexicon), and headed East.

The group was not heard or seen by anyone for several weeks, although several disappearances in Eastmarch Hold were reported around this time. Regnus and her forces finally took up residence in the abandoned fort known as Gallow's Rock, whose bandit population had been killed off by a poisoned water supply hardly a day before. On the same day, the group officially named itself the Phantomsnare Coven.

Their occupation of the fort lasted only 9 days. One bandit who had avoided the poison fled north, where he was finally stopped by Caldr Frostveins, a ranger who had recently joined the Silver Hand. He brought the bandit back to the factions headquarters at Driftshade Refuge. When a Silver Hand detachment, lead by the infamous zealot Krev the Skinner, arrived at the fort on the 19th of Rain's Hand, the entire structure was empty, without a single sign of recent occupation.

The monster hunters occupied the fort, but the Phantom's had not simply vanished. Having anticipated the Silver Hand thanks to a network of thrall spies established across the region, they had quickly relocated to a hideout beneath Mara's Eye Pond. From here, they discretely began to conduct caravan raids on their new enemies, cutting off their supply of silver, and abducting civillians from local settlements.

### Assassination

Unable to track down the Coven, the Silver Hand instead decided to improve their reputation by targeting the Grimclaw Pack, a group of lycanthropes living in the Fall Forest of the Rift. This lead to a small-scale war between the two groups, that the Phantomsnare Coven lightly involved themselves with to weaken both factions. After a powerful assailant attacked Gallow's Rock and freed the lycan prisoners there, the Grimclaws finally mustered the strength to attack the fort.

To ensure the mutual destruction of both other groups, the Phantomsnare Coven sent their master assassin Omus Zarith to kill Krev the Skinner in time to the lycan's attack, in order to destabilise what was left of the garrison. He succeeded in his task, the Silver Hand were slain to the last member, whilst the werewolves lost many of their seasoned fighters in the battle. Only the vampires emerged from the conflict unscathed, and they made sure to pillage the fort to increase their own equipment stockpile.

Caldr Frostveins would continue to pursue the Coven however, temporarily acting independent of his faction and enlisting the aid of Ulfric Stormcloak and his men. In time he discovered the Coven's hideout, and was able to report back to Windhelm despite a brief confrontation with Omus. Fearing an impending attack now that their hideaway had been uncovered, Regnus moved the Coven once more, to a small cave overlooking the town of Darkwater Crossing.

### The Crooked One

Travelling south from Winterhold, Mogrith the Crooked briefly passed through Darkwater Crossing, and his presence did not go unnoticed by the Coven. A vampire was dispatched to eliminate the Orc, as he was mistaken for a spy from a rival clan. However the spy instead ended up bringing the magus back to the Coven's refuge, having been convinced through the Orc's subtle magic that he was supposed to guide the Orc back to their base.

The fledgling was executed for his ineptitude, but the Orc remained, threatening his captors with more of his magic. He was eventually granted audience with Regnus, and tried to appeal to her to join him in a campaign against Largashbur. The Coven was promised new territory and a small army of enslaved Orc's in return for their efforts. Even with this, Regnus did not immediately agree, and only supported the action once appearing convinced the benefits outweighed the losses. In truth, the vampiress saw an oppurtunity to reach Avanchnzel in the south through the campaign, where the Lexicon she had aquired from the Imperium's vault could be unlocked.

With their leader finally giving consent, the majority of the Coven was gathered up to form a small army, and began to make their way south, headed for Largashbur. They moved as stealthily as their numbers would allow, avoiding settlements and feeding on cattle that shared their journey.

### Battles of Largashbur and Avanchnzel

The Coven's army reached the southern regions of the Rift with minimal casualties. Mogrith had led the march, whilst Regnus had contented herself to following the Orc. A few nights before the Coven would attack Largashbur, the offensive force was split into two; Mogrith would go on to launch the attack on the stronghold with his regiment, whilst Regnus would lead her forces to capture Avanchnzel. The vampiress guised her motivations, telling the Orc that the ancient ruins could be used as a fallback point, and distracted by his feelings of pride Mogrith agreed.

The two battles occured on two seperate days. Largashbur was attacked first, and on the following day the other group entered Avanchnzel. At Largashbur, the Orc's achieved a Phrryic victory against their attackers, and Mogrith was forced to retreat on his own. At Avanchnzel, the Coven was victorious, defeating the Animaculi emplacments with only moderate casualties. The Lexicon was installed, and the vampires started working towards unlocking it's secrets.

#### Revenge of the Pale Orc's

Mogrith, though wounded, was able to reach Avanchnzel. Two vampires were kept on sentry duty, and had been instructed to lure him into a fatal trap. The Orc prevailed over them, but was narrowly saved from death only by the arrival of the Pale Orc's. A bloody siege stretching through the dwarven city began, and lasted almost three days. In a moment of desperation Regnus performed a dark ritual on the body of Bolmar to preserve their research of the Lexicon, and then fled with the Mistwalkers. Their thralls were left behind, as were any allies that had formed pockets of resistance in the city.

They fled to Eastmarch, where the remaining Phantom's had re-captured Mara's Eye Pond in their absence.

## The Silentium War (4E 182)

Fearful of what could be achieved with the Lexicon in the hands of their enemy, The Phantomsnare Coven immediately began devising ways of defeating their new enemy, the Autumnshade Coven.

### Blood Summoning

With her own clan's forces almost entirely depleted, Regnus sought to gain allies in her conquest against the Pale Orc's. She travelled to Whiterun Hold to attend the Blood Summoning, the annual gathering of vampire clans from across the province. At the official meeting she recieved no support, but afterwards in private three powerful Coven's offered their alleigance to her cause, in return for promises of territory in the Rift once the Orc's were slain. This triumvirate took on the title of the Midnight Pantheon, and their combined armies would march into the East a few months later.

### Disruption of the Varen Treaty

Two Mistwalkers were thought to have been responsible for the Eabriái attack on Illianata's Deep, by threatening their creators, the vampires of the Dresadin Coven.

**\*End of currently established canon\***

## Organization

The Phantomsnare Coven followed a typical regime by vampiric societal standards; Regnus like many of her kind lived as master vampire over the fledglings of her clan, and held command over all other members.
Aside from her and the Ondorái (Mistwalkers), few of the vampires had emerged from the fallen Imperium, with many being drifters and adventurers abducted on the roads after the Coven's formation; people whose absense would go unnoticed. Thrall's were made from the unwilling captives, but they had little purpose as anything other than cattle. Their number remained small in an effort to 'keep the blood lineage pure', resulting the use of guerilla tactics over full-frontal combat.

Although Vampirism unlocked magical prowess in many of the fledglings, magic usage was a rare feature in the lower ranks, and was typically limited to a few basic Destruction spells. The higher-ranking undead also opted for physical weaponry, although many made use of their night-powers to gain an edge in combat; Omus Zarith could briefly adopt a liquid form, and one of the Ondorái's powers were derived from the Keerilth bloodline in Valenwood, namely being able to evaporate into mist for brief periods of time.

Unlike their descendants the Pale Orc's, the mixed races found within the Phantomsnare ranks were able to conceal their undead identities, to the point of the well-fed fledglings being able to enter mortal society without arousing suspicion. To this end Phantomsnare vampires served as spies for the Midnight Pantheon during the Silentium War, although they were usually purged from a settlement upon the arrival of the Silver Hand.

## Notable Members

* Regnus Beleath- Founder

* Omus Zarith- Master assassin

* Four of the Ondorái (Mistwalkers)

## Notes

* Aside from the Crooked One, all vampires of the Autumnshade Coven were descendants of Phantomsnare vampires; ironic given the two clans dispositions towards one another...