History ~
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~Backstory
In 1504, the New World represented freedom for early settlers, and the concept of Manifest Destiny spread rapidly through European towns as ships sailed back and forth. People envisioned traveling to this new land to escape persecution, acquire vast tracts of land for farming, and live free from tyranny.
At the same time, Vampires and Werewolves joined in this quest for freedom. The inner circle contemplated and strategized their escape from the persecution that surrounded their existence in Europe. Both species coexisted within a community of supernatural beings. However, like many societies, hierarchies and prejudices had evolved over thousands of years.
This hierarchical system inevitably gave rise to social inequalities that resulted in discrimination. One notable rule prohibited interspecies mating between Vampires and Werewolves. The Elders of the Vampire Royalty and the Werewolf Clan enforced this commandment, insisting that each species should only breed within its own kind to maintain purity.
These laws date back to the time of Lilith the First. The Vampire Bible narrates the story of Lilith's original (human) bloodline after her fall from grace and exit from Eden. These doctrines became infused into the theology of both Vampires and Werewolves. Eventually, Lilith procreated and populated the Earth. Her offspring are linked to etherials—those from the heavenly realm and those who have fallen. Through the blending of bloodlines with the supernatural, she emerged as a demonic force on Earth. Lilith's nature did not reflect purely evil or good but rather a sense of justice and retribution for womankind. Her human DNA mixed with the supernatural and created the two species: Vampires and Werewolves. Their descendants were able to produce live young, a gift that the Elders recognized and sought to protect, viewing it as a divine blessing.
The vampires were not burdened with the need to turn their prey in order to increase their clan numbers; instead, this process allowed them to breed live young and live anonymously among humans. The werewolves, being a naturally warm-blooded species, also produced live young. Ultimately, both species developed independently from one another and adapted to coexist with a then, primitive humanity.
Over time, vampires and werewolves recognized their need to rely on each other for basic survival and to build a secure civilization as the human population grew. The intellectual discourse on preserving their culture and way of life began in Europe and gradually spread. The vampires took on the role of architects of nation-building, while the werewolves acted as laborers. This led to the establishment of a two-tier class system: Aristocracy and Labor. Over centuries, the division between the two species deepened, with each group incentivized to ensure the purity of Lilith's blood and to honor the commandments outlined in the Vampire Bible.
As the centuries passed, old laws began to feel distant. Initially, social mingling between the two classes occurred casually. However, this connection evolved, leading to interspecies mating among a select few at first. The heretics who engaged in such relationships were caught and eliminated from society as a deterrent. Revolts and activism escalated, igniting battles within the kingdoms. Heretics were burned, serving as a symbolic act against what was seen as an unholy alliance that defamed Lilith's gifts.
In 1507, several ships set sail from Italy to the New World, where hybrids would soon be born. Angelique was the first of this original species, a mix of vampire and werewolf blood, hailing from the Belluci family. Her parents, Angelo and Donatella, were vampires from Italy.
Angelique Donatella Belluci was welcomed into the world in 1507 in North America, specifically in the northeastern region, which was not yet inhabited by human settlers. This would soon change, as the area evolved into the first 13 colonies by the mid-1660s, with one province named New York. The Belluci family established their hybrid clans in the high hilltops of the upstate New York mountain ranges, which were secluded territories surrounded by lush forests and numerous natural predators. The mountains, winding hills, and presence of predators served as a buffer against human encroachment.