House Moldark

## Description:

House Moldark is one of the largest Vampire Houses in the K2 Universe, acting as the primary governing body for much of Poland, Ukraine, and rural Western Russia. Dedicated to the oppression of mortals underneath their Vampiric boots, House Moldark fields one of the few armies of genuine Vampires in the world, large enough to stamp out any peasant revolt or squash any disrespectful diplomat or politician.

Unlike many other Vampire Houses around the world, House Moldark operates in plain view of the subjects it rules, making sure that all mortals within their Domain understand where the true power lies. Those beyond House Moldark's borders that dabble in magic or the supernatural will likely have heard of House Moldark, but the normal everyday people often have no knowledge of them.

### Organization:

#### Capital: Odesa, Ukraine

Like all Feudal-style Vampire Houses, House Moldark is organized by the feudal system of nobility that they were founded under. The House's leader, a Vampire King by the name of [REDACTED], rules his many subjects from the safety of the House's capital city of Odesa. Operating underneath [REDACTED] are the ruling nobles, all of whom possess some rank or title within the noble court system, and all of whom must pay a certain tithe to their King every year; this tithe can come in many forms, from manpower or goods to human sacrifices or blood. Beneath the nobility, who each rule over a Domain of their own varying in size according to their title, sit the Vampire Knights, who also vary in rank according to their age and political influence; these Knights lead the House's men-at-arms into battle against their foes, police local villages and towns, and manage local politics through a multitude of preferred techniques. Beneath the Knights sit the representatives of the Cult of Sanguinity, who are incredibly well-respected and often awarded with a Domain of their own within Moldark's realm. Beneath the priests sit the standard Vampire Men-at-Arms, the foot soldiers who fight to defend their House from attack. Operating under the soldiers come the standard Vampires, those Vampires of House Moldark who are sired by someone outside of noble birth, either a Man-at-Arms or another non-noble Vampire of the House; non-noble Vampires of House Moldark are often given managerial or logistical positions within the House's wider Domain, operating with more discretion and less direct support from their superiors. Beneath the Vampires come the Thralls, those mortals who are blood-bound to their Vampiric masters by a severe addiction to the consumption of Vampire blood; Thralls are also usually an easy source of fresh blood for their masters, who condition their Thralls to respond particularly well to their pleasure-inducing bite. Thralls are often servants, cultist apprentices to the representatives of the Cult of Sanguinity, or spies who are placed into local communities as a means of counter-intelligence against any would-be rebels or dissidents; Thrall spies are fiercely loyal to their masters, but are excellent undercover agents that are known to quell entire uprisings long before they have a chance to begin. Seated below even the Thralls come the Abominations, those mutated, barely sentient Vampiric monsters created by other Vampires as pets or attack dogs; the Abominations exist as property, to be traded, purchased, and sold between Vampires who an afford such creatures. Mortals are considered untouchables in House Moldark, and are seen as livestock who are inherently antagonistic to Vampires and therefore deserving of the punishments dealt to them by the Moldark Vampires.

House Moldark recruits its Vampires from its Thralls, converting those Thralls who have served their Vampire masters loyally and without flaw for many decades. Traitors or criminals are often imprisoned and converted into Abominations as their punishment, forced to serve the House eternally as animals. House Moldark recruits in large numbers, having one generation of Men-at-Arms sire the incoming generation of their Vampire warriors to ensure that veterancy is respected and their members plentiful.

The ruling members of House Moldark believe that mortals must be punished and kept in line or else they will grow ambitious and seek to overthrow their Vampiric masters. Despite their massive numbers, House Moldark still fears a peasant revolt large enough to depose them from power, and prevents these large conflicts by frequently beating their peasantry into submission through raids, sacrifices and kidnappings, public executions and displays of intense cruelty, or so-called Manhunts; Manhunt is the term given by noble Vampires to the act of kidnapping a skilled or strong mortal, bringing them to a Vampiric estate away from mortal civilization, giving the mortal a knife or basic weapon, setting them free into the surrounding countryside, and then hunting said mortal down alongside one's Vampire companions. A large portion of House Moldark's resources are dedicated to managing their internal affairs and preventing or quelling internal rebellion, which has given Moldark's members a distinct taste for intrigue and brutality seen only in House Tepes. What resources of House Moldark's remain after the maintenance of their Feudal ways are used to investigate the potential for the creation of the True Vampires of legend, working to bring such a powerful entity into the world as the ultimate show of faith to their god and the Cult of Sanguinity; House Moldark's staunch adherence to the Cult is well known by even other Vampires.

House Moldark's social hierarchy reflects that of feudal Europe. The list of known ranks/titles within this social order are provided below:

1. King/Queen
2. Prince/Princess
3. Duke/Duchess
4. Marquis/Marquise
5. Count/Countess
6. Viscount/Viscountess
7. Baron/Baroness
8. Lord/Lady
9. Knight
10. Man-at-Arms
11. Thrall
12. Abomination
13. Mortals

### Equipment:

House Moldark, like many Vampire Houses, places a large emphasis on their looks and aesthetic. Dressing as they did in the Middle Ages, many older members of House Moldark dress according to their rank, with large capes or dresses and intricate golden jewelry. Many lesser or younger Vampires within the House, or those that live nearer mortal civilization, tend to adopt fashion styles more closely aligned to those of the modern age, wearing impressive custom designer suits, imported gold watches, and the newest in designer shoes and dresses; House Moldark's impressive resources and political influence make their appearances all the more important, and allow them to easily blend in with the mortal politicians they control. House Moldark's armed forces dress mostly in half-plate armor or full plate armor, donning gambesons and tunics colored a deep crimson and black; the standard metals used in the armors are also frequently stained or colored a darker grey or black to aid in camouflage and intimidation, and many of their helmets feature steel faceplates in the form of skulls both to hide the wearer's true nature from onlookers and to instill greater fear in the minds of mortals. House Moldark primarily uses melee weapons that would be found in the Middle Ages, those being broadswords, polearms like spears and halberds, crossbows and bows and arrows, and shields of varying types; all uniforms and shields are emblazoned with House Moldark's symbol in addition to the soldier's liege's coat of arms or heraldry. Members of House Moldark who live in more modern areas of the House's wider Domain make use of modern weapons, including modern firearms, ballistic vests, and automobiles; all noble members of House Moldark, including even the Knights, are required to own at least 1 horse in addition to any other vehicle they may own, a symbol of their noble station above those of mortals. Heraldry of both House and liege are displayed even on modern vehicles and suits (often expressed with pins, cufflinks, patches, or designs).

House Moldark's technological capability is wildly variable from region to region, although some consistencies remain. Like most Vampire Houses, House Moldark has possessed access to electricity for many years before the mortals ever conceived of such an idea, as well as indoor plumbing. Many high-ranking noble Vampires of the House own modern cars or limousines in addition to specialized modernized security forces trained in guns and modern fighting tactics. Those members who live outside of the cities and other modernized areas are reduced most commonly to the technology level of the Renaissance, although the aforementioned technology is still present.

House Moldark's application of magic is well-known and well-respected, even among the Vampire community. House Moldark's strict adherence to the Cult of Sanguinity bolsters their already expert mastery of blood magic, and all noble members (even Knights) are trained in conventional magic. The older members of the House are infamous for their application of town-destroying spells and rituals, or powerful necromancy. A consequence of their advanced knowledge of blood magic, believed to be a blessing from [REDACTED] himself, is House Moldark's surprising lack of hearts; their potent blood magic allows them to circulate their magic blood through their bodies without a need for hearts, making them immune to being Staked.

House Moldark sports an impressive collection of Blood Diamonds, in addition to many enchanted suits of armor and weapons that are owned and used by their noble members.

#### Military:

House Moldark's military is inherently connected to its social hierarchy. All noble members are trained in combat and strategy, and all learn to master their favored weapons and school of combat-applicable Evocation magic. Most members are experts on horseback and are well-learned in the ways of intrigue, espionage, and poisons. All members are experts of manipulation and tactics, and are considered formidable foes in any situation.

### Religion:

House Moldark abides by the Cult of Sanguinity with a near-fanatical zeal. For additional information, see the Cult of Sanguinity page.