Antara ibn Shaddad ibn Amr, also known as the Shepherd of Wolves, is an Assamite of the Warrior Caste who has fought to keep Egypt clear of Setite influence.
Biography[]
In life, Antara's constant was his love for his wife Abla. Despite being the son of a slave, he proposed her hand and when her family rejected him, he proved his worth by becoming one of the deadliest warriors of their tribe. One of the most heroic figures of pre-Islamic Arabia, he drew the attention of various vampires who began to court him for the right of Embrace.
An agent and influential figure of the Tal'Mahe'Ra, known as Nabonidus, eventually brought him to the fold, but Antara found that unlife without his wife was shallow and void. He Embraced her, under the condition that he would become the leader of the Tal'Mahe'ra in Egypt following the War of the Betrayers, which split the sect into two branches. Inserting himself in the fortress of Al-Aksar near Cairo, he ventured forth to drive the Followers of Set out of Egypt, who avenged themselves by turning his wife against him, so that she eventually stepped into the sun.
Although Antara nearly followed her, a message from his sire assured him that his wife continued to exist in the Underworld and that she wanted him to continue his war against the spawns of Set until Gehenna and God's judgement would reunite them. Antara built up a network of retainers across the Old World, fighting against the prejudices that European Kindred harbored against his Clan. During the Anarch Revolt, Antara allied with the elders, given his own potent generation, and he spoke at the Convention of Thorns as a voice of reason, eventually submitting to the Blood Curse.
Modern Nights[]
After Ur-Shulgi broke the curse and his sire perished in the terrors of the Sixth Maelstrom, Antara was blamed by many younger Assamites for the 500 years of shame and humiliation. Antara struggled with this, having only the best of intentions for his Clan on his mind during the convention. He went so far as renouncing most of his titles, but it did not help. Antara sought out the aid of the Ashirra in order to gain allies in his ongoing struggles against the Setites and tries to preserve what influence he has left.
Character Sheet[]
References[]
- VTM: Cairo by Night, p. 94-96
- VAV: Victorian Age: Vampire Rulebook