Darla

**Darla** was a vampire of the Order of Aurelius, one of the favorite progeny of the Master himself.

## History

### Early Life

Originally given a different name that has since been lost to history, Darla was born in the British Isles but eventually immigrated to the colony of Virginia. It is unclear if she began her career as a prostitute before her immigration or once she had arrived, but she made a substantial amount of money working as a prostitute in the New World. However, she also caught syphilis. One night in 1609 CE as the disease left her near death, a priest came to her. Darla despised religion and attempted to send the priest away, claiming that she was past God's forgiveness and that her soul belonged to the Devil.

It was then that the priest revealed himself to the be the Master. She believed he was Death, but he advised her that he was not -- rather, he was her salvation. He sired her that night. As she was favored amongst his progeny, he eventually gave her the name "Darla," which was Gaelic for "dear one." Even she eventually forgot her birth name.

### Angelus & Holtz

Though she was loyal to her Maker and to the Order of Aurelius, by 1753 CE she was traveling the world on her own. It was in this year that she passed through Galway, Ireland and happened upon a young man named Liam. She seduced him and lured him into an alley, where she sired him. After he rose from death, they went to his family's home where Liam's sister mistook him for an angel. Inspired by this moment, Darla gave her progeny the name Angelus.

In 1760 CE, Darla brought her progeny to the Master and the Order of Aurelius. Angelus had no interest in the Order, and refused to join. The Master offered Darla a choice: the order, or the pleasures Angelus brought to her. She chose Angelus and the two began to cut a bloody path through Europe. They eventually attracted the attention of a vampire hunter named Daniel Holtz. To punish him, in 1764 CE, they slaughtered his family -- save his daughter Sarah whom they sired. This infuriated Holtz, and he would pursue them for another ten years.

In 1765 CE, Darla abandoned Angelus in a burning barn and fled to Vienna. They reunited a short time later, and by 1767 CE they had been joined by vampires James and Elisabeth. They burned an entire village to the ground, and were once again nearly caught by Holtz. Angelus revealed Darla's hiding place in order to save himself, though she was able to escape once again. Angelus and Darla made their way to North Africa for a time but by 1771 CE they had returned to Europe and were found in Rome. Holtz was helped by the Inquisitore, and they managed to capture and torture Angelus -- until Darla rescued him with the help of a group of local vampires.

### The Whirlwind

In 1860 CE, Darla showed Angelus the pious girl Drusilla -- whom he drove insane and then sired. Drusilla traveled with the pair, and then in 1880 CE made a progeny of her own: the heartbroken poet William Pratt, who would come to be known as Spike. William's violence drew unnecessary attention to the group, who fled London and were forced to hide in abandoned mines near Yorkshire. At about this time, Darla began to refer to their little family as the Whirlwind.

In 1894 CE, Drusilla and Darla engaged in a ménage à trois with the Immortal -- something that neither would allow Spike or Angelus to do. The two men had been kidnapped and held captive by men working for the Immortal for the duration of the tryst. They subsequently traveled to Budapest, where an earthquake created a fair amount of chaos which they used to their advantange.

Their reign of terror began to come to an end in 1898 CE. They encountered the Clan Kalderash in Romania, and Darla presented their favorite daughter to Angelus as a gift. Angelus brutally killed her while Darla watched. To punish him, the elders of the clan performed the Ritual of Restoration -- imbuing Angelus with a human soul. Though he sought Darla's help, she rejected him. Drusilla, Spike, and Darla made their way to Asia without him -- enjoying the chaos of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 CE. Angelus attempted to reunite with them there, but was unable to kill an innocent and even saved a baby from Darla. He renounced her forever and the Whirlwind soon broke apart. Darla returned to the Order of Aurelius and eventually began serving the Master in Sunnydale, California.