The Dark Ages
The Keep, a huge dark and imposing fortress perched atop a
treacherous
mountain. As much a symbol of the power of its lord, as it is a
seemingly
unbreachable defence. Records do not tell of who first built the
formidable
construction, scrolls and parchment tell of only bloodshed and
suffering.
Much of the Keep's history is still unknown even to those connected
closely to
it. At around 860ad the Keep was occupied by the Tremere Clan and used
as a
central chantry, controlling and governing the many thousands of other
chantries
spread throughout the realm.
At its height of power, the Keep and its lords controlled large
portions of
land and named its realm Totenvarek. In modern times, the realm of
Totenvarek
has been assimilated by 3 countries.
With the Keep in their possession, the Tremere plundered the
surrounding
lands, cities, towns and villages. The Mortals who lived within
Totenvarek,
lived in terror of the Tremere, thousands dissapeared, and the Tremere
grew
stronger, and their army of experiments, larger.
Finally, at about 920ad, The Tremere released their experiments
upon the
realm. With a view to destroying all other Kindred clans that made a
haven in
the realm, and enslaving the Mortal population. They nearly succeded!
The realm, soaked in Mortal blood, and the bones of Kindred
scattered to the
winds, the Tremere stood one step away from total domination. However,
the
carnage awoke something! Something that slept silently and now stirred
within
the depths of the earth.
Soon after, A mortal man Known as "Aldur Necridius" began to speak
out
against the lords of Totenvarek, he had gathered followers and
supporters to his
cause, and mass uprisings began. At around 990ad Aldur and his
supporters gained
a major victory by slaughtering the occupants of several large
chantries. Aldur
left only one Tremere alive to pass his message on to the Primogens.
This
message was "You will all die, each and every one of you.".
Even though Aldur had gained several victories by this time, many of his
people
had been slain, leaving his forces reduced drastically, but this did not
stop or
slow him down. He began to take on the Tremere and thier creatures
single
handedly and his followers looked on in amazement in Aldur's aparent
god-like
strengths.
Many of the people of Totenvarek suspected Aldur was the same kind
of
creature as the Tremere, he only fought battles at night, or when the
sky was
heavily clouded, he never seemed to eat or drink, and his prowess and
strength
in battle was something never witnessed before - having the ability to
shrug off
or ignore wounds that could kill a mortal man.
However, his deeds to rid Totenvarek of the Tremere plague did not bring
him
hatred and fear, if anything, more people flocked to his cause, knowing
the
great Aldur would protect them.
By 1100ad, Aldur had destroyed hundreds of chantries, laboratories
and
Tremere havens, Mortals spoke of an "Avenging Angel" and Tremere spoke
of a
"Demon". By now, Aldur had developed a taste for Kindred blood. Now only
the
Crimson Keep remained as a Tremere Haven in the Realm, total victory was
in
sight.
Some time around 1120ad, the siege of the Keep began. After three
weeks most
of the Tremere were destroyed, the surviving Tremere were kept within
their own
dungeons for Aldur to feed from. From the Keep, Aldur ruled Totenvarek.
Mortals
worshipped him as a king, saviour and warrior, though none really knew
for
certain of his true nature.
By 1200ad, All the Tremere imprisoned within the Keep, had Died.
Tortured to
death for Aldur's pleasure, or drained of blood by Aldurs uncontrollable
thirst.
Aldur, seemingly maddened by his hunger for Kindred blood, began to
wage war
on other Kindred clans that had settled in the realm. The next to be
attacked
were the Cappadocian clans. When the Cappadocians had been driven from
Totenvarek, Aldur set his sights on the Tzimisce clans. Eventually he
was forced
to seek out clans from outside of Totenvarek, and began to organise
crusades
with the sole purpose of bringing as many Kindred captives back to the
Keep as
possible, his own realm was left unprotected. A small group of Tremere
saw their
chance for vengeance and hid within a laboratory inside the Crimson
Keep.
By 1240ad, Aldur had returned to the Keep. He had gained much
respect and
fear from Princes of other realms, by offering to protect their domains
in
return for Kindred prisoners, or he would take them by force. He saw this
as an
easier way than actually hunting down the prisoners he required - only
Kindred
blood seemed to nourish and satisfy his thirst.
Almost too powerful to control himself, the Princes feared Aldur
greatly and
secretly plotted against him. With a steady supply of incoming Kindred
prisoners, Aldur remained within the walls of the Keep. His reputation
became
widely known to other Clans, so they steered clear of any realms under
Aldur's
influence and protection. However, the small group of Tremere that hid
within
the Keep, cast magicks and enchantments upon Aldur. Aldur's Strength
began to
fade as time wore on, his will to feed became weakened.
Untill, Aldur fell into torpor. The Tremere took his body, and kept
him
barely alive while they exacted revenge upon him. With the realm
unprotected, it
fell back into chaos and fear.
From that time untill about 1300ad, the Keep stood empty, a dark
shell that
served as a reminder to all Tremere that taking such a position of power
would
eventually lead to downfall. The Tremere were content to remain in
hidden
chantries, and gradually, over time, returned to thier old ways.
One of Aldur's daughters learned of her fathers past deeds and
began to
seek him out. Finding the Keep empty, took possession of it and began
to
research its archives for what had happened to Aldur. After discovering
the
location of a secret room deep under the Keep, what she found almost
drove
her mad with rage. Vowing to avenge her father, she took up Aldurs
quest and
continued his fight against the Tremere. Creating a loyal force of
warriors
and priests, "Demortia Necridius" protects the realm of the Crimson
Keep.
Seeking out and destroying Tremere that dare to make a haven, or even
enter
the realm, the new lords of Totenvarek pursue a just cause protecting Mortal
kind from the terrors they suffered in the past - a new glimmer of hope
for
Mortals and Kindred alike, in a dark time of chaos and bloodshed.
The
Modern Day
At around 1700 ad, the Keep finally fell to a new threat - Tzimisce
invaders. However, this event was foreseen by someone of great power connected to
the
lords of Totenvarek. The secret kept by the priesthood and concealed in
the
depths of the Keeps most hidden location, was transferred to a major
city in
England.
The Keep had inherited property and much wealth, London seemed to be the
perfect
place to go.
The Priesthood of the Keep left behind a little suprise for the
invaders. In
the deepest catacombs of the Keep, hundreds of barrels of Gunpowder were
setup,
ready to explode when the fuse was lit. In preparation of the coming
event, the
members of the Keep created several ghouls and placed them as rulers of
Totenvarek. Giving them a means to protect the realm in the future, all
exept
one member left for England.
With total dedication to the Keep, a single Warrior waited alone,
for the
Tzimisce force to enter, then lit the fuse. Fighting his way out as the
fuse
burned closer to the explosives, he only just made it outside as the
entire Keep
was blasted into rubble.With the Keep and the invaders destroyed. The
lords of
Totenvarek and its secret relocated to their new base in London, and the
Crimson
Corporation was born.
From that time onward, the Corporation still protected what it
always has,
and found a new place with a need for its protective services. London
was rife
with rogue Kindred preying on the innocent. In no time, the Corporation
established a foothold within a small section of London. This gained the
notice
of the Camarilla, though this organisation was avoided, much to the
annoyance of
the Ventrue prince.
Over time the influence of the Corporation grew, and gained respect
from the
Camarilla, as its previous history became known to them. From that time
to the
present day, the Corporation rules a part of London seperate from
outside
influences. But the old enemies still return from time to time, still
wanting
revenge, or the power of the Crimson Corporations secret for themselves.
The Corporation classes itself as an independant entity, although
they follow
the Masquerade, they do not wish to join the Camarilla - preferring to stay
away from
Camarilla politics and influences, and manage thier own teritory freely
and as
the Corporation sees fit. This has resulted in difficulty in dealing
with both
Camarilla and Sabbat, often facing hostility from both, but standing by
thier
policy of protecting innocents as they always have.
Since the removal of the Keep as a major influence in Totenvarek,
it
gradually became assimilated by the surrounding countries over time.
Even though Totenvarek no longer exists and has become a part of
Austria,
Hungary and the Slovak Republic, that is not to say the Ghouls who were
left as
custodians are gone, along with the old Keeps influences. If anything,
the
Keep/Corporation grew stronger, the Custodian Ghouls are now major
figures in
the govornments of these countries, in effect, increasing the size of
the
"Corporation" influence and power.
Dark Future
500 years have passed since modern times. Much has
changed
greatly, whilst other things remain as they always were. If it were not
for
three major inventions, history would have taken a much different
path...
1) Cold fusion reactors were developed successfully
in 2053.
They are now able to run efficiently and with stability. When fitted to a
spacecraft it gains hydrogen fuel by directly scooping it up from gas
clouds as
it passes through space.
2) Ion drives were developed around 2110 by NASA to
enable
space travel through the solar system at a much faster speed. Though
they
produce less thrust than a solid fuel rocket, they are able to propel a
spacecraft at much higher speeds... over time a spacecraft can
eventually gain
enough speed to reach Pluto within a matter of days. Ion drives, coupled
with a
cold fusion reactor enabled the first manned flights to the outer
reaches of
the solar system.
3) Atmospheric processors became a reality once
manned space
travel became a viable solution to mine the solar system’s resources.
Once a
suitably large planet or moon was found (with enough gravity to hold an
atmosphere, and with the basic elements available for a conversion),
several
hundred processors would be set up around the planet/moon and
atmospheric
conversion would begin. Though it could take many decades to make an
atmosphere
breathable, by 2180 several dozen colonies were already in the stages of
being
built in preparation for the atmosphere independently supporting life.
In the Dark Future era, much of Earth’s solar
system is
being mined for resources and the atmosphere of Mars has been
successfully
converted to an oxygen rich environment. Much of the technology
available is
more or less the same as it were at the end of 2000, if not, then made
slightly
more reliable. With the birth of planetary colonisation much of the
world’s
research resources were steered towards colonisation technologies and
spacecraft building, leaving much technology unchanged and forgotten
since
early 2200.
Earth
Since space travel became a realistic option, many
companies
fought for research and building contracts.
The developers of cold fusion reactors (a large
Japanese
company named ‘Hiroshi-Ito International’), held onto the technology
with an
iron grip, and was the first to gain partnership in building the first
fusion
reactor powered spacecraft. Seizing the spacecraft market, and
foreseeing its
potential for off-world cargo transport and the profits it would gather,
the
Giovanni clan funded a lot of spacecraft building along-side
Hiroshi-Ito. They
quickly became inseparable partners in spacecraft production.
A rival company (and biggest threat to Hiroshi-Ito
contracts), ‘Thompson Garrett Industries’ (an American-based company),
began
funding and development in more reliable spacecraft. A large-scale
industrial
war ensued... and is still being fought today.
Sometime around 2360, a war of mass destruction
broke out
between the Cainite clans and Garou tribes... eventually forcing many
clans
off-world as the Garou began to gain the upper hand. Much of mortal
society was
drawn into the conflict as fighting erupted on the streets of cities. It
became
impossible to keep the Cainite masquerade in order. Though disbelieved
by many,
other mortals turned upon Cainites and Garou. The world’s armed forces
were put
on alert and mass persecutions began. This forced many Cainites
off-world, with
the Giovanni raking in the cash from smuggling Cainites to other
planets. Many
of those who chose to stay on earth were found and killed within a short
space
of time. Most Garou chose to stay behind, viewing space travel as a
violation
and betrayal of planet Earth.
The majority of the Camarilla clans relocated to
Mars and
bought mining rights to one of Mars’s moons, ‘Deimos’. Here, they have
made a
community for themselves and avoid outsiders. Though they still have
contact
with the rest of the solar system and beyond, they prefer to avoid
leaving
Deimos. Many view the moon as a perfect haven, and guard it fiercely
from
outsiders.
The Sabbat, after almost being wiped out by the
Garou and
mortal persecutions, eventually bought a small fleet of heavy transport
ships
and headed out into space. It is widely suspected by the Camarilla that
the
Giovanni had provided the Sabbat with the required spacecraft... in
return for
a percentage of goods and captured mortals they managed to plunder. This
suspicion has placed a price on the heads of all Giovanni - $5,000,000
to be
paid out to anyone who can bring a Giovanni to Deimos for a Camarilla
trial.
The Sabbat clans regularly pirate other cargo
vessels, and
live aboard their ships preferring to stay on the move. It is though
that there
is a ‘Sabbat Mother-Ship’ somewhere – a vast metal monster that dwarfs
even the
biggest of known cargo ships. The Sabbat leaders live aboard this
Mother-Ship
and direct the Sabbat pirate attacks throughout the solar system.
By 2400, the persecutions ended and were forgotten
in a
matter of a few years... mortals believed all Cainites and Garou had
been
slain. Most thought Garou and Cainites were mutations or genetic
experiments
carried out by the world Governments. This view seemed logical to the
mortal
mind and was widely accepted.
The Corporation's standing....
To avoid the destruction of the persecutions, the
Corporation (CK) sold off all of its businesses, assets and properties
and
bought the biggest cargo Transport ship available at the time – The
Crimson
Nebula.
The Corporation’s ‘Secret’ escaped whilst being
transported
to the ship... and began to do what it was created for. A desperate
search
began, following the trail of destruction and slain Tremere across
Earth. By
the time it was determined that the
‘Secret’ had boarded another spacecraft, no more Tremere were left alive
on Earth.
Soon after, a transport ship was reported missing as it neared Jupiter’s
orbit.
This was the last clue in the search for the Corporation’s ‘Secret’...
To this
day, the Corporation are still searching for it.
It is thought that the ‘Secret’ is hunting down all
Tremere
that had left Earth before its escape, with a view to ending the Tremere
Clan
once and for all. Others think it may be looking for a planet to
‘Hibernate’
inside until a later time when it has gathered enough power to end all
Cainite
Clans.
~ (Originally written by
Demortia, re-typed by VampireRatz )~