Arakur of Ur was a powerful Ventrue who ruled the prehistoric city of Ur. He had a legendary feud with mighty Urlon of Uruk, but before they could finish it, Arakur was diablerized by his own childe Lantla who was being controlled by the demon Drakonskyr.
Biography
Arakur was almost a god and was greatly feared and respected in the ancient city of Ur – a coastal city near the mouth of the Euphrates on the Persian Gulf. He had many wives and was one of the few men who was allowed such luxuries. He was rumored to live in the great ziggurat that towered over the city and his brides supposedly lived there too (but they were never seen after he had taken them away).
In fact, Arakur was a Fourth Generation vampire. His brides were merely his vessels, sometimes killed outright and sometimes slain over a period of many nights. He once declared that would take the young witch Lantla as a wife, and his word was law. Eventually, she was whisked into the temple and gone forever from the minds of her people. Ancient Arakur, however, had many plans for Lantla, and slaying her was not among them. The question of how she could call upon a powerful word of magic known only to a few aroused Arakur's curiosity. More importantly, he wished her to be his childe and his servant in times of crisis. Therefore, on her wedding night, Lantla was Embraced and became one of the immortals.
Initially, she was horrified by her new existence and her new dietary requirements, and would not drink from the blood of others and several times tried to throw herself to the mercy of the sun. Arakur would not allow it and kept her alive, often forcing her to drink his own vitae. Within the course of a few nights, she grew to accept her condition and she served Arakur well, learning much about magic and its uses. Thus, Lantla got her childhood wish: to marry a rich man and escape her poor life.
When Ur was besieged by the armies of the ancient Urlon, Arakur despaired and fled to the Ziggurat awaiting the final confrontation with the warlord of Uruk. His childe, however, struck a deal with the demon Drakonskyr for the power to defeat the invading methuselah. By doing so, she surrendered her body to the demon and the treacherous creature forced her to diablerize Arakur to acquire the power of his ancient blood. Lantla, now imbued with Arakur's strength, was able to manipulate the demonic powers of the Sword of Nul and defeat mighty Urlon and his army, also killing many residents of the city of Ur while under the demonic induced frenzy.
Trivia
- Lantla was Embraced before 3000 BCE, but Arakur already lived in Ziggurat of Ur at that time, which was built in approximately 2000 BCE. This is probably a timeline mistake.
- Several descendants of Arakur have achieved fame solely based on their displays of immense personal power (such as Tiamat or Gotsdam). These Ventrue seem to prefer dealing with things directly rather than delegating tasks to others. Sometimes considered cruel, corrupt, or inhumane by others, they are nonetheless regarded as tragic figures, quickly overcome by bad situations, or a string of bad decisions.
- Arakur's line holds a reputation for diablerie, communion with devils, and hubris. It also boasts the most warlords and Road of the Beast adherents among the Ventrue, alongside prestigious rulers, mighty warriors, and vampires of terrifying age.
References
- VTM: Bloody Hearts: Diablerie Britain, p. 20
- V20DA: V20 Dark Ages Companion, p. 41