Empire of the Vampire

Empire of the Vampire
Jay Kristoff
Empire of the Vampire #1

Characters:
Gabriel de León
Amélie - Sister
Celene - Sister
Auriél de León - Mother
Raphael Castia - stepfather

Julieta
Isla
Père Louis

Frère Greyhand
Archer
Winter
Aaron De Coste
Astrid Rennier
Abbot Khalid
Seraph Talon De Montfort
Justice
Chloe Sauvage
Baptiste Sa-Ismael

Saoirse
Phoebe - Lioness
Père Rafa
Bellamy Bouchette
Dior Lachance

Vampires:
Ironhearts - Blood Voss
Shepherds - Blood Chastain
Untamed - Dyvok
Whispers - Ilon
Faithless - Esani

Fabién Voss, the Forever King
Danton Voss
Marquis Jean-François (Blood Chastain)
Liathe

Places:
Empire of Elidaen
Lorson, in the Nordlund - Gabriel’s hometown
San Michon
San Guillaume
Avelene

We start with Gabriel De Leon imprisoned in a tower room, he has apparently killed someone called the forever king. It is night and vampires roam the outside world. Someone comes to his cell, a vampire called jean-Francois, and his thrall woman. He tells gabriel that the queen Margaret Chastain has decided she wants his story. At first Gabriel says no but he is going through withdrawal and they offer him some sanctus to smoke so he agrees. The story Gabriel tells follows two different timelines, his childhood, and a more recent one where he worked to find the holy grail of San Michon.

He was born in a small town called Lorson. His father was a drunk and abusive at times, but also an ex-soldier and blacksmith so he taught him useful skills. His mother, an exiled Noble De Leon, loved him deeply and taught him to be brave and proud. His sisters Amelie and Celene he also liked.

Something called “Daysdeath” happened when he was like 7-8, and the sun stoped being as bright and powerful, limiting what crops they could grow and making winter longer, but also opening the door for other horrors. One day Amelie and a local friend Julieta (Gabe’s first kiss), went out into the woods and did not come back. Eventually they returned as “Wretched”, vampires more like zombies, strong and fast but only craving blood. Gabe was forced to help kill his own sister. He hated the local priest, Louis, for not burying her. Eventually he is older and sleeps with a girl named Ilsa, but ends up biting her and drinking her blood. It makes him fast and strong and heal quickly and he is confused and a mob attacks him. But then 2 figures show up, Greyhound and Aaron De Coste. They take Gabriel away and tell him he is Paleblood. Half-Vampire. Now that the sun does not work Vampires can move during the day, although they are still strongest at night. They teach him about the Ordo Argent, the silver order, a group of palebloods who fight evil in the name of the Lord and Mothermaid. They take him to San Michon, in a valley are 7 stone pillars with flat tops kind of and they build a monastery and stuff up there. It is still being repaired since the EMpress Isabella recently gave them patronage. Gabe meets Abbot Khalid, and he also hates Aaron since aaron judges him a peasant and is rude. A group of Nuns, the silver sisters, also live and work at the monastery. Gabe meets a blacksmith, Baptiste, who gives him a silversteel sword he names Lionclaw. Later he goes to pick out a Sosya horse, and meets a girl named Astrid Rennier who says it is her horse Justice, so he keeps the name. Members of the silver order are called Silversaints, and get silver tattoos all over their body that glow when they fight. Astrid inks his first tattoo, a sevenstar, on his left palm.

Cut to other story, Gabe is brought Wine by the thrall in real time. Gabriel is traveling at night, riding Justice, when some wretched start chasing him. Justice hits a rabbit hole and breaks his leg so Gabe has to kill him and run. He comes upon some inquisitors, and shoots one and steals her horse, fleeing to a nearby town. He names the new horse Jezebel and goes and gets drunk. Suddenly Chloe Sauvage, a Silver Sister from San Michon, shows up with a priest, bard, Irish-Clan warrior and her lion, and a small street rat boy. We learn Gabriel has left Astrid, his wife, and their daughter patience at home to come north for something. She is excited to see him but he is sad and drunk and goes to bed. In the night someone knocks on his window and he invites her in. In the morning Chloe has already left but Danton Voss, a highblood vampire, highbloods are much more powerful and have bloodline abilities, is at the town gate so Gabriels smokes Sanctus (Distilled vampire blood that makes palebloods faster and stronger), and fights him. He kills his “daughter” and cuts off his arm so Danton retreats. He does learn the Danton was chasing the boy with Chloe, so he decides to follow them.

Jean-Francois asks how we went from him just meeting Astrid to her being his wife so the story goes back. Gabriel is learning to be a silversaint. Seraph Talon tests him for a bloodline ability. Dyvok - Superstrength, Voss - Iron skin and better mind powers, Ilon - Emotional and mind control, Chastain - Animal Control. Gabe is none of them, a frailblood, and is mocked a lot for it, so he focuses on training and bladework. Him, Aaron, and Greyhand set out on a hunt. They come to a rich town called Skyefall, and discover a vampire highblood came through and turned some people. When a vampire kills someone they have a chance to come back to life as a vampire, but it is not 100%, and some come back as highbloods some as wretched based on who killed them. They go to the catacombs and Gabriel disobeys orders, allowing a fledgling Highblood to escape. Greyhound almost kills him but sends him back to the manor to watch the lady, who a vampire has been feeding on. The local priest comes and poisons Gabe, then a vampire boy (son of the lady) comes in and Gabe has top fight and kill all of them. The lady is a thrall to the boy (If you drink a vampire blood 3 times you become their slave), and she kills her husband in the fight. Gabriel eventually gets his hand around the vampire boys arm and burns his arm off somehow. No one knows what happened, but they return to San Michon with 2 vampire prisoners.

Gabe overhears Talon and Greyhand talking about a supposed “fifth bloodline” and that they may kill him for it, so he wants to learn more. That night he sneaks out to the library to peruse the forbidden section, since any library in a fantasy series has one. He meets Astrid Rennier also sneaking out there, and they talk and he learns she is the bastard daughter of the emperor alexander, and was sent here in exile when he married isabella. She is angry and smokes dreamweed, but agrees to help him look for this fifth bloodline. She is searching for a way to end Daysdeath. They slowly become friends and evcentually Astrid brings another nun in training Chloe. Chloe wants to learn to use a sword and Gabe agrees so she also helps them search. Gabe is in the stables one morning (his punishment for disobedience on the hunt was cleaning the stables each morn), and is attacked by a vampire he kills with Justice’s help. That morning he had seen both Aaron sneaking out of the Armory (where the vampire was chained up), and Sister Aoife (Talon’s aide) crying in the cathedral. He learns the vampire killed Aoife on her way to him. His already bad animosity with Aaron become murderous, since he thinks Aaron tried to kill him.

Jump back to modern time, Gabriel catches up to Chloe’s party fighting some Wretched and helps kill them, but a mysterious highblood called Liathe also shows up, helps, then asks for the boy to come with her. She shows some weird blood powers. They say no and she leaves for now. Gabriel learns the priest is Pere Rafa, the bard/soothsinger Bellamy from Isabella’s own court in Avignon or wherever. The irish slayer lady is Saoirse and her lioness Phoebe, and the boy Dior Lachance, who is a teenage city thief. They say dior knows where the Holy Grail is, which a prophecy says can end Daysdeath and save the empire. Gabe agrees to travel with them until the Volta, then continue on his business. They are still chased by both Danton Voss and the Inquisition for some reason. They come to an old abandoned town in winter, and are forced to defend a group of wretched. Rafa and bellamy are about to die, but Dior’s blood on their wounds heals and saves them. Chloe explains Dior IS the holy grail, and San Michon had the redeemers child, and the line of Esan has continued to Dior, a direct descendant of their savior.

Cut. Time to leave San Michon for another hunt. This time Seraph Talon joins Aaron, gabe, and Greyhand since they know they are hunting a highblood vampire. They travel long and Aaron and Gabe still hate each other, and Talon is also cruel, but trains them well. They arrive in Aaron’s hometown of Coste, where the vampire is, and it is a feast day so they pose as servants and such. They spot the vampire, and Greyhand says to let her take a victim so they can follow and wait for morning, when she will be weaker, but Gabe steps in and saves the victim (Aaron’s cousin), allowing the vampire to escape. Greyhound is furious and almost killes Gabe but Aaron stands up for him, later thanking him for saving his cousin. They track the vampires to a house where some people have been drank from, and confront her on a bridge (Vampires can’t cross running water without a bridge and can’t enter a home without being invited). The battle is brutal, but they kill her highblood son, then learn this is Laure Voss, daughter of the forever king Fabien Voss (leader of a vampire army), and a prince of forever. She rips of Greyhands arm and eye, guts gabe and Aaron, and starts to say some secrets about Talon when he rushes her and she impales him also. Gabe is able to shove a silverbomb down her throat and pull his compatriots to the safety of a cathedral. Voss is not dead but she vows vengeance and flees. They return to San Michon, and Aaron and Gabe seem to have grown to tolerate each other after that battle. Not friends yet but they don’t hate each other.

Cut. Gabe, CHloe, and the party are out of horses and food besides Jezebel after having to jump a river to avoid Danton again, so they head to San Guillame, another monastery that Rafa is from. They need to resupply. They arrive there and find the place has been butchered by the inquisition. There is some food but no horses, and Danton is closing in on them with a lot of wretched at his command. They prepare their defenses and have to battle off Liathe again, when she comes to collect Dior. They battle Danton and are doing alright but then Danton kills Saoirse and Phoebe, then Bellamy as they retreat to the cathedral. They manage to burn a ton of wretched through Gabriels trickery, but Danton still kils Rafa and Gabe, Chloe, and Dior have to jump into the VOlta from very high, but Danton catches Dior so chloe falls intentionally to free gabes other arm. He saves Dior and they are alone huddled in a cave with no supplies, Jezebel fled San Guillame in the battle. Gabe also has no pipe or sanctus so his addiction will grow stronger.

Cut. Gabriel has been punished for disobedience on another hunt, and greyhound said he will never hunt with him again. But Astrid and Chloe found something on the fifth bloodline. Esani, the faithless, who can use sanguimancy. Even other vampires hate them. Oh also when they fought laure voss, greyhound, who is of blood chastain, used his hawk archer to kill a messenger dove and they learn Fabien Voss is planning to invade in winter, so the kings army is marching north due to the battle plans they obtained. Isabella herself comes to San Michon to prepare. Greyhound speaks his concern the note was a trick, and Gabriels suggests he take the initiates to the southern broder city to defend. He agrees bu then later says he will not take gabe. Astrid and Gabe start getting very close, and have sexy time but are interuppted by alarm bells.Seraph Talon has discovered Aaron and Baptiste being gay in the armory, which is a crime according the bible. Gabe found out about his a while ago but kept their secret. Which earned him Aaron’s trust. They are going to be exiled but after the battle, so they are imprisoned.. Once everyone else has left gabe gets blood on the note they took from the vampire and finds a secret message saying Fabien Voss is taking his army through a different mountain pass, inaccessible to mortals but the dead will be fine. Him, Astrid, and Chlose gather those left behind, the nuns, Gabe, blackthumbs (blacksmiths), and Aaron and Baptiste. They send runners to let the other groups know what is happening and ascend into the freezing cold and snow. They finally reach the pass and see a huge army of wretched. Gabe plans to set off an avalanche with black ignis poweder to bury them, but when they are setting it Laure Voss attacks their backline of sisters and he goes to save Astrid. Prioress Charlotte dies but Gabe is able to get his hand around Laure’s neck and sanguimances her to burn her to death. Fabien is enraged and enters his head and Gabe sees him, but then they set off the avalanche and bury the army and block the pass. Before killing Laure she revealed she went to Lorson and butchered everyone in revenge. The other silversaints arrive and everyone returns home, but Gabe stops at Lorson first and finds his whole family dead, Celene burned to a crisp in the church. He is devestated and returns to San Michon, where he is named a full member of the silver order, and Empress Isabella herself knights him a chevalier and sword of the realm. Aaron and Baptiste are still exiled, and Gabe lays a trap for Seraph Talon in the library, where he exposes him as having been drinking Aoifes blood and sleeping with her. He has given into his vampire ways and craves blood. Talon attacks but greyhand was waiting in the wings and saves Gabe and kills Talon. When Palebloods get old and their blood thirst “Sangire” gets too strong they are supposed to perform the Red Rite, let the abbot kill them. Greyhand takes Gabe to the infirmary where Astrid finds him and they copulate. They love each other, but have to keep it a secret.

Cut. Gabe and Dior are struggling along. Oh also Gabriel is famous, he did a ton of stuff was called the Black Lion, he is a hero and helped a ton in the war. He wields Ashdrinker, a sword forged of starmetal that can destroy vampires. But him and Astrid got expelled from San Michon when she got pregnant with their daughter patience. So no one has seen him in a decade. Dior and gabe find a barge and make their way to a town. On the barge Dior uses her power to save a dying man in secret. They need to find Sanctus, Gabe is barely able to move anymore. Dior steals supplies from a merchant but before he can smoke guards appear, informed by the daughters of the man Dior saved, and the inquisition takes them captive. Gabe is being tortured by the same inquisitor he shot a long time ago, when Dior shows up and saves him. They grab their supplies and are able to flee on a rowboat. They have become friends despite initial animosity (Trend). They cross wintery land, and then Jezebel finds them, and they cross frozen rivers which is bad because that means vampires can also cross. Eventually while fleeing some dark magic Jezebel, renamed Fortuna by Dior, falls off a cliff and dies, but they shelter in her warm death to avoid dying themselves. They struggle along to Avalene, a small stronghold run by Aaron de Coste and Baptiste. This is where Gabriel and Astrid got married and Patience was born. They are all happy to see each other. Yippee. But Dior finally gets Gabe to tell why he came north. He had been living in the south on a small island Lighthouse with Patience and Astrid when after 11 years Fabien Voss and all his children showed up and killed Patience and turned Astrid. Gabe broke the tip off ashdrinker striking voss’ neck. He was then forced to kill Astrid himself to stop her from being a vampire. They have been dead all along and that is why he drinks and is sad. He only wants revenge. Also his silverclad tattoos have not been glowing because he no longer has any faith in the lord. Then Danton shows up outside and says if they do not give him Dior he will butcher everyone here. Dior flees in the night to save the good people their, but Gabe gets a dogsled from Aaron and chases after her. Dior does a trick blowing up the ice and kills a ton of wretched, but Danton and 10 other highbloods still are there. Dior’s blood also burns vampires. She uses this to reach Gabe and they prepare to fight. Aaron told Gabe he had to have faith in something, and he does have faith in Dior. His tattoos glow crimson, hurting the vampires. Liathe also shows up and helps. Gabe and Dior take on Danton, a prince of forever, while Liathe holds off 10 highbloods alone. Gabe is fighting Danton but Danton is wearing him down, when Dior rubs her blood on Ashdrinker and stabs him from behind, burning him to death. Liathe kills a few highbloods and the rest flee. Liathe again pleads that Dior come with her, since she knows nothing but Gabe and Dior say No. A group of Silversaints Gabe knows from being initiates arrives, including Greyhand who is now Abbot, and they all return to San Michon. Everything is happy at first, but then Greyhand lets slip that the ritual to end Daysdeath involves sacrificing Dior at dawn. Gabe protests and fights back but Greyhand and 5 silversaints subdue him and force the red rite on him, slitting his throat and throwing him from the plateau to the river below. Gabe wakes up with Liathe standing over him. He has drank her blood and she saved him from death. He is furious at first, but then realizes Liathe is a title, the vampire is his sister Celene. He is confused and shocked and she says she hates him and he has a lot to learn. Gabe climbs back up and kills most of the silversaints there and Chloe to save Dior, and they flee together. THE END.