Maryann Fletcher, better known as the Hangman's Bride, is an unaligned Archon of the Camarilla and one of the champions of SchreckNet. She is known for her strong sense of justice and her unbiased way of interacting with suspect persons.
Biography[]
Born into a strict Catholic family in England following the Gunpowder Plot, Maryann was faced early with distrust and prejudice when her family were killed because they were accused of being Papist conspirators. Hidden by distant relatives living in Portsmouth, Maryann was deeply affected by the ruin of her parents and siblings. Tormented by nightmares and panic, she developed a speech impediment so profound she could hardly communicate with others. Because she appeared absent minded and could not speak coherently, most people thought she was simple and did not watch what they were saying when she was around. Working as a maid at her relatives' tavern, Maryann did hear many of the subtle secrets people whispered among each other.
This came to the notice of a foul Nosferatu by the name of Stanford Warwick, who considered adding her into his ghoul cadre. Although she was shocked to be confronted by what could only be witch's fetch, Maryann had no choice but to accept the gruesome Nosferatu at his word. Compared to the petty inhumanities by which the people around her everyday betrayed one another, this devil could at least be taken for what he appeared to be. Instead of running or trying to fight the monster, Maryann sat down and listened to what he had to say. She served Warwick for many years faithfully, until a Ventrue learned the names of Warwick's ghouls and decided to make an example of them. Her relatives were killed and Maryann barely survived because of Warwick's vitae within her veins. When the Nosferatu returned, she was horribly burned, her blackened skin stretched taut over seared flesh, scorch marks running down her cheeks, where her tears had been boiled in the heat of the fire. The Nosferatu then decided to Embrace her.
In the weeks after Maryann's transformation, Warwick learned that his whelp had lost or repressed many memories of her former life and the manner of her death. Although painful and traumatic flashbacks occurred on her worst nights, Maryann perceived her past as a bad dream or fit of madness. The wily Nosferatu decided to take advantage of his progeny's mental lacunae and set about indoctrinating her in the ways of the clan. Maryann adapted quickly to her new condition and became as capable a Nosferatu as she had been a ghoul. During this time she became a mentor to numerous young Sewer Rats, cultivating a cabal of informants among the Catholic underground that dwelled in the shadow of Anglicanism. She became a symbol of Nosferatu disenfranchisement, a religious minority among the privileged majority just as she was a despised Nosferatu among the genteel Ivory Tower. Her sire was cunning and opportunistic, while she was understanding and compassionate.
Although he was her elder, she was the one who inspired loyalty among the neonates of the clan. She accompanied her sire to New England, where she was forced to participate in Elysium culture. Upon her first visit to a salon in Warwick's retinue, a Toreador Harpy, seeing the close relationship between the two unwanted guests, quipped that even someone as unpleasant company as a hangman would find a bride eventually. The Toreador in question, referring in his insult to Warwick's rumored job as the Prince's executioner, soon vanished, never to be seen again. The moniker the "Hangman's Bride" stuck, however, and Maryann wears it to this night as a mark of her devotion to her sire.
As she found the life in New England not to her liking, she was glad when Petrodon asked her if she would assist him as an Archon. The Hangman's Bride considers it her duty to be as precise and unfailing in her investigations as possible, to expose the guilty and leave the innocent – an odd context in which to consider the Kindred – untainted by the evils of others. In this idiom, she has actively worked against Elders, Princes, and even other Archons who would find scapegoats for their own transgressions. She was involved in finding the murderers of Petrodon after his assassination and continues the work of an Archon despite having no Justicar assigned to her.
Character Sheet[]
References[]
- VTM: Children of the Revolution, p. 73-77