Legendary Kindred of the Netherlands

It is inevitable that as time passes, the actions of some become known to many. The Kindred have numerous famous and legendary figures, from the Sanctified saints, to Invictus conquerers. The Netherlands too, knows it's share of such Kindred, whose names and deeds are known to most, if not all, of the Kindred in the country. And sometimes even beyond. These Kindred are talked about with reverence, or with fear. They serve as illustrations when one makes a point, or as means to dissuade others from taking certain actions. They are the figures that have helped shaped Dutch Kindred Society. Has your vampire heard of these individuals? If they're Dutch or Belgian, then certainly, unless they've been embraced less than a year ago. If they're German, then it's likely that they have heard of them too. Some are known even beyond these bounds. Named and summarized here are some of these Kindred;

Sanctified Saint of Alchemy and Sanctified Methusalah

She is one of the few legendary Kindred in the Netherlands that can be confirmed to have remained active into the modern nights, and her Embrace is known to have taken place in the 10th century at the latest. Despite posessive of a memory that seems superior to that of other Elders, even she admits she doesn't know the exact date of her embrace, or even most of the details surrounding the fact. Fortunately, the Sanctified and Invictus of the Netherlands have kept detailed and extensive records throughout the ages, and much about her is less the stuff of legends and more that of historical fact. Born and embraced in Utrecht, she was one of the early Sanctified in the country, in direct opposition to the Acolyte strongholds that surrounded Utrecht. It's her part in the cleansing of the surrounding lands that earned her the name Witch-bane, as she took to the faith with obvious fervor. She's said to have once beat as many as three coteries of acolytes into torpor on the same night, although the records of these events are decidedly less impressive. Still, even the factual accounts show that she was exceptionally capable, although rather than the martial, she preferred the mental side of the Lancea Sanctum. She quickly became a true master of Theban Sorcery, and it is generally accepted that she was the first Sanctified in the Netherlands, or perhaps even Europe, who mastered the art of Transubstantiation, which supplemented her own mortal occupation as an alchemist. It is her talent with the ritual that earned her the prefix of 'the Gilded'.

For centuries she spent her time in Utrecht, but sometime during the 16th century, made her way to Amsterdam, where she has remained ever since. A quiet, and almost unnoticed presence. Her presence is considered an immense boon by the Sanctified congregation, and represents a constant source of dread by covenants who seek to supplant the Sanctified. The legends about her may or may not be exegerated, but who can know for certain what such an ancient creature might be capable of? Adalwar is known to practically all Kindred from The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and Scandinavia, aswell as a majority of the British Kindred. Beyond that, she is known on a global level by almost all Sanctified who know of Sanctified history.

Progenitor of the Dutch Ventrue

The Story:

As a mortal, Gaius Julius Civilis was the leader of the Batavian rebellion against the Romans in 69AD. He was twice imprisoned on a charge of rebellion, and narrowly escaped execution. During the disturbances that followed the death of Nero, he took up arms under pretense of siding with Vespasian and induced the inhabitants of his native country to rebel. The Batavians, who had rendered valuable aid under the early emperors, had been well treated in order to attach them to the cause of Rome. They were exempt from tribute, but were obliged to supply a large number of men for the army, and the burden of conscription and the oppressions of provincial governors were important incentives to revolt. The Batavians were immediately joined by several neighbouring German tribes, the most important of whom were the Frisians. The Roman garrisons near the Rhine were driven out, and twenty-four ships captured. Two legions under Mummius Lupercus were defeated at Castra Vetera (near the modern Xanten) and surrounded. Eight cohorts of Batavian veterans joined their countrymen, and the troops sent by Vespasian to the relief of Vetera threw in their lot with them. The result of these accessions to the forces of Civilis was a rising in Gaul. Hordeonius Flaccus was murdered by his troops (70), and the whole of the Roman forces were induced by two commanders of the Gallic auxiliaries —Julius Classicus and Julius Tutor— to revolt from Rome and join Civilis. The whole of Gaul thus practically declared itself independent, and the foundation of a new kingdom of Gaul was contemplated. The prophetess Veleda predicted the complete success of Civilis and the fall of the Roman Empire. But disputes broke out amongst the different tribes and rendered co-operation impossible; Vespasian, having successfully ended the civil war, called upon Civilis to lay down his arms, and on his refusal resolved to take strong measures for the suppression of the revolt. The arrival of Quintus Petillius Cerialis with a strong force awed the Gauls and mutinous troops into submission; Civilis was defeated at Augusta Treverorum (Trier, Trèves) and Castra Vetera, and forced to withdraw to the island of the Batavians. He finally came to an agreement with Cerialis whereby his countrymen obtained certain advantages, and resumed amicable relations with Rome. From this time Civilis disappears from mortal history.

Yet the Ventrue of the Netherlands claim that his story did not end there. They claim that he went to Rome and that he was embraced there, becoming a formal part of the Camarilla. They even claim that he was one of the first Ventrue, and had a hand to play in the formation of that clan. Wether true, nobody can say for certain, but it is a fact that sometime in the 6th century, a Ventrue by the name of Julius Civilis appears in the Netherlands, bringing the Invictus with him, and conquering many of the early cities that would grow out into Invictus strongholds. The Ventrue and Invictus of Nijmegen in particular boast of his success in civilizing their city, and claim that they hold detailed records on all of his exploits, and they even claim that his torpid body lies below the city, waiting for the right person to come along and rouse him from slumber. It's difficult to verify any of these claims however, since the Kindred of Nijmegen refuse to even allow other covenants except the Acolytes into the city, let alone give them access to their documentation. Civilis is known to all Kindred in the country, and many Ventrue across Europe and the rest of the world have heard the claims regarding his part to play in the Clan's formation.

The Truth:

Some Ventrue elders of the Netherlands and beyond know the truth, or at least some of it, regarding the myth of Civilis. They know that Civilis was by no means the progenitor of the Dutch Ventrue, nor did he have anything to do with the fall of the Camarilla. It's true that he spent time in Rome as a mortal, but there's no evidence that he ever returned there after his death.

In pre-roman Gaul, a new clan of Vampires was born, or at least established; the Ventrue (who were known as the Ven at the time). From here, they travelled throughout Europe, including Germania. The earliest Ventrue in the area now known as the Netherlands and Belgium settled themselves amongst the Batavii and Nervii tribes; setting themselves up as kings or gods that sponsored kings. Even as the Julii of the Camarilla gained power; the early Ventrue had their own minor kingdoms on the edges of 'civilization'. Though the particulars are largely a haze, a state of discontentment existed between the Julii and the Ventrue; with the Julii acting as if the Ventrue themselves did not even exist.

Nonetheless they did impede upon Ventrue held territories as the Camarilla spread as the Roman Empire did. The Ventrue were driven back time and time again; forced to relinquish their power, or to hide in the dark, biding their time. But not all Ventrue were so willing to stay quiet; the Ventrue of the Rhineland had gathered considerable power amongst the tribes living in the area, and they influenced and controlled events to their favor; They groomed Civilis, manipulated him towards making trouble for the Romans. It was the Batavian revolt led by Civilis that first demonstrated that the Germanic tribes could stand up against the Romans, and it was the Batavian revolt that led to revolts in Gaul; Both of these occurances were manipulated by, and proved advantageous for, the Ventrue.

Ofcourse, the revolt itself, though hugely succesful for a time, was ultimately doomed to failure, and the Batavians were forced to surrender, Civilis with them. Yet the Ventrue saw the potential in the man, and before he could be put to death by the Romans, they embraced him.

From there; he went to the Frysians; helping the other Ventrue in setting the Frysians up as another great tribal kingdom until he eventually disappears completely from the oral histories, and he's presumed to either have met Final Death, entered Torpor, or moved to lands unknown. At about the time of his disappearances, the Camarilla is destroyed, and it's survivors scatter, founding their own kingdoms and Covenants. They spread first to the classical 'civilized' world; but eventually makes it to the 'savage forests' of Pagan Europe.

One of these Covenants, the Invictus recognizes that the local myths and legends can work in their favor; they study local customs and histories like that of Civilis for decades, and then when they introduce themselves; they incorporate those histories in their own stories, in order to 'ease the transition' for the natives. Originally, the Invictus colonials that arrived in the Rhineland, which included a number of Ventrue, declared that they had been descendent from Civilis, that he had a part in founding the covenant, and fathering a whole lineage of Ventrue that have gained prominence throughout the world. Later, as the hatred of the Camarilla dissipated through the Fog, and was replaced by a yearning for the 'Golden Age' of the Classical World, the story began to evolve;

Now instead, the story was that Civilis had not been embraced by a Ventrue, but one of the Julii instead, and was taken to Rome. There he would serve as an official with the Camarilla, until the Fall of the Camarilla itself. He became one of the central figures in vague stories about how some of the Julii survived, fled to Gaul, and became the Ventrue; where they would found the Invictus; which then made it's way to the Netherlands. The Ventrue and Invictus of Nijmegen have long held to this story in one variation or the other, even into the modern nights, and tonight, the Invictus and Ventrue of the Netherlands as a whole believe it is the literal truth. Those few elders who know the actual truth of the matter, believe it is best to maintain the lie, lest the clan or the Invictus be lessened by the stain of dishonesty.

Carthian Legend

In 1805, the Domain of Amsterdam collapsed in a sudden and bloody coup against Prince Haco; and most of his supporters; by a coterie of five Invictus Ancillae. They claimed blood-relations to one of the members of Kerza's ill-fated Eger Government, and declared themselves unwilling to abide by the accepted rule of Kindred tradition, instead laying out a system of republican rule based on the ideals of the anti-monarchist, anti-feudalist literature that was popular amongst Dutch mortals at the time. Within six months, three members of the Council were assasinated by Invictus interests. The remaining two Kerzian revolutionaries fled the domain. Of one of these, little is known. The other however fled south, to Belgium.

Her name is Francisca de Graaf, and many would say she is the founder of the Carthian Movement. She brought together like minded neonates in her new domain to discuss politics and the faults and failings of the old ways. These were exclusively Invictus vampires at first, but soon vampires from other covenants joined in, engaging in debates and listening to de Graaf's Kerzian lectures. Inspired by these meetings, several neonates wrote the first manifestos of what they termed the “Carthian Movement”, an appelation derived from a translation of de Graaf's eavily accented 'Kerzian' lectures. De Graaf herself would continue to play an active role in the fledgeling movement, and would also occasionally send written statements back to her home domain of Amsterdam, some of which were occasionally read before Elysium gatherings, such as one famous one in 1808, addressed to the Ventrue priscus, that addressed popular criticism to her ideas.

It is thus undoubtedly unfortunate that the ultimate fate of De Graaf is unknown, with Carthians claiming everything from a martyr's death, to her departure for other continents to spread the Movement, to a return to the Netherlands with the plan to retake Amsterdam when the time is right. Which of these theories, if any, is true, is anyone's guess.

Francisca de Graaf is known to Carthians worldwide. Any Carthian with even the slightest knowledge of the Movement has undoubtedly heard of her, and some of them treat her with a reverence that is almost similar to the way the Dragons regard Dracula. Within the Netherlands, most Kindred are also familiar with her, having heard of the first Carthian revolution. It's no surprise that the Dutch Invictus villify her.

Sanctified Saint of Epilepsy

No one knows exactly how old the Arch-Bishop is, though nobody puts his age at anything less than a 1000 years. The common view is that he was embraced sometime in either the late 9th century or early 10th century, but others point to possible links to the mortal arch-bishop Wilibrord, who arrived in Utrecht in the 695AD and who largely initiated the christianization of the Netherlands. A select few even argue that they are one and the same person, a claim which has some merit, as there do seem to be parallels between the two. If true, he would be 1350 years old, even an embrace date in the 10th century, as is a more common view, would make him one of the Methusaleh. Unlike the other Methusaleh of the Netherlands, he exerts tremendous and overt power. The province of Utrecht, which has been an important center in the country for more than a thousand years, has been firmly under his control for at least eight centuries, and it has been his influence and power that led to the spread of the Sanctified across the Netherlands, aswell as Northern Germany and Denmark. Even the Elders of the country are forced to admit that his power and influence has had a great impact on mortal society aswell, with him being thought responsible for the formation of Amsterdam behind the scenes, and the development of the western part of the country, to make it suiteable for habitation.

Despite the fact that he is seen only rare by a select few trusted elders and other attendants doesn't change the fact that he is without a doubt the most powerful Kindred of the country. The Invictus and Carthians of the country may exert an international level of influence through the Hague and Rotterdam, but every Prince in the country pays heed to the word of the Arch-Bishop, and no Sanctified in the Netherlands, Belgium, or Western Germany, would dare countermand his orders, should he choose to give any. Nor would any question his mastery of Theban Sorcery. The only one in the country who can come even close is the Prince of Amsterdam, and 'close' in this context doesn't mean much at all.

It is a curious fact the recorded history, for as far as it exists, doesn't show him to have spent much time in Torpor at all. A Kindred of his advanced age whose blood hasn't thinned through Torpor must surely feed on other Kindred, the whispers go, but isn't that a Sanctified sin? Many theorize that he either consciouscly sins and feeds off of willing Sanctified attendants, for the purpose of keeping the covenant strong and in posession of a powerful Methusalah. Or that he somehow has found an obscure Theban Ritual which negates the penalties of such potent blood. Other, less plausible theories exist aswell, and discussion of all of these theories is a popular past-time for Elders and Ancillae of the country alike. That, and the power the Methusaleh wield over even the Elders, vast plots that even the Elders can't fathom. The known facts about Willibrord certainly suggest a truth to such a view, and it absolutely terrifies the Kindred of the Netherlands. Not surprisingly, many of the covenants take into consideration possible reprisals from Utrecht in their political and military plans.

Few people know what he looks like, all that they know is that where most Kindred look deceptively young, he looks as ancient as he is. He can't have been embraced too many years before he'd die of old age, that much is certain.