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Dark Tyrants is a fiction anthology for Vampire: The Dark Ages.

Summary[]

From the White Wolf catalog:

Dark, Dark, Darkness...
Walk through the benighted lands of medieval Europe in this anthology of stories based on White Wolf's Vampire: The Dark Ages. Journey with vampires as they play their deadly games of politics, war and blood. Watch as dynasties rise, religions fall and castles crumble at the poison touch of the undead.
Tyrants, Ages, World of Darkness.
This anthology contains stories by many authors well-traveled in the World of Darkness, such as Richard Dansky (Vampire: The Dark Ages game developer), Don Bassingthwaite (As One Dead), Richard Lee Byers (Dark Kingdoms), Kevin Andrew Murphy (More Essential World of Darkness contributor), and many more, including John Steele, co-editor of the Vampire Clan Novel series.

From the Back Cover of the Oversize book:

A Vampire: The Dark Ages Anthology
Walk through the benighted lands of medieval Europe in this anthology of stories based on White Wolf's Vampire: The Dark Ages. Journey with vampires as they play their deadly, incestuous games of politics, war and blood. Watch with the cold eyes of the undead as dynasties rise, religions fall and castles crumble.

Contents[]


*A Fool's Embrace is a reprint three part story originally published in the Dark Ages: Companion (1997), and published here as a chapter in the Over Size version of the Dark Tyrant's Vampire the Dark Ages fiction anthology. This Black and White illustrated graphic novel consists of a series of three short stories: A Fool's Embrace, The Forsaken and The Darkness and the Dawn respectively. Though only A Fool's Embrace and The Darkness and the Dawn are directly connected stories. This illustrated chapter was not included in the Mass Market publication of the Dark Tyrant's anthology and can only be found in the Over Size edition or in its original form in the RPG's Dark Ages: Companion.

Background Information[]

Dark Tyrant's was the first of White Wolf's World of Darkness foray's into fiction based on its Dark Ages line. An novelization anthology Dark Tyrant's would be the first to be published in this new genre and brand but not the last. Utilizing the 1st Edition Vampire the Dark Ages game setting the anthology consisted of a short black and white graphic novel previously published as part of the Dark Ages: Companion roleplaying game book and a collection of prose fiction stories by a variety of authors. The graphic novel component however was excised from the Mass Market edition of the anthology.

Chapter One

A Fool's Embrace

Dark Tyrant's illustrated first chapter entitled "A Fool's Embrace," actually consists of three black and white graphic novelization shorts, A Fool's Embrace, The Forsaken and The Darkness and the Dawn, written and illustrated by Guy Davis and Vince Locke, with inking by Matt Milberger. A Fool's Embrace and The Darkness and the Dawn, are a duology of sorts, while The Forsaken is a stand alone short. The Darkness and the Dawn is a direct continuation of the tale told in A Fool's Embrace, which was about the origin and embrace of a young squire and page, the soon to be neonate - Wurt. Embraced during a fit of madness and spite by a local Court Jester known as Muddlegump. Muddlegump the dwarf masqueraded as a mortal, playing the fool to the court of her then liege lord. A Malkavian elder of indeterminate age Muddlegump had utilized her position as a means to mask her feeding and hunting within the township and lords castle. Tired of her antics and public disrespect, the Lord and some of his men had grown intolerant of Muddlegump, deciding it was time to bring her to heel. Feeling that she had overplayed her hand and perhaps to deflect any pending suspicion about her true nature Muddlegump that very evening randomly attacked and embraced a lone stable boy turned page and squire Wurt. With no interest nor effort to attempt to rear her new childe, and instead hoping to utilize him as a scapegoat for the murders she herself committed, Muddlegump engineered not only a better suspect responsible for her mayhem but the murder of the pesky knight sent to detain her. On the following morning the neonate Wurt had been discovered by the knight in pursuit of Muddlegump only to be violently exsanguinated in the frenzy of Wurt's first thirst. With the additional threat of potential Rötschreck the knight would end up becoming Wurt's first kill. Found in the bloody aftermath by his absentee sire, the murderous Wurt is easily encouraged and instigated by Muddlegump to flee the castle and town in fear for his own survival and keep on running. Laden with the stolen armor and weapons of his victim Wurt's flight into a life as a fugitive on the run for the time being temporarily freed Muddlegump from any suspicion or responsibility for the mayhem she had created due to her own dark appetites.

The Darkness and the Dawn

An indeterminate number of years have passed and Muddlegump has overplayed her hand for the final time. Shackled to an exterior wall of the city, she awaits her final moments as the sun rises on the horizon to greet her. [To be Continued]

Trivia[]

  • The short story, "My Brother's Keeper," by John H. Steele would continue in the Trilogy of the Blood Curse. The short story also features the alias he would use for those novels as, 'Gherbod the Fleming'.
  • Ads for the Over Size book include a free White Wolf Novel or Anthology mail offer and A Vampire: The Masquerade Event (To Shift Through Bitter Ashes and The Devil's Advocate).

Memorable Quotes[]

(...)

Characters[]

  • A Fool's Embrace
    • Muddlegump (Malkavian) - Sire unknown. A Malkavian elder of Indeterminate age, the dwarf Muddelgump masquerades as a court jester, and indiscriminately embraces childer only to orphan them and leave them to their own devices so as to cover her own bloody tracks and avoid capture and punishment for her many misdeeds.
    • Wurt (Malkavian) - Childe of Muddlegump. A far less deranged Cainite than his sire, Wurt didn't waste his years as a member of the undead, he explored the era and all it has to offer a travelling neonate intent on bettering himself.
  • Bearer of Ill News
    • Friar Offa - Priest, Vampire hunter, Mortal
    • Somnus
    • Boukephos - Vampire, Geoffrey's Sire
    • Harald - Vampire
    • Bernardini - Holy Man, pawn to Vampires
    • Aelfred - Vampire, died
    • Geoffrey - Vampire
    • Abbot Daffyd - Human, serves Vampires
    • Eadmund - Noble's son, Mortal, Died
    • William
  • Not Damned
    • Brother Iolo - Priest, Gangrel, childe of Wersartel
    • Wersartel "Dolor" - Female elder Gangrel, diblerized by Iolo
    • Colpta - Dolor's Ghoul, Now Iolo's Ghoul
    • Neriss - Stonecutter, Mortal, Died
    • Nessa - Neriss' Wife, Mortal
    • Karal - Neriss' son, Mortal
    • Magin - Potter, Mortal
  • The Hawk and the Slipper
    • King Roderico - Vampire in torpor
    • Count Julio
    • Carmelita - Isabella's friend, Mortal
    • Maria Isabella Jebez y Garcia, "Tomas" - Female Vampire, Sire is El Halcon, Cappadocian
    • El Halcon, "The Hawk" - Cappadocian Vampire, diblerized by Maria
  • Eating Medusa
    • Don Felix Lopez Aguirre de Garabandal, "Aguirre" - Lasombra, diablerist
    • Rollo - Gangrel, diablerist
    • Marchesa Viella Maria Julia di Messina, "Viella" - Female Follower of Set, diablerist
    • Ulic the Turk - Assamite, diblerized by Viella
    • Kindermass - Nosferatu from Paris
    • Thin White Duke - Toreador, diblerized by Rollo
    • Faisal - Assamite, Khalid's Sire, diblerized by Viella
    • Khalid - Assamite
    • Medusa - Female Follower of Set, Viella's Sire
  • The Burden
    • Jean - Vampire
    • Brother Albertus, Clerk of the Parishes - Bishopric of Rodez, Human, True Faith
    • Brother Eduoard - Bishopric of Mende - Human
    • Peter - Friar
    • Marcel - Mortal
    • Robere - Vampire elder, works with Albertus
  • Et Sans Reproche
    • Deirdre - Female Nosferatu, Sire is Pére Renault
    • Pére Renault - Nosferatu
    • Etienne - Knight, Mortal
    • William Marshall - Nosferatu, Sire is Deirdre
  • Three Days or Six
    • Veran - Ventrue
    • Patron - Ventrue elder, Veran's Sire, goes into torpor
    • Elsbet von Steyr, "Elsbet Ducheski" - Ducheski Revenant Ghoul, serves the Tremere
    • Tibault - Works for Elsbet
    • Angelin - Mercenary, works for Elsbet
    • Rolant - Student, works for Elsbet, fled
    • Dalmas - Student, died
    • Marot - Student, died
    • Aliot - Student, died
    • Renier - Student, died
    • Enric - Student, died
    • Perona - Student, died
    • Luquet - Student, died
    • Carlemaine - Student, died
    • Nadal - Student, died
    • Perin and Perot - Student, Twins, died
    • Commodus - Son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Mortal
    • Emperor Marcus Aurelius - Past Mortal
  • My Brother's Keeper
    • Owain ap Ieuan - Ventrue
    • Blaidd - Gangrel, diblerized by Owain
    • Morgan ap Rhys, King of Rhufoniog - Owain's Ghoul
    • Iorwerth ap Rhys - Mortal, Morgan's Brother, died
    • Rhys ap Ieuan - Mortal, Owain's Brother, died
    • Gwilym - Owain's Ghoul
    • Gruffudd ap Cynan
    • Robert of Rhuddlan - Mortal, died
    • Cynwrig - Second in Command to Brochwel
    • Hugh the Fate - Earl of Chester, Mortal
    • William the Bastard
    • Gherbod the Fleming
    • Rhodri Mawr - Past
    • Angharad - Rhys ap Ieuan's Wife, Mortal
    • Branwen - Iorwerth's daughter, died
    • Elen - Iorwerth's daughter, died
    • Siaun - Iorwerth's daughter, died
    • Blodwen - Iorwerth's wife, died
    • Iago - Iorwerth's son, died
    • Brochwel - Gura Captain, died
    • Hervé - Norman Bishop of Bangor
    • Edward the Confessor
  • Toujours
    • Guerard de Vitreaux - Ventrue elder, Etiénne's Sire
    • Etiénne le Chaisseur - Venture
    • Solange, "Séverin de Ville" - Female Ventrue, Etiénne's childe
    • Alphonse de Courcy
    • Hélène de Courcy - Wife of Baron Alphonse de Courcy
    • Genevre
  • Seeker
    • William - Human Knight
    • Father Abernathy - Preist, Mortal
    • Ousama - Rug merchant, died
    • The Green Man - Wood
  • The Red Elixir
    • Gereon, "Master Ignatius" - Tremere
    • Ernhardt - Bonsanguinius alias, Tremere
    • Sylvia - Gereon's Wife, died
    • Bishop Hatto
    • Gretchen
  • The Winged Child
    • Judith - Mortal, Sarah's Mother
    • Sarah - Human, the winged child
    • Octavian - Nosferatu
    • Emperor Hadrian
    • Theodora
    • Alberic
    • John
    • Otto III - Roman Emperor, Ghoul
    • Pope Sylvester - Mage

Terminology[]

Abel, Adoptionists, Affirming of Blood, Africa, Akrotiri, Alarcos, Almoravides, Amaranth, Andalusia, Anjou, Aquitaine, Arles, Aroyan, Assamite, Aurillac, Avignon, Bangor, Bivar, Blood, Bordeaux, Bratovitch, Britain, Brujah, Burgos, Burgundy, Caine, Cainite, Caledonia, Cappadocia, Cappadocian, Castile, Cathars, Cheltenham, Chester, Childe, Clan, Cologne, Cordoba, Crete, Damned, Degannwy, Diablerist, Dijon, Dinas Mynyddig, "Dominica Hasta, the Sacred Lance" (Treasure), Ducheski, Dyffryn Clwyd, Eboracum, Egypt, Eire, El Caid Tarik, Elder, Embrace, England, "Elixir Vitae, the Water of Life", Field of Blood, Final Death, Follower of Set, France, Frenzy, Gangrel, Generation, Gevaudan, Ghoul, Gibraltar, Glassmaker's Guild, God, Gospel of Judas, Grand Temple, Greece, Grimaldi, Guadalete, Hansa's League, Haven, Hiraethog Range, Holywell, House Rhufonig, Ifrikiya, Kalila, Kine, Lasombra, "The Lay of Amaranth, the Black Rose", Leon, Le Puy, Lilith, Linz, Londinium, London, Lyonesse, Mage, Magic, Malkavian, Mark of Caine, Marseilles, Morna, Morocco, munafiqun, Narbonne, Night People, Normandy, Nosferatu, Oath of Blood, Obertus, Osiris, Outremer, Paris, Path of the Black Rose, Penllyn, Perfecti, Philosopher's Stone, Poitiers, Powys, Priapus, Progeny, Provence, Quintessence, Ravnos, Red Elixir, Rhos, Rhuddlan, Rhufonig, Rio Guadalquivir, Rio Tagus, Rite of Amaranth, Rome, Rouerge, Roxbury, Salubri, Santorini, Saulot, Seeds of Gold, Setite, Seville, Shahid, Sierra de Guadarruma, Sierra Nevada, Sire, Sorcerer, Soul-Feast, Spain, Stone of the Philosophers, Thessalonika, Toledo, Toreador, Torquemada, Toulouse, Tours, Transubstantiation, Tremere, True Adepts, True Death, Tzimisce, Uisghe, Valladolid, Vampire/Vampyr/Vampyre, Vassal, Ventrue, Vessel of Holy Communion, Vitae, Wales, Westminster, White Elixir, Wizard, Wood, Zantosa,

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