Cousombre

## Introduction

The Cousombre are one of the 6 great Bloodlines of the Strigoi, immodestly considering themselves the greatest of Afflicted. It was under their leadership that the Covenant was formed and both europeans and Strigoi where able to project their influence across the entire globe. The Cousombre have mastered the secrets of the human mind and the school of Illusion. Through their necromancy they are capable of twisting mortal minds until they resemble nothing but willing thralls.

## History

### Youth of Kythereia

The history of the Cousombre began in a stormy night in Walachia. It was in a valley the karpatian mountains that the Grimvitch Coven, an ancient order of outcast witches, had made their home. In this night all of the witches had gathered in their inner sancturm. Ioana, their high priestess, had gone into labour. It was a long and painful process but after countless hours she finally gave birth to two twins; her firstborn daughters. The first thing the twins would see was the face of a stranger walking into the tent. This man revealed himself as Apollonius, father of all Strigoi. He had traveled into the depts of Walachia to seek the Grimvitch coven. He arrived without a word or a greeting, simply walking to the young mother and placing his thumb on each of the babies foreheads as a ritual blessing.

Apollonius was allowed to stay with the witches as they had much to learn from him. They offered esoteric teachings and pagan rites to the old necromancer and in return he taught them the secrets of eternal life and how to make the dead walk again. Although his knowledge was invaluable, Apollonius was barely tolerated among the witches. The High Priestess Ioana was especially suspicious towards him and she watched with spite as he grew more and more interest in her daughters. He revealed to her that an ancient orcale in greece had reaveled the twins destiny and that he traveled here to fufill it. Ioana did not believe his words and forbid him to enter her inner sanctum.

This would change in the night of Ostrach, which the coven celebrated every year. The witches engaged in wild rites and ritualsitic dances when a group of Vargr encircled their sacred valley. Their pack had tried to track down the Grimvitch for years and it was in this night that the shapeshifters wanted to end them for good. In the shape of great beasts they descendet down the hills and ran down the first fleeing witches. They where met with unexptected resistance as Apollonius stepped infront, his flesh distorted by the accursed blood in his veins. According to the Grimvitch legends, he had turned into a gigantic dragon; and one by one he slaughtered the Vargr invaders and drank their foul Essence.

He cast off his old identity and rose from the Vargrs blood with a new face and a new name, reborn as Balaur; which means dragon in the tongue of the ancient witches. As a reward he demanded to give Ioanas twins their names although they where still to young to recieve them. Their mother did not approve of this demand and in the end he was allowed to name one of the twins. He babtized her with his blood and named her Kythereia; the latin epithet of the godess Aphrodite. Ioana named her sister Morrigan and from this day on they where celebrated as official members of the coven.

As they grew older Kythereia began to develop far quicker than her sister. She showed early signs of brilliance and strength. It was said that the young girl did not require sleep or rest and was driven by an inner flame that could never burn out. Inofficially she was seen as the foster child of Balaur who taught her his secrets when her sister was sleeping. However Balaur wished to adopt both of them, believing he would need them both.

When both sisters would turn into adults, the ancient Strigoi would invite them to a cavern near the Grimvitchs sacred valley. On their birthday night and day where of the same length and under the light of the full moon shining into the cave; Balaur embraced both in his arms before draining them of their blood. When they awoke an hour later, he had turned both of them into Strigoi. Balaur spoke to them from the shadows and told them it was the first time he sired children since the burning of Cappadocia; and that they should not disappoint him. Then he demanded that they would walk into their covens sanctum and kill their mother.

They both entered the sanctum but when they approached their sleeping mother, Morrigan refused to do the deed and fled into the night. Kythereia did have no such scruple and cut open her mothers throat before drinking her blood. After the deed was done Balaur rose as the leader of the Grimvitch Coven, Kythereia at his right side. Under their rule they would sire many Strigoi, giving birth to a new Affliction.

### Fall of Walachia

Many years passed in which the Walachian Strigoi grew in strength and numbers, spreading across the surrounding villages and roman settlements. Back in the ancient times they fought many battles against the Vargr living in the woods aswell as the Lemurian soldiers send after Balaur to whipe out his bloodline. In the end the early Strigoi emerged victorious and claimed all of Dacia as their domaine. Although their father was a powerful being that lead their kine into glory; he had also turned mad and tyrannical as the year passed. Kythereia and Balaurs other childer feared he would drag them into the darkness that had corrupted his mind and forged a plan to end his life. They approached him where many years ago Kythereia had slain Ioana; and where she once betrayed her mother she and her siblings would now betray her father. In a brutal and unexpected assault they would throw down Balaur, attacking him with mutated fangs, curses and forbidden spells. The great Strigoi through them off, killing half of his children with only a few blows of his monstrous talons. When he saw that his firstborn daughter was among the conspiritors he stopped resisting however. They did not manage to kill him but instead he fled, bleeding from many wounds, and flew to a nearby mountain that would become his tomb. In a deep cairn he fell into a deep slumber while his spirit transcendet the mortal realm and became a Lich.

After his fall Kythereia wished to crown herself as the queen of all Strigoi. Her brothers and sisters denied her rightful triumph and in the brutal aftermath of their betrayal she barely escaped with her unlife. The other Conspirators saw her as a thread to their power and sought her end. Without friends or allies she left Dacia and traveled westwards; far away from her vengeful siblings.

### Corruption of the Merovingians

There are many tales of Kythereias travels across the germanic wilderness and her many encounters. Europe was struck by the Migration Period and Kythereia was often caught between warring tribes and barbarians. She managed to fend most of them of with her supernatural speed and the gifts of mutation she could grow at will. However, over time, she learned that her words where a far more powerful tool. She used magical charms and mirages to sway a band of peasents, tribal warriors and soldiers into her service. They worshipped her as a saint and spread her influence across the lands of central and western europe. She soon embraced a faith her father had helped to found: Christianity. While most of the people (...)

Took the place of Clotilde and married Clovis the first; becomes known as queen of all franks.

## Culture

### Oubliettes

Their Loremasters are known as *Bluebeards* (Barbe Bleu). They have abandoned court politics and their noble house to persue their research of the human mind. Bluebeards live on solitary castles in the rural areas of france, ruling over a court of willingless thralls. They spend most of their time courting outcast nobles or young peasants, luring them in their castle and marrying them. After their ceremony the Bluebeard will bring their spouse in the depts of their castle and throw them in one of countless oubliettes; slowly drinking their fear and gaining inside into their mind. After their death the spouse is resurrected and serves its master through other means.

## See also

* Opinions
* Cousombre (Rules)
* Cousombre (Overview)