Violet de Artois was the daughter of a French-Spanish line of merchants who saw immediate opportunity in the Netherlands during Napoleon’s rule for expansion and wealth. Violet was not a very strong-willed woman when she first left home with her family at the age of fifteen. The family settled in near Amsterdam, but found their business unwelcome, and went from wealthy to poor rather quickly. This experience forced the young woman to learn a bit more independence than most women of the day and of her age needed to. Violet took up a job with a tailor and quickly learned how to earn. She had already given up on the idea of finding a proper husband during her marrying age, as financing her family’s return to France was more important.

But when Violet’s family left, she decided to stay. She had become rather enamored with the Tailor she worked for, despite the fact that he was a married man (and that Violet had made quite good friends with his wife). For whatever reason though, this inconvenient longing turned dangerous and nearly obsessive when her family finally left. It seemed as though with her family gone, Violet had no place in Amsterdam except at her job, and yet after over 200 years the man that had sparked her interest’s name has been lost to the fog. What is important though is that Violet took what was hers right out from under one she called friend. The romance was a dangerous one, and it did not take long for the tailor to slip up. When his wife killed herself and it was highly publicized, first hatred set in as he was alienated not only by family and friends but also by his religion. But soon, he found Violet was the only one who’d accept him any longer, and so his hatred turned into necessary tolerance.

These events unfolded under the watchful eye of one Ventrue kindred of the Invictus named Casper, who took exceptional delight in dominating social relationships. Casper was a rather manipulative kindred, perhaps a bit more artsy and a little less dominant than other Ventrue, but by no means someone who didn’t desire to rule over things in his own way. His right of progeny was fulfilled rather quickly in Violet, as he thought he’d get someone just like himself to mentor.

Unfortunately, he was quite wrong. Violet was very ungrateful at first, and all signs pointed to her becoming a much bigger bane than boon for Casper. Why, he was a Lord for God’s sakes! And not just by clan, but by actual title in the Invictus. Not to mention, something was brewing in the air, and he couldn’t afford a liability. Violet may have been a lady by plain blood right, but she certainly did not act like it. She spent much of her time watching her mortal love interest, creeping in the shadows, and lamenting over what she’d lost in life. Casper could not teach this obsessed woman his ways, or the ways of the Invictus if she remained so disinterested.

Whether out of jealousy, or because he felt it was in Violet’s best interests, Casper murdered the tailor. Before Violet could even react to the tragedy, something happened that changed kindred history forever, and would bind her into kindred politics by force.

The Kerzian Council appeared, and wrestled the city from the grasp of the religious-minded Lancea Sanctum. With all the bloodshed that ensued over the next six months, and the undeniably dark and horrific state of that fell over Amsterdam, Violet soon realized she wasn’t just something that needed blood to survive. Just like when her parents failed, she once again had to “grow up”. This time as kindred, not as kine.

Casper got caught up in his own manipulative web to the point where neither the new movement nor the old Invictus loyalists trusted him. He became one casualty of many, just another prominent Invictus lost to war. Violet of course felt he got what he deserved, but could not help but quiver in fear as the telltale *snap* she felt of her sire, her only real link to this new strange world, die.

And so the Lady served the Invictus for the next Century under its new rule. All the while however, she sought to find greater purpose for what the curse was, and found it in the Lancea Sanctum. She was not about to convert, but became a close ally of the covenant, attending midnight masses and proving her usefulness on multiple occasions at acting as a liason with the Invictus.

As Amsterdam Industrialized, so too did the kindred. Domains were sliced apart, and land became nearly as valuable as blood. By this point, nearly a century into her requiem, Violet’s mis-steps early in her unlife were forgotten. Her usefulness communicating with the Sanctified on behalf of the Prince was however remembered, and so she was granted Regency. At last, Violet had something to sink her teeth into, and at last the Lord within her creeped forward.

Violet grew distant from the Prince and the Invictus in this time, staying under the radar, but using her Regency and ever-increasing respect in the city to secure her interests. She saw the Invictus growing complacent into the 20th Century rather foolishly, as many of them had seen the terror of the time of the Kerzian Council. By the 1920’s, Violet was a Lady no more. She daringly renounced ties with the Invictus, warning them that the Old World was changing.

She was punished for it, but the Prince could only do so much as Violet’s gamble had paid off. Far too many kindred had a greater interest in her living than dying. Instead, part of her domain was pulled from her. Violet, however, endured. Her blood was aging, and war was coming.

As the tide of World War II washed away and left the Lancea Sanctum standing as the rulers of Amsterdam, Violet’s steadfast alliance with them paid off, despite her unbound status. Slowly over the course of the century she regained her full domain. Finally goals were starting to formulate in the ever-aging kindred’s head. So many social issues arose in kine politics in the wake of the war, and it bled over into the unlives of kindred. Violet watched the Carthian Movement with a close eye, and frequented Rotterdam.

It was in the 1990’s that Violet finally approached the Archbishop with her intentions to join the Carthian Movement. They’d had many discussions on the topic before, and it seemed at last the Archbishop felt it safe enough to allow Carthians in the city once again, especially under the watchful eye of a close ally to the Lancea Sanctum. Whatever his true reasons for doing so Violet is unsure of, but now as an elder, she’s become the Carthian’s keeper, with her domain becoming known as the Carthian safehouse on the street. It does help indeed that since the end of World War II Violet has more than secured a firm and almost uncontested control of Amsterdam’s law enforcement, and a place on the Primogen Council.

Only recently have others begun to assume that she is actually a member of the movement. She’s never made a formal announcement, but at this point it seems pretty clear. She has assured the Archbishop numerous times over that she will keep the Carthians in check. While Violet’s ideal form of government may be far off, she sees this as a step in the right direction. She’s a conservative Carthian, not a terrorist or rabble-rouser, whose ideal form of government is something akin to a popular monarchy, with one firm leader in place along with an elected council. In addition, she has several socialist ideas (regulated blood traffic, etc) that are rather unpopular. Currently, she is the recognized Prefect of the Carthians in Amsterdam, but she knows that could soon change.

City Status: 3

Carthian Status: 5

Ventrue Status: 2

Prefect (Temporary), Regent, Primogen