|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
258. Weinberg, Robert. Series: Masquerade of the Red Death Trilogy. Publisher series: World of Darkness: Vampire. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The plot of this trilogy is quite complex, but it helps that the prologue to volume one (Blood War) has an excellent introduction to the World of Darkness scenario. A history of the vampires, known as Kindred, is revealed by the Vatican's Father Naples, a member of the Society of Leopold, through a conversation with Reuben, a mysterious young man who, when this conversation is finished, manages to silence all witnesses including Father Naples. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Kindred are descendants of the biblical Cain and sometimes refer to themselves as Cainites. The Kindred of modern times are divided into thirteen clans and live by rules of the Masquerade which protects the anonymity of the vampire community. Over the several thousands of years that the Kindred have existed, the clans have planned and plotted against one another. Even within each clan members are often literally at each other's throats. One way for a vampire to assume more power is by killing a Kindred of an earlier generation and drinking that victim's blood. The Kindred are a fractious lot, and into the middle of this steps an entity who calls himself the Red Death. His body is made of fire and everyone he touches Kindred, Ghoul (human servants of the vampires), or Kine (mortals) is burned to ashes. He materializes in various places all over the world within a short span of days. Vampire leaders try to discern what this entity could be. None have ever seen his like before. Two mortals become special targets of the Red Death, but these two are more than what they seem. The first, Dire McCann, who works for the vampire Prince of St. Louis, knows from his first brief encounter with the Red Death that it is Kindred. He uses his unique mental powers to probe the being and discovers this bit of information just before it strikes back and almost kills him. The second mortal is the fabulously wealthy Alicia Varney who lives in New York and has her own close encounter when she attends a meeting of powerful local Kindred. She is saved by Reuben, who seems immune to the Red Death's fiery powers. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eventually, the reader discovers that Dire and Alicia are the avatars of centuries-old vampires who have found a way to walk in daylight and live as normal mortals. The Red Death has a special interest in them as well as another known as Phantomas. This vampire lives in underground caverns of Paris and has accumulated an intricate history and family tree of the Kindred which he keeps on a computer. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are many more secrets and mysteries that surround the Red |
|
|
|
|
|