...PESTILENCE. 1. : a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating....
The House of Pestilence claims to have brought the very first Vampires into existence-a claim hotly contested, as can be imagined. Yet, their members are indeed older and stronger-their own lore claims they were once philosophers, arcanists, and alchemists who achieved the goal of eternal life by turning themselves into Vampirekind. If this origin story is true or not, none can say.
An old and respected house, if not loved-the Court of Cowls are the masters of science, alchemy and magic, the highest wielders of the arcane and physical arts-only contested by the Court of Skulls, in many ways. Unlike the Necromancers, who command death, the House of Pestilence wants to control life itself. Their knowledge of biology is unmatched in this regard-despite their obvious assumptions, they are truly skilled at recuperating injuries and healing as they are at producing diseases and bloodbeasts...though, it can be said the enjoy the latter much more-The House of Pestilence seems to favor inducing brutal Darwinian evolution, sped up through the use of chemical warfare. They are odd in that they bear humanity no true dislike-indeed, the House of Pestilence is the least violent against Humankind of all the houses-but, their experiments and plagues are frequently extinction level events. They simply don't care. To them, all humans are merely subjects to further their research, at best-and affordable losses in the cause of science, at worst.
Their creations are desired by all the houses-elixers that can allow a Vampire to treble his strength and speed, make him immune to bullets, or even walk in the sun for a short time. Terrible beasts of flesh, blood, and bone that obey without question. Vast stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons that can destroy even Vampires, if released. The many advantages of their science have earned no small amount of wealth and power...yet, prestige is denied to them, at least while the House of Conquest is in charge.
Battling the House of Pestilence is the very meaning of the word 'Pyrrhic victory'. They tend to use armies of expendable 'Bloodbeasts'-genetically engineered killing machines-to sow terrible havoc, and even the victors quickly find that even a tough of a claw or spine can be slow, lingering death to virulent plague. Which then spreads, and spreads...
Among the Courts, it can be imagined Pestilence doesn't get invited to many dinners-their natural state is to keep to themselves, and they lack strong personal ties with the other Courts-not that it keeps them from doing brisk business. They chafe under the House of Conquest self-imposed rule, but don't directly oppose them-most of their discontent is voiced with their sometimes allies, the House of Famine. The House of Death has a somewhat complicated relationship-they both are seekers of knowledge and truth, but lying in opposite directions of the spectrum-rivals as often as allies. They see the need to stick together, however, as the majority of the Courts lack even their most basic scientific and magic knowledge-together, Pestilence and Death are a potent combination that (as has been observed) could in theory directly challenge House War and Conquests uncontested martial domination of Vampire politics...
..A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist...
Coming from similar backgrounds as the House of Pestilence, the Court of Skulls have existed since time immemorial-they themselves claim it was their experiments into shedding the mortal body that first about the 'progenitor' Vampires, the first sires of their kind. Their most popular theory is that the historical/biblical figure 'Cain' was the first Vampire, the first murderer...
Their early history was far more glorious than they are today-as they will no doubt tell you, if you are foolish enough to bring it up. Ancient realms of Egypt, Babylon and Ur-Atlantis all flourished under their...enlightened rule. All the realms in particular shared a reverence and respect for the dead that allowed the Courts true aims to flourish-the mastery of Death itself. They found an endless supply of blood-and more importantly, cold bodies for their Necromantic and Demonic rituals...until, of course, time swept all their power away-the same string of incidents that incidentally birthed the House of Famine, the fall of the Old Nations. In modern times, the Court of Skulls has been reduced to a shadow of what they once were-Necromancers skulking in basements and sewers, hiding from the light-they are very few in number these days. Many of them long to reclaim their lost glory.
They had a brief resurgence in WW2-where bodies were once again plentiful. Many of the greatest massacres of the time had the hand of the Court of Skulls, and they've continued in this vein ever since-wherever death flourishes, the Court of Skulls gather like crow to gather more corpses for their endless experiments. Humans do no exist to them as sentient beings-only raw materials, like clay.
Their means and methods are not unfamiliar to the House of Pestilence-they seek knowledge, first and foremost. Unlike the somewhat absentminded ideals of that house, however, The Court of Skulls researches all as a means to an end-the purging of life from Earth, the hastening of Entropy and the eventual end of creation. Which gives them no little reputation for meglomania among Vampirekind. They are the ones most likely to delve into the most forbidden arts, to damn themselves to the deepest pits. To this end, they endlessly seek what they call 'The Chalice'-it is either a physical item or perhaps a metaphorical concept-an item capable of extinguishing all life on Earth at once. Many of their highest order have gone beyond the usual idea of undeath. Having becomes 'Liches'-their brittle bones and hollow flesh, yet still animated, the Court of Skulls is the only court that could in theory live without the blood of living beings-they have perfected the arts of Necromancy and Lifestealing, and can perpetuate their own existences nearly forever, which is the only thing has staved off their extinction.
They are the true masters of the arcane among the Courts-even the Court of Pestilence, who has invested more in science to offset this. Not merely raisers of the Dead, the Court of Skulls boasts mastery in all forms of magic-abjuration, conjuration, illusion, enchantment and evocation-among others. They have the most impressive array of rare arcane artifacts of all the houses-most of them they created. When taking open battle (which they rarely do, being of so few in numbers) they will devastate enemies with ferocious barrages of magic-while relying on their undead creations to force the field, an untiring, unyielding mass of rotten flesh and cold bone. It has been noted that undead are effective against Vampires-the undeads sheer numbers, lack of blood to drink, and immunity to fear and panic show how truly Vampires can be, despite their strengths. They also maintain the closest ties to the Hell Realms of any House-complicated reams of soul contracts and blood bindings that allow them to call on Demonic advisors, soldiers, and generals.
Politically, the House of Death is extremely isolated-their views on the fringe of what Vampirekind considers 'sustainable living', and beyond the sins of even their bleak kind. Torment and Death all oppose them at every turn-House Conquest, greedy for knowledge and power, serves a counterweight to those two houses unrelenting hostility-as long as the Court of Skulls tows the line. Famine deals with this house only on the basis of need, knowing they are if nothing else, a potential ally of convenience. They have a complicated relationship with Pestilence-both sides having something of a rivalry, but knowing that only together can they protect their houses if ever the 'ruling bloc' decided to finish them off-and, maybe, even dethroning House Conquest one day...
Author
Topic: Vampires: Agents of the Apocalypse (Read 6416 times)