Kale Ulric

Clan Ventrue
Amity of Equanimity
Methuselah Autarkis

Description


~Like a superimposing deity harkening from ancient eras, Kale descends upon the scene. Tall and statuesque, complete with a marble complexion, this man does not even look like he should be walking. But on he marches, placid yet inevitable. Though a washed-out blue, his penetrating eyes offers only a hungry glare. His solid face seem frozen into a grim expression that includes a perpetual frown and wrinkled brow. Of course, that might also be due to age. Kale appears to be in his late 40s, and carries himself as a mature gentleman. He wears sharp designer brands of casual attire -- khakis, sweater, loafers. The colors also compliment his dirty-blonde hair that he allows to trail down to the center of his back. Chin held high, Kale epitomizes the kind of pride born probably of military tradition. With the nature of his Nordic features and unignorable noble presence, Kale comes across as ancient king. Like Charlemagne or Genghis Khan, his gaze conquers all that he sees. A monolith of imperialism, it seems foolish to tarry in Kale's path. The driven ambition that encumbers his ardent stride and purpose sweeps lessers from his road.~

OOC: Appearance 2; Clan Prestige 5

"The spoils of war always go to the victor."

History


Antiquity: 50-23 before Christ

Fifty years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Ulrics dwelled in a small village in what became the modern-day Netherlands. They were a salt of the earth people, these Norsemen, stout and hearty farmers who also knew how to defend their home. They dwelled in a simple log home near the woods and a clear pond. Kale was the only son of four children, and the older than his sisters. He helped his mother take care of them while his parents also took care of his grandparents, who lived in the house.

Kale learned discipline quickly in those days, as farming was arduous and tough. He grew strong and able-handed. And his family made certain that he grew up to be an honorable man, brave and deliberate. He was taught to revere the gods and both respect and fear nature. When he mingled with other youths his age, he proved to be a take-charge boy in the games they played. But even as a boy, he was expected to help defend his village and all the realm. Their society paid homage to a king who sometimes called on the young and strong of the village to defend the region from aggressors. That was how he learned something of combat alongside his father.

By the age of 17, his people were faced with the most powerful army in the world: the Romans. Kale joined his countrymen to form a great army of several kings' realms to repel the invaders. He glorified himself as a fearless and stoic fighter in these brutal clashes that lasted ten years. Although Kale saw his father suffer a wound that would later become infected and bring the man's demise, he held no grudges against the Romans. They beat them fair and square. While other Norsemen began to hate the Roman legions, Kale did not. "We won", he simply shrugged when pressed on the matter.

During that campaign, Kale met a lovely young woman who was a nurse for the army. Her name was Hela, and they gradually fell in love over the years. When the war ended, Kale gladly married her. They enjoyed a few solid years of a "good life". They lived at home, tending to his mother, the grandparents who had not yet succumbed to old age, and of course, the farm where he was raised. Most of his sisters were married off themselves; so it was a relatively peaceful romance Kale and Hela enjoyed. They soon brought their own joy into the world, a beautiful baby boy he named Vanyo, whom would be raised in the tradition Kale knew.

Warlord Ulric: 23-9 before Christ

Now in his late 20s, Kale's wisdom and stern gentleness earned him an important role. He became the lord of his village, ordering policy and leading the village militia. He was even empowered by the king to dispense judgement upon criminals as needed. Kale took his duties seriously, always a solemn ruler, and thus the king heralded him as a great asset. The village wise woman, a witch by all modern standards, cast her blessing on Kale's greatness, insuring the safety of his home from supernatural threats that lurked in the woods beyond. Of course, Kale had a few rivals over the years. He always handled them discreetly, and a subtle display of strength or cunning usually did the trick. Kale was in the prime of his life and glory, content with and proud of his ennobled life and family.

But such a thing could not last long in that troubled, war-torn world. The Romans returned in 14 BC. Kale foresaw the doom of his people, but he honored his obligations. He led the village militia into battle, joined with all the other forces of his king. The Norsemen won several battles and skirmishes. Their fierce cavalry rocked the Roman infantry phalanxes' world. Of course, the Romans were far more nefarious this time. While wars were fought on honorable open ground, the Romans sent terrorists around the Norsemen's flanks to burn their villages and crops to the ground, and murder everyone they found. Kale's entire family was slaughtered when his village was decimated.

Although Kale received word of their fate and rode back to the village to witness it with his own eyes, he did not abandon the army. Nor was he overcome by hatred. Stoicism came natural to the man, it seemed. Instead, he swallowed his heart and let the anguish of his loss steel his resolve. The king promoted him to general of the whole army. And he led the army in their final telling battle. It was waged on an open field at night. Kale planned excellent tactics and favored the cavalry, which was always the "barbarians'" greatest advantage over the Romans.

But a deciding factor were the creatures that secretly fought with the Romans -- vampires. No fae or werewolves fought alongside the Norsemen in this battle, but the Romans boasted Kindred. The Norse were defeated and the king surrendered. Kale was beaten, wounded, and captured. Everything he knew was lost and he awaited execution hollowly.

Mithras: 9 before Christ

Yet Kale wasn't executed -- at least, not right away. Instead, he was drawn aside in that war camp by a powerful man of exotic heritage. This dark figure of clear power and authority introduced himself as Mithras and he explained his interest in Kale. He knew the general was strong, clever, wise, and fearless. He knew Kale suffered much, but had not given into unruly emotions. Mithras also informed Kale why the Norsemen lost that battle. It wasn't just the Roman legions that defeated them, but the Kindred that backed them up -- and the fact that the Norsemen had no such supernatural support of their own.

Kale was disturbed at first by what Kindred entailed. Mithras invited the man to help him create a world of peace and law, where war would no more be a threat to anyone. He would have to become Kindred, the walking dead, the great-great grandson of a mythological murderer. Kale listened to what the Embrace involved -- the draining of blood and the permanent hunger for it thereafter, the allergy to sunlight, the bestial emotions that would stir in his dead heart. Kale's wife and son were gone, his army defeated, and his people were capitulating, soon to become "Romans" themselves. He didn't have much left to lose but his life, and Kale didn't feel truly ready to die. He felt unfulfilled, like he had things he could yet accomplish in this world.

Mithras gave Kale time to consider. He fed Kale a goblet of wine and a drop of the ancient vampire's blood, turning Kale into a "ghoul", a servitor of Mithras. It gave the man a taste of the power he could inherit if he accepted the full Embrace. As he explored this new state of feelings and abilities, Mithras left the occupying legions and took Kale back home. Back to Rome the pair traveled, and the Norseman saw the capitol of his enemy for the first time, and marveled at its architectural wonders and cultural cosmopolita.

The Embrace: 9 before Christ

Intoxicated by the vastness and complexity of the world beyond what Kale once knew, he accepted Mithras' invitation. The general's execution was made official when the vampire sank his fangs into Kale's neck and drained him of his precious lifeblood. Kale languished in the power and pain of the Kiss, then drank deeply of the vitae Mithras fed back into his dying mouth. That first night as Kindred was for resting.

The next night, Kale's tutelage began. The fledgling took all of his sire's prudent advice to his cold, dead heart. Perhaps the only foolish thing the young Ventrue did contrary to Mithras' advice was to catch a glimpse of his last dawn. Yes, he enjoyed the sun one last time after his Embrace. The heat and light of that orb seared his flesh, but he summoned all his courage and fortitude to endure the agony for long moments before turning his back and ducking back indoors to sleep.

And for Kale, that was more of a test of his own strength than any sentimental attachment to viewing the sun. He quickly adapted and accepted his place in the night. Kale began to explore his dark gifts, especially his puissant combination of mental and emotional powers. He practiced those talents on Mithras' servitors, men and women who were until recently fellow ghouls. Kale commanded the mortals to perform simple tasks, just to hone his authority and compelling voice. To his sire's shock, the ghouls obeyed -- ghouls who were Conditioned to respond only to Mithras' commands. This would later prompt Mithras to develop Fealty, but in the mean time, he was duly impressed with his childe's natural skill of vampiric domination.

The Becoming: 9 before Christ-1 anno Domini

Still, Kale was kept under Mithras' wing for the traditional decade of the Becoming. The fledgling took that time to learn all about (un)life in Rome. He discovered early on that his refined tastes for blood, a feature of all Ventrue (though the precise taste varied from member to member), leaned towards the insane. Kale decided that his Hunger for any blood flavored by mental or emotional disturbance was due to the need to satisfy his own madness. The Beast Within could be controlled and held in check by feeding it the essence of those already experiencing that chaos. For Kale recognized and accepted very early that he was, in fact, a bloodthirsty monster. For good or ill, this was his lot. He heard rumors from other Kindred in Rome about a state of spiritual enlightenment called Golconda. Kale was not interested; it was not that he was fascinated by his bloodlust, but a full acceptance of his state and purpose as a predator.

However, that sentiment did not stop Kale from seeking companionship among other Kindred in that great city. He elicited the pleasures of a Roman romance when am older Toreador beauty named Pales caught his eye. She just wanted to "try Norseman" it seemed, for their affair didn't last long. At least it helped Kale learn more about the other clans of Kindred. He found out more of the tendencies of his fellow vampires, and heeded his sire's warnings about the behavior of certain clans (like Brujah). Known as the Great Jyhad, it was a constant threat to all Kindred. Vampires, Mithras schooled, were their own worst enemy, and the other clans especially were weak with greed and ambition and needed to be led lest they endanger all the Kindred.

To educate Kale further about the Jyhad, Mithras cited Kindred history. The fall of the earliest human civilizations were connected to the Great Jyhad. It was through these lectures that Kale learned of Caine, the first vampire, and Caine's childer and grand-childer. Mithras pointed out that it was the Antediluvians -- the surviving grand-childer of Caine himself -- that breathed order into Rome and helped make it the empire it became. While Caine still existed and was reputed to be watching Rome's growth, Kale never met that esteemed overlord of the undead. But Kale did get to meet his sire's sire. Ventru himself headed over the clan's meetings in Rome, and Kale silently listened to that ancient speak to Mithras in the same condescending and demeaning tones that Mithras used on Kale. But hidden in that arrogance was wisdom and strength, an implacable brilliance and irrefutable charisma Kale yearned to emulate (or surpass). To date, Kale believed it was his greatest honor to know his clan sire for at least a few years.

Scope of Imperialism: 1-30 anno Domini

But after his official Release from the Becoming in the year of what later became 1 AD, Kale was given a task by his sire. He was to survey the entire Roman Empire and acquaint himself with the scope of his sire's (and many other Kindred) efforts to rein in humanity and bring peace and order to the world (and a steady, unthreatened supply of blood!). Clearly, Mithras wanted to impress upon the childe the responsibility of having authority and influence over an entire empire. Kale also needed to know the layout, cultures, and populations of the lands in Roman control.

Kale traveled south, north, east, and west. Mithras' faithful ghouls escorted the Neonate Ventrue. Kale chafed some that he couldn't employ his own servants even while abroad. Part of the problem was that Kale only had one viable vessel among the crew (that is, one insane ghoul). So Kale often hunted among the peoples of the empire, seeking out the mad. He hungered for a change in flavor from the same ghoul every night. Besides, Kale was concerned with developing an internal disharmony or overdependence on one person. At least his sire's flunkies gave Kale ample opportunities by which he could hone his powers over the hearts and minds of others.

To the north and west, Kale traveled amongst the Brits, Gauls, and Norsemen. Of course, Kale did not feel right about returning to his homeland in his current state, but there were other lands claimed by the Norse. After visiting with these fellow "barbarians" from a different perspective, the young Ventrue came to understand and even respect his own people's decision to capitulate.

Exotic Encounters: 31-50 anno Domini

When Kale visited the southern limits of the Roman Empire, he was acquainted with the Egyptians and Africans. Though their exotic culture was intriguing to Kale, he did not linger long. Mithras sent counsel ahead to the group when they reached Nubia to turn back: the Followers of Set intended to slay Kale and the ghouls out of rivalry with Clan Ventrue. Lupines -- werewolves that hated all Kindred -- were set upon Kale and party's trail. He hurried out of the area, only having a minute amount of time to enjoy the sights of the pyramids.

He was not well welcomed in the east either. In the Balkans, he was accosted by Gypsies and bilked out of all his pocket money. Kale learned his lesson about trusting the Romani after that encounter! He also visited Judea and was privy to a special occasion. Kale was able to view Jesus of Nazareth preaching one early evening; the holy man was reciting the Beatitudes he preached about earlier in the day. Although Jesus was clearly a Jew, Kale was not surprised to hear that Jesus was quite�non-denominational.

And what Jesus taught was strong and spiritual, Kale could discern. But the pacifism Jesus encouraged did not fly well with the soldier and vampire. Kale was not surprised when Jesus was tried and executed. He stood by with the Roman forces, stoically observing the event. Other Kindred stood by with Kale, too; most laughed at the holy man who turned out to be no Messiah at all (at least as Jews were expecting). Kale scoffed, too, but not at Jesus. It was the other Kindred he scoffed at, vampires who clearly had no respect for men of strength and character. Kale so respected Jesus of Nazareth that he visited the dying, crucified holy man every night until he perished. When Jesus met Kale's eyes once, just once, the Ventrue felt a stirring in his dead heart. He knew then, even if he was too young and na�ve to accept it, that this would mark the inevitable end of the Roman Empire.

Defender of the Empire: 51-200 anno Domini

Once Kale completed his tour of the empire, Mithras appointed Kale to a very important position. The Neonate was Embraced for his battle-tested talents and brilliance. He became, in essence, the General of the Kindred of Rome. He led the Roman vampires' expansive interests by "advising" the mortal generals of the Roman Legions. Over the decades, Kale led the army to many victories, fighting Persians, Nubians, Gauls, Goths, Brits, Celts, and even his former fellow Norsemen. His sense of strategy and tactics improved with every passing year. Kale also learned to plan for the unforeseen intervention of other Kindred and supernatural creatures. He commanded a brood of Mithras' younger sirelings, arming and preparing them appropriately (such as with silver blades should Lupines prove a potential threat). Although he lost occasional battles over multiple lifetimes, he proved to be a highly capable commander.

And Kale's pity for the Roman trusts and colonies fell as atrocities mounted. As the resistance in those occupied territories grew more desperate, their tactics turned more terrible and ruthless. War hardened Kale and sharpened his skills and senses, and even his former countrymen were suppressed with a rising brutality in the army's efficiency. Kale came to accept the philosophy of stoicism that Mithras pushed in his brood; of course, the ancient Ventrue also pushed it to the point of religion as he could. Many mortals took Mithras as a military god. Kale never worshipped his sire, even bound to him by blood. Kale often spent decades away from his sire, weakening the Blood Oath accordingly.

Besides, back home Kale was growing sicker and sicker with the way his fellow Kindred behaved. The disgust was due to how the Roman undead were handling -- mishandling, really -- the politics of imperial authority. There was far too much intrigue and petty scheming, Kale warned, and it was influencing the mortal politicians, too. All in all, the entire society was growing weak, and Kale predicted its fall long before the rise of Christianity.

The Long Fall: 201-300 anno Domini

Worse, Kale soon realized that the empire was spread out too thin. Namely, the Legions were not numerous enough to protect the vast expanse of the Roman Empire at its height. This reflected in the number of Kindred compatriots Kale commanded, too. The supernatural resistance against the Legions was growing as well. Non-Roman Kindred, especially of the Brujah Clan, and as always Lupines, fought against the occupiers. It was still Kale and his Kindred's tasks to face these enemies themselves so the Legions could focus on the mortal rebels (and remain oblivious to the existence of the supernatural fighting alongside).

But as Kale's allies thinned, the inevitable disaster occurred. The Legion he commanded was decimated while in the northeastern reaches of what became modern-day Poland. Lupines shredded his few Kindred comrades despite being armed with silver. Kale himself was struck down as he slew the ravenous werewolf at his throat. Kale barely survived the encounter and took weeks to recover.

At least Mithras finally foresaw (or perhaps he knew for a long time more but only then accepted it) the fall of Rome, too. He recalled Kale to Rome, making this childe his first lieutenant in the maintenance of the Roman engine. Kale was swiftly disgusted by the bickering and intrigue that only increased in volume over the years. He counseled and then demanded cooperation between the clans, but his suggestions and outcries were generally ignored.

When the last of the Antediluvians who were interested in playing grandfather to Rome's leading Kindred (such as Mithras' sire) vanished, it seemed to be the fatal blow to the empire's health. Then, to Kale's shock, Mithras himself abandoned the sinking ship! His own sire fled north, leaving Rome to its fate. Kale refused to just cut and run, however. He helped the remaining elders repel attacks and threats from within and without. Kale's domineering leadership was just what the ailing council of Kindred needed in Rome, and he was able to better coordinate efforts among the allied clans. Indeed, domineering or not, his charisma and shrewdness made him a strong leader. Kale's disgust with his sire was not just that his sire fled, but that his sire lacked the will to win! Kale's clanmates praised his ability to take command instead of simply philosophize, as it seemed all Mithras was able to do in those last years of Rome.

The Dark Curtain: 301-400 anno Domini

Alas, Rome's fall was inevitable. For decades, Kale waged a losing battle to preserve the state. Eventually, he was forced to concede to the empire's final throes. Rather than stay around and die fighting for no reason -- or more often than not in those days, die stabbed in the back by some ambitious childe -- Kale followed his sire to the north. However, Kale felt that Mithras retreated to the British Isles, and he wanted to avoid his sire. Kale sensed opportunity in Gaul and settled in what became modern-day France.

As the chaos of the crumbling Roman Empire that was embracing a fiercely growing new religion, Christianity, enveloped the Western world in darkness, Kale made himself lord of a new realm. He began to manipulate the Gaulic kings from the shadows. He helped the kings base their new society loosely on that of the fallen Roman government. Kale knew Rome's weakness was its exclusion of the occupied people from management and even, quite often, from joining the Legions. Rome tried to rule the world with only one city's population: impossible! Kale refused to make the same mistakes in this new society he would help build.

Most of all, however, Kale felt impelled to gather an army in preparation for the invasion of enemies from the east. The Germanic tribes that were overwhelming Rome wouldn't stop there. Kale made sure the armies were modeled in Roman fashion, but included all the advantages the Gauls had over the Romans -- such as the use of heavy cavalry. To support these forces, Kale summoned the last of the Roman Legions. Though scattered in number and empirically shattered, they would help burgeon the Gauls against the aggressors from the east.

Lord of the Franks: 401-750 anno Domini

For centuries, Kale watched the unquenchable rise of Christianity in Europe through Roman Catholicism. Rome was dead, but its corpse was draped in holy garb and toted above the heads of all the kingdoms in the West. Kale knew this institution could not be stopped, only harnessed. He lingered in what soon became France, manipulating the Frankish kings behind the scenes. First the Merovingians, then the Carolingians were among Kale's mortal pawns. The Ventrue amassed vast wealth, gold and riches, from tributes and investments in trade arrangements.

Always, of course, Kale kept a wary eye on the north, on the British Isles. What was his sire up to? The younger Ventrue feared his sire would try to thieve all he worked for, claiming "sire's right", or simply using force. So he decided to keep his sire busy and distracted. Through rumormongering among the royal courts and puppeteering of key nobles, Kale encouraged the Normans to attack Britain again and again.

Of course, Kale was scarcely the only vampire in France. He inherited a few young Kindred from the Roman era, but more often he became the protecting lord of their childer. Kale made it clear to the Kindred in his domain that petty scheming was not tolerable. The Toreador were kept in check and occupied with trying to revive artistic and cultural pursuit in these Dark Ages. The Lasombra�Kale didn't even let them in his court. They were too wrapped up in the church and their constant machinations disgusted the Ventrue.

The Puppet Master: 401-750 anno Domini

Kale also made tentative alliances with the local guilds of mortal wizards. He knew such persons were better off kept as friends than enemies, and the alliance simply consisted of giving them autonomy over very small pieces of land (where their fortified chantryhouses stood). The Lupines remained as unruly as ever; to deal with them, Kale simply armed human mobs to keep them in check and out of the human settlements. Those human mobs often took to hunting down wolves in the woods, whether they were normal wolves or werewolves. He could care less as long as the Lupines were weakened.

Kale himself rarely participated in violence anymore. The occasional assassination attempt or uprising of Kindred under his authority, especially those who hated how direct, commanding, and expectant he could, challenged his position. Some Kindred despised his "code of standards", which simply demanded respect, strength, and honor. He never Embraced any childer and rarely allowed anyone else to do so, too. Such revolts, however, revealed the old soldier in Kale, for they were put down with brutal force.

For the most part, Kale was content to develop his mind and powers of persuasion. His skills at intrigue developed, for despite his ban on scheming, all Kindred schemed and he knew he had to be one step ahead of his rivals. Across Europe, Kale became known as the ma�tre de marionettes -- the Puppet Master. Yet for all his influence, Kale never had the papacy in his grasp. The reins of the church were beyond this Ventrue. He needed a mortal contender, a king who could both defy and embrace the Holy Roman Empire.

Carolus Magnus: 751-800 anno Domini

Unfortunately, the Lasombra Clan was able to embrace the papacy even as humanity embraced the church. The Carolingians were dominant in Western Europe, and so was the Holy Roman Empire. They co-existed and thus so did Kindred influences. Kale wanted to counter the Lasombra's growing power and the Franks' dwindling vibrancy. A king arose that could answer that call for Kale: Charlemagne.

Yet Kale found he could not influence Charlemagne. The young king seemed immune to his Kindred powers of persuasion and too wise to falter by Kale's indirect attempts of manipulation. No Kindred could control Charlemagne. Indeed, this faithful crusader seemed to sense the darkness behind the thrones of his forebears. Charlemagne and his knights sniffed out the lairs of Kale and his court of Kindred, fighting and destroying a number of vampires.

The Toreador Clan took that opportunity of Kale's stumbling to capture some of the Ventrue's key mortal pawns, turning them to their own use. Kale gambled on Charlemagne and lost far too much of his influence. The Ventrue lost most of his power over the Frankish kingdom in just a few decades, half of it going to the church and the other half to scheming underlings. It irritated Kale to the bone and his patience wore thinner and thinner. Finally, the court jester -- an unofficial position in Kale's court, and one with which he always had little tolerance -- pushed this undead prince too far. The jester was of Clan Malkavian, the clan of madmen. Kale had no issue with that, but this jester was an utter buffoon, and enough was enough. Out of nowhere, Kale flew into a rage after the jester's antics caricaturized Kale's political maneuverings. He slaughtered and diablerized -- that was, he drank the heart's blood -- of this fellow Kindred, devouring the Malkavian's soul even as he ended his unlife.

Exile: 801-1,000 anno Domini

For his crimes, Kale was banished. It was his own law: murder (even diablerie) in the heat of passion was punished by exile (cold-blooded murder was subject to execution). Although no one really liked that Malkavian, and Kale was still a superb ruler, his rivals used this excuse to dethrone him at last. Kale took two of his most faithful courtiers, the first being a bodyguard of Clan Gangrel named Job. The other was an advisor of Clan Malkavian known as Belloqu. Belloqu, in addition to his preternatural powers of perception, of course served Kale's dietary needs well due to his inherent madness of paranoid doom saying.

Belloqu often encouraged Kale to seek out his sire. Perhaps doing so would make amends for Kale's murder of Belloqu's clanmate. It might also help Kale rediscover his role, his destiny, in this immortal life. But Kale had no desire to find Mithras. He would never merely be the lieutenant, Mithras' general, despite how efficient it might work out in the long run. He was destined to be lord of Kindred, not an underling to his sire. Instead, Kale decided he would spend this period of exile (which would last as long as anyone was left to remember or care) scouting out potential rivals and enemies abroad. To that end, he traveled west, crossing the Pyrenees Mountains into Iberia -- the realm of Lasombra and Brujah and the forefront of cultural struggle between Muslim and Christian.

Kale visited the "furthest stretch of Rome" when he arrival in the Portugal region. For the years of his travel and exploration of Spain prior, the Ventrue managed to elude potential enemies. Most confrontations were shut down relatively peacefully with the elder Ventrue exerted his personal powers of persuasion. When he reached the Atlantic, the Lasombra were tired of his blithe pilgrimage through "their" land. They dispatched a band of their most powerful troubleshooters to deal with Kale, Belloqu, and Job. In the resulting battle, Job was staked and his body cast into the sea. Kale was effectively "racked" by the Lasombra vampires' shadow-tendrils -- his body broken. Belloqu was likewise captured, but the unfortunate seer wasn't nearly as tough as his leader. The Malkavian was torn asunder by the shadow-tendrils.

The Keepers moved to finish Kale with a stake, but the Ventrue recovered from the broken back quicker than they expected. He flew into a battle fury, terrifying the Lasombra with his Majesty, and entered a voracious killing "frenzy". Kale tore the heads from their bodies and his sword chopped their shadows to bits. The Lasombra who murdered Belloqu was just as mad as that Malkavian, and suffered Kale's insatiable Hunger. Kale cut the Keeper down and drained her of all her blood, including her heart's blood. Surviving this confrontation alone, Kale could not locate Job's staked body, and no doubt it was washed out too far into the sea. He retreated back east to the Pyrenees Mountains. Hidden in a deep cave, there he fell asleep into the deep torpor of Kindred who are too physically or mentally battered to continue.

Delayed Triumph: 1,001-1,100 anno Domini

A century passed and Kale finally awoke. Decades of dreams and subconscious schemes were finally interrupted with his inevitable Hunger. He went down from the mountain and fell upon the nearest village. There Kale consumed even the most mildly disturbed men or women. But the blood tasted thin and unsatisfactory. It was enough to sate him�for awhile. Kale knew something inside of him had changed physiologically and emotionally. All of his desires and ambitions felt blunted. Existence was boring but he was too strong-willed to even contemplate suicide.

Instead, Kale decided to travel to England. He wanted to find Mithras; perhaps his sire had advice on how to best to handle this state of Methuselahism. For decades, Kale explored Britain, secretly dreading any success in discovering Mithras. He feared becoming nothing more than his sire's stooge again. To Kale's great curiosity, he found that Britain wasn't in Mithras' control at all. The Normans' conquest, in fact, realized Kale's earlier ambitions to quash any forces Mithras might be amassing. Of course, he was just paranoid all along! Mithras was nowhere to be found.

Indeed, the influx of Normans brought a fresh barrage of Kindred, especially Ventrue and Toreador. Some of those that came to England were among his rivals back in France. Kale was mildly disturbed by his own lack of outrage and the vengeful hunger to depose (and dispose of) his former enemies. Instead, Kale sat back and observed from the background as the clans gathered and fortified their political positions in Britain. Feudality was established in this land, and in most of Europe in fact. Kale appreciated the system's superb and orderly structure and was likewise pleased that England could both work with and defy Rome. This was a land he could enjoy ruling, he mused. He ignored the other Kindred, except to steal forth and feed from the insane among their ranks -- it seemed only Kindred blood could satisfy him now. But all was well: Kale was not the king, but he was the most powerful vampire in Britain.

One King: 1,100 anno Domini

Just when Kale was starting to feel�anything�again, Mithras emerged in Britain. The older Ventrue appeared to his childe first. Kale was shocked, but it hid it well. Mithras told Kale how impressed he was with Kale. The way Kale fled the Carolingians, just like when Mithras fled the Romans, impressed Mithras more than the Frankish empire Kale helped build. The Methuselahism of their age demanded a new outlook on unlife, Mithras related. It was no longer about victory; it was all about survival.

See, Mithras told his speechless childe, the Great Jyhad was an inevitable conflict, but not an unpredictable one. Kale was flabbergasted that Mithras anticipated all of Kale's schemes since the rise of the Franks. The Norman Conquest and gradual unification of the British Isles all served Mithras' plans. Kale watched in horror as Mithras went before the collective Kindred Princes and commandeered their loyalty with little to no resistance. Most capitulated in fear of this ancient Ventrue.

In one fell swoop, all the efforts Kale made to carve out his own empire were stolen by his manipulating sire! This island nation, Mithras promised, would become the most powerful in a changing world of exploration and global trade. It would be the new Rome eventually. And Kale could share in that glory if he served Mithras as his sire's highest advisor and general. What could Kale do�but refuse scorn and refuse the offer! Kale decided to abandon civilization for awhile and perhaps see this "changing world" for himself.

Sea Wolf: 1,101-1,250 anno Domini

Kale left Europe by means of Viking vessels traveling across the Atlantic Ocean. It could have been called a return to his "roots". The hypocrisy of the Holy Roman Empire, the way it twisted the true message of Christianity, disgusted Kale. And because that religion was so pervasive in everyday life in Europe, there was no getting around it. Kale voyaged to Iceland and dwelled there for decades.

Kale's time in Iceland was kept quiet. Few Kindred dwelled there with him. This was the first time Kale Embraced anyone. A young Viking warrior of fiery (berserker) temperament named Ror became Kale's first childe, created mainly as a supply of vitae for the Methuselah. But he took the time to also instruct Ror in the proper behavior of Kindred, wondering if he had what it took to be a good sire. Ror remained utterly loyal to Kale and through his childe Kale existed more vicariously. The young Viking inspired Kale to "rage" as well (usually after feeding). Despite the bloodshed, it was good to feel emotions of that intensity again.

To all the few Kindred of this ancient Iceland domain, Kale was called the Crimson Father. He often took tours of the high seas with Ror, traveling around Iceland and out towards Greenland. Over the years, they occasionally ran afoul of other Viking vessels. Typically, this was when those Norsemen were adventurous Get of Fenris (werewolves!) and their Kin. Such clashes were often short but brutal, and Ror and even Kale barely survived to flee. Kale knew then that despite his age, his body was always comparatively fragile to the fury of werewolves and other supernatural foes. It hardened the Ventrue Methuselah's intent to elude and survive conflict, avoiding fights through strength of will and mental persuasion whenever possible.

He Was There: 1,251-1,300 anno Domini

But soon, even this home and life bored Kale. He yearned for new stimuli to keep him interested in the world, to keep him from slipping back into ennui and torpor. He took Ror and left Iceland to the other Kindred, traveling for years to the west to see this Vinland. Vinland -- discovered long before Columbus sailed -- was a prize of his people. Kale had to see this New World for himself.

Trusting the mortal navigators, Kale sat back and observed the relatively untouched beauty of what later became Canada. Their ship traveled down byways, sweeping across the Great Lakes. Even when natives to the area watched from the shore, Kale commanded that they stay away from them. He did not trust them, and certainly did not want to be marooned in a strange land if these peoples murdered his crew and burnt his boat. Only at the actual remains of the Vinland site did Kale disembark. He surveyed the area, and they stayed a week. During that time, Kale took a stone and engraved a brief record of his journey. He then buried it at the site as a memorial of his journey and a deep pride in his people. (Yes, this was discovered as the Kensington Runestone; it was such a disputed piece of archaeological evidence because of the dates of the stone and site differing so much�!)

However, the visit didn't explain to Kale why Thorfinn Karlsefni abandoned Vinland. Kale found that out on the voyage back to the Atlantic. Lupines attacked the boat when it was along the river, slaughtering several sailors. Ror and Kale acted to defend themselves, but Kale watched in surprise as his childe fell, instantly entering torpor as one of these werewolves summoned spirit-magic and turned Ror's heart into a block of ice in his chest! Kale himself was badly wounded in the battle, but the ship managed to escape these Wendigo werewolves.

The Vikings fled back to Iceland. Kale kept his childe despite Ror's useless state; he could still use him as a vessel for blood. Actually, Kale changed the ship's destination mid-way. He was tired of dealing with Lupines in these wild outposts of Europe. He instructed the crew to stop at Iceland and then travel on, back to England. En route, Kale ended up consuming all of his childe. There was only so much blood in Ror's body, after all, and Kale took it all to feed his endless Hunger.

Of Lords & Ladies: 1,301-1,400 anno Domini

Once Kale landed back in Britain, he made it a special point to avoid his sire. He stuck to the woodlands and wild fields of England, far from civilization and most other Kindred. In the hills of Wales, he did meet another Ventrue. Selene, the most beautiful creature he ever viewed, seemed to float out of the woods like some fairy queen. Her voice was like a siren; Kale was quite fascinated. Why was she out here?

Indeed, Kale didn't guess her clan correctly at all, taking her for Toreador or even Malkavian. They introduced one another, and fell quickly to one another's desires. Her dance of madness was inspiring, kindling, to Kale's ancient soul. She provided the spark of life his antiquity demanded. Kale fit her needs as well. He was stoic, strong, and a pinnacle of kingship in his mere demeanor -- the perfect Ventrue. They craved each other's blood, needed it, and fell into each other's arms swiftly.

For years, Kale and Selene dawdled together, instigating a shared Blood Bond. They traveled across the British Isles, avoiding politics and Kindred courts, but preying on the fringes of society. They decided to remain together awhile. Her pagan roots appealed to Kale's distaste of Christianity and the kingdoms it spawned, and vice versa. Inspiration, need, desire, and trust would link Kale and Selene together for centuries to come.

The Anarch Revolt: 1,401-1,500 anno Domini

But first they had to survive the Accordance War. Mostly young Kindred rose up against their elders throughout Europe. Brujah and Lasombra were the driving force behind the revolt. Normally, Kale would have ignored it. But Mithras actually requested Kale's aid in securing England. Kale and Selene both offered their services to the ancient. Together, the two ancient Ventrue quashed the rebellion in Britain. Of course, they didn't do it alone. They were simply the leading generals and lieutenants of Mithras' court.

Of course, Kale led forces of Kindred and mortals against the Anarchs. He put his keen military intellect to good use after so many years; the whelps he faced were so inept. They fell right into his strategized traps, Brujah and Ravnos punks clashing with his ground forces before dragoons -- a cavalry force led by Gangrel -- ran them down from their flanks. When the Anarchs wanted to play tag, deadly combinations of Kale's archers shredded (and staked) their forces with storms of arrows. When Anarch generals, often Brujah elders, took the fields themselves and cut swaths through Kale's ranks, he rode into battle face-to-face and crushed them. Robin Leeland (Robin Hood) was reputed to be a leader of the British Anarchs, but this leader always managed to elude Kale.

Regardless, Kale spearheaded the military destruction of Anarchs in England. In the courts of Mithras, Selene used her own grace and powers to expose infiltrators (usually young Malkavian and Toreador vampires). The spy's occasional frenzy at his exposure was promptly squashed when he ran into the unbreakable wall of Kale Ulric, who was always between Selene and danger.

Convention of Thorns: 1,501-1,575 anno Domini

Yet the outcome of the so-called Accordance War disgusted Kale. The signing of the Convention of Thorns separated Kindred into two sects: the Camarilla, or those loyal to the elders, and the Sabbat, the Anarchs. Kale told Mithras bluntly that the convention was weak. The Sabbat could be and should be crushed now before it got stronger! Part of the reason for the Convention of Thorns, however, was the Spanish Inquisition. Zealots of Christ were armed with knowledge of the undead and great faith, and were slaying vampires by the hundreds across Europe. Peace was a must.

Kale scoffed. He scoffed at peace, he scoffed at the threat of mortals, and he scoffed at his sire. He assured Mithras that he would regret allowing the Anarchs to survive. Mithras once more tried to appeal to his childe's desire to rule again. He invited Kale to serve his court still and one day, when this new empire was born, Kale would have his own kingdom to command.

But Kale ignored Mithras. He took Selene and left England. Even as the dust settled between the elders and Anarchs, trade routes were discovered and political power was shifting from feudalism to capitalism. The Holy Roman Empire was collapsing. None of it interested Kale. Still on the verge of Methuselah ennui, Kale relied on Selene to keep him interested in waking up every night.

No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition!: 1,501-1,575 anno Domini

Kale and Selene settled in Paris, France, next. They simply appreciated their existences, and ignored the Prince's decrees. Kale made it perfectly clear to the Toreador Prince: "I do not obey the whims of Kindred too weak with greed and fear to stamp out a revolt of fledgling whelps". The Prince, outraged, sent his thugs to bully the two Methuselahs. The poor fools were frightened off with mere glances from Kale and Selene.

The two enjoyed "robbing" the Parisian Toreador of Renaissance artists. Kale watched as Selene became a muse for a number of such artists, stealing them from right under the French vampires' noses. Kale simply did what he wanted, ignoring all politics. He reveled especially in Selene, in how she kindled his emotions through her grace, madness, beauty, and (of course) blood. Their mutual Blood Oath deepened further.

When the Spanish Inquisition swept through Paris, most Kindred laid low. Kale and Selene didn't. Well, Kale never did venture from his haven much. It was Selene's regular social parties that drew their attention (and perhaps some cautious finger-pointing by the local Toreador). The Inquisitors assaulted Kale and Selene's estate at noon as the pair slept. They awakened quickly luckily and slaughtered the would-be hunters. Of course, that only angered the Inquisition more, and they sent in "specialists" the next day. The estate was burned down and Kale was weakened and badly wounded. This time, Selene saved him. She ambushed the Inquisitors from the sewers, and the pair thereby escaped before the fire and sunlight penetrated their ancient fortitude and destroyed them, too.

Irritants: 1,576-1,720 anno Domini

So Kale and Selene moved to the Blue Coast of Southern France. He wanted to enjoy the Mediterranean. This region was relatively liberal, enabling them to better avoid the Inquisition's harassment. Selene amused herself with musing more mortal artists; Kale amused himself with Selene. Of course, this annoyed the local Toreador again. Instead of waiting for the Inquisition, they hired assassins.

First a vampire of Clan Assamite tried to ambush the two. But their power was clearly underestimated, for this whelp of a killer's approach was easily foreseen, and the Assamite obliterated easily. An Assamite elder followed, and proved far more effective� Out of nowhere one night, a stake to the heart paralyzed Selene on her way back to she and Kale's shared estate from town. The Assamite then got close to Kale, disguised as Selene, and assaulted the Ventrue while his guard was down.

Luckily, while Kale was critically wounded, he was strong enough to survive. Kale fought through the ambush, summoning up the depths of his stoicism. He developed an intensity of endurance he never experienced prior. The Assamite was not nearly so thick-skinned and was slain by Kale's hands. He rescued Selene, drew out the stake, and revived her. Their Blood Bond was finalized that night, willingly and consciously. It was perhaps the closest thing to love these two ancient monsters would ever know.

Feather Bed: 1,721-1,910 anno Domini

After that, the Toreador of the area were helpless to oust Kale and Selene's presence. The Assamites wouldn't take that job again. Instead of attacking the Toreador directly, Selene persuaded Kale to get revenge by helping her steal much of their wealth. Through their connections, Kale and Selene began to form quite a financial base. The Ventrue decided it was good security. In Kale's mind, money didn't control the world, nor did it make the world spin. Blood did. But money helped!

So he sold masterpieces collected from the artists that Selene mused over the years. Nobles and collectors alike bought those works. With the capital earned, Kale invested in a number of banks in Europe. He bought a number of estates throughout the continent as well. He and Selene uprooted from France and visited these mansions, deciding to keep them reserved as emergency havens, and in the mean time leasing them out.

Although the wealth was appreciated, Kale did not yearn for it. In fact, the world's growing greed and moral hypocrisy infected him with a deepening malaise. Even Selene began to feel it. They fettered one another against the urge to sink into torpor. Kale watched with disgust as the imperialism of the world was really a drive for capitalism. At the head of the group was the British Empire -- the empire Mithras built. Despite losing America, it remained the most powerful colonial power in the world.

Kale was aware that part of the reason Britain lost control over the United States of America was a clash between Camarilla and Sabbat forces. Sabbat won America, though Camarilla elements remained strong there. But the quibbles of those two sects disinterested and did not worry Kale in the least. It didn't matter which side won the Jyhad -- neither sect could control or stop Kale from doing what he wanted so long as he was on his own, with only Selene at his side. They voyaged across the Atlantic and ported in New York City. Kale didn't stay there. He and Selene ventured into the Catskill Mountains and a cabin home. There they slipped into torpor together, needing to rest their minds and hearts after so many years of battling ennui.

The Fast, Boring World: 1,911-1,945 anno Domini

Kale and Selene abruptly awoke in 1910 and they were very, very hungry. Selene raced out of their haven, her instincts drawing her to a mountain home not far from theirs. Kale paced behind, letting Selene rip apart the unfortunate retired politician who was vacationing there. Kale partook in that blood bath, both on the edge of frenzy. Kale sank his fangs into Selene even as she drank from the mortal, and thereby they were both temporarily sated.

From there, the pair traveled back into New York City. Kale was astounded by the advancements in industry and technology. The current events shook him a bit, too, but only a bit. He sensed the intrigue of the Great Jyhad behind the brewing "Great War" that ended up embracing most of the world. Kale knew it was coming, this squabble over colonies and imperial outposts.

From the Big Apple, Kale and Selene traveled (by "automobile") north past the Great Lakes and into Canada. He briefly visited Newfoundland, viewing its changes since his last visit centuries ago. The pair ended up in Montreal for a dozen years or so, living again on the fringes of Kindred and mortal society. The fact that this city was controlled by Sabbat did not concern Kale. The so-called Archbishop prince-like leader was a whelp compared to Kale and Selene. And the Sabbat monkeys that once accosted them both were simply trashed with little effort. The boastful Anarch sect launched a "Wild Hunt" on the two "Inconnu". It'd been a long time since such careless attacks were waged against Kale. It reinvigorated his old sense of battle-fury. Embracing her own madness, Selene jumped right into the slaughter. Together, they decimated whole packs of local Sabbat punks.

Still, Kale knew he and Selene overstayed their welcome by that point. They traveled west across Canada. The occasional harassment by Lupines was easily dissuaded with little to no bloodshed. Kale read the newspapers and listened to the "radio", keeping tabs of nations' aggressions in Europe and Asia. Once more, he saw the play of Kindred behind the Axis and Allied powers alike. And despite the even greater firepower and the resulting slaughter, World War II did not interest Kale. In fact, he connected it as a consequence of the first World War. Historically, this was realized not long later, but he simply had the better vantage of a Methuselah.

Cold War, Cold Heart: 1,946-1,990 anno Domini

However, what ended World War II did concern Kale. The detonation of atomic weapons -- weapons of mass destruction -- disturbed the Ventrue. He felt�moved�for the first time. These weapons would be the destruction of the entire world, he realized. He also admitted some cruel joy when he heard of the fate of Mithras. World War II also marked the end of the British Empire, and rumor had it that Mithras himself was slain in the bombings of London. Kale wasn't sure that that was true, but it amused him all the same. Finally, his sire's gambit to rule the world was finished. And it was a world Kale cared less and less about. Technology and worse, culture, were changing too fast for him to keep up. He didn't understand the mentality of mortals anymore.

Why they went through cultural phases so quickly irritated the old vampire. Rock music wasn't too loud for Kale. It was too different. Even if he wanted to acclimate to such cultural changes, they altered virtually over night. Humanity seemed to be grabbing desperately at straws, at life vests, at buoys to keep themselves afloat in a much bigger world than people were used to. Radios, then televisions, plus airplanes and automobiles, all made distances so much shorter. People took so much for granted and gradually grew greedier and more self-centered and expectant than ever.

For decades, Kale and Selene just traveled across Canada and Northwest USA. Occasionally, Kale preyed on an obnoxious vampire. The victim's sect was irrelevant to the Methuselah, of course. He felt like it was almost a duty for him to cull his own race of weaklings, simpering fools, and crazy idiots. (Selene was crazy, yes, but not an idiot.) Kale even looked forward to this "End of the World" nuclear war scenario. He and Selene could just sit back and watch the Apocalypse (or Gehenna, as Kindred called it) unfold. Naturally, he was quite disappointed when the USSR collapsed and the Cold War ended.

The End: 1,991-2,006 anno Domini

A new era began for humanity, but it was scarcely a peaceful one. The powerhouse nations, especially the USA, realized its blithe political machinations during the Cold War stirred up a lot of trouble that they began to try and fix afterwards. Terrorists, mostly of Muslim background and purpose, unleashed their jihad on the West. Though they wanted and sought weapons of mass destruction, Kale knew they would not be the instigators of the end of the world. He pinned his sick hopes for that to happen through the Chinese. The Chinese were strong and the Muslim terrorists were not. It was as simple as that.

A man or nation that could destroy something had control over that thing. Kale knew this as a testament of his entire existence. "Belief", religious or otherwise, was scarcely enough to fill in for true strength and power. The same was true of money and wealth, as Mithras learned too late. Although Kale did begin to accept certain beliefs of his own. As certain prophesied signs emerged, Kale began to believe more and more that Gehenna might really happen. He sincerely doubted that Caine himself would do anything, but the Antediluvians -- his grandsire's siblings -- would.

Kale decided he needed a different perspective in order to decide what to do and how to react to these Endtimes. Research revealed an unlikely setting for him and Selene to occupy: Kansas City. It was dead center in the country, like Chicago. Unlike the Windy City, it wasn't rife with constant conflict and danger. Instead, it was a central hub of travel and supernatural power. So Kale purchased a new mansion estate on the outskirts of the City of Fountains. From a distance, he and Selene surveyed the city and its contents. What opportunities would unfold here and did Kale even want to take advantage of them? Was he so dead? Kale questioned his mental inertia while he languished with Selene. Should he prepare himself for the awakening of the Antediluvians? Or maybe at long last it was time for this king to retake his throne.

Significant Other


For centuries, Kale and Selene have known each other well. Over the countless years, their friendship and camaraderie developed through shared conflicts in both battle and Kindred politics. Together they have survived and triumphed over wars and plots. With shared "pagan" roots, they also share many of the same cultural views about the world past and present. Over time, their relationship deepened into a monstrous romance. The Blood Bond cemented their need for each other. Kale hungers for Selene's fey-mad blood while she clings to him like a buoy bobbing in the ocean. Together, they intend to outlive the end of the world's and perhaps rule what comes after as king and queen.

Selene

Weakness
Cannibal Hunger


As urbane and sagacious as he often behaves, Kale barely conceals a barbaric lust for Kindred blood. As a private joke between he and Selene, he figures he'll be the final doom for Clan Malkavian. For now at least, Selene does keep his Hunger in check. But for how much longer? History marches on endlessly. Not even Gehenna will stop the clocks. And his conscience and compassion are far more finite. While Kale may care little for his soul, his survival is at risk with this lust. He may one night soon be branded an enemy of all undead.

Likelihood of Corruption


Very high.

In truth, Kale is virtually corrupted as is. He's a voracious monster with no compunctions to kill or torture in all but the most debased manners. He has no interest with performing the most horrendous atrocities. Stoicism still has a hold on his dead, shriveled heart.

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