Elizabeth Mallroye

Elizabeth's father, Henry Carey, was reputed to be a bastard child of Henry VIII of England. He served the Ventrue of London, who were impressed by the mortal's energy and intelligence. When Elizabeth was fourteen, she became a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth of England. An Edinburg Toreador visiting London for negotiations saw her at Court and desired her as a companion. Elizabeth's father, being a man of sound judgement and with many children, agreed.

Elizabeth's father was Warden of the English West March. He took her home to Carlise Castle. To Elizabeth it seemed a long way from the Court but she had her letters, books and companions, including a blue and green parrot, Poll, who had been brought back from the new world as a chick.

The Toreador visted the castle in the night, wooing the young woman withg gifts, poems and songs, whilst at the same time trying to persuade Carey and his Ventrue masters that he could offer sufficient compensation. Elizabeth was frustrated, as her lover's visits were brief and irregular, her companionship rationed to exploit the entranced Toreador. At last, the visits stopped. Elizabeth was hreatbroken, convinced her lover had abandoned her. In fact, the Ventrue had cut him off from her completely. And then, finally, he broke. Elizabeth never found out what the price was, but she had been sold.

Her lover insisted her ride at once towards Edinburg, and he would meet her half-way. The Scottish borders in Turdor times were in a state of intermittent anarchy, the legacy of centuries of war. Raids and reiving and blood feuds were the life of the Marches, England against Scotland, clan against clan, family fighting with family. The riding names, scattered over the moons under a reiving moon, plundering and burning.

So it was with trepidation that Elizabeth set out from Carlise. She was afraid of the rievers because a Warden's daughter was a walking chest of gold, a fortune in ransom waiting to be plucked. Somehow, their path had been betrayed. Before she could be reunited with her lover, she and he guards were ambushed.

Elizabeth was the only one taken alive, and she received a terrible sword-cut to her face when she snatched a sword from the hand of a dead gurad and tried to fight off her attackers. Unconcious, she was taken to the home of Nebless Richie, a riever who was unusual even in those times for his ruthlessness and also in that he was a Nosferatu.

Richie was enraged at her disfigurement. He wanted here safe and whole to extract another payment from that smitten Toreador, and maybe from the London Ventrue too. Using the ancient game of playing one Kingdom off against another, Richie had spent many decades in his boarder lair. But this particular plan had failed. With his prize ruined, he knew the Toreador would never want her, and furthermore, her wound was infected. After only a couple of days, blood poisoning set in Elizabeth lay dying. And then, for reasons Elizabeth never understood, Ritchie Embraced her.

After initial shock of her near death and awakening after the Embrace, Elizabeth took to her new life surprisingly quickly. She loved the free life of a riever, and revelled in her new powers, each night seeming like an unexpected gift. She became an expert horsewoman and fighter and she also became knowledgeable in the labyrinthine politics of the border. More expert, in some ways, than her Sire, for Elizabeth saw clearly that with the death of the childless Elizabeth I of England approaching, the union of the crowns under James the I and VI would change the borders forever.

It was not only the mortal rievers who suffered under James' rule. Many autarkis and blood hunted outlaw Kindred who had taken refuge were also targeted by London and Edinburg. Some, wiser or more cowardly, fled to France or Ireland. Elizabeth begged her Sire to reconsider, but Ritchie was determined to stay, even after they learned that a blood hunt had been jointly declared on him and all his companions by the two capitals. And if Ritchie were to stay, he would force Elizabeth to stay with him.

Knowing that they would both be destroyed, Elizabeth in desperation contacted her old lover. Surprised to find she still lived, he agreed to help her, but at a price. She would be pardonned and allowed to go free - if she handed Ritchie over to 'justice'. Unwilling to do so, Elizabeth reached a terrible compromise. Under the auspices of the blood hunt, she herself Diablerised her Sire and presented his crumbled remains to London. The rest of Ritchie's brood fled and Elizabeth left England to travel the Old and New worlds, not returning for almost two centuries.

When she did return, she chose the fief of York as a base, as it's reputation for indepedence from London appealed. She made friends with some of the Toreador of the fief, although Maire d'Anceny remain cool (possibly out of snobbery, more like out of jealousy.)

In 1820, de Lascy founded the council of York. Even though Elizabeth was a woman, he was forced to acknowledge her as Primogen, as there were no elder members of the Clan in the fief. Elizabeth was annoyed at de Lascy's condescending treatment of her and when she was approached by Prince Richard about her co-operation in a coup against his Sire she agreed to help. The conspiracy was betayed by Maire d'Anceny, who, despite inital agreement, decided the plan had little chance of success and was worried by her implication in it. Richard was exiled to France, but Elizabeth was blood hunted and barely eescaped from the fief.

It was after her exile from York that her met 'Fuff', a Toreador. The two have been lovers and inseperable companions ever since. Inseperable, that is, except for the frequent rows and estrangements which have marked their stormy relationship. When together, the two often organise theatre productions and tours. In fact, a reconciliation is often effected by on or the other coming up with a new idea for a play. Her moer constant companion has been Poll, now a ghoul over four hundred and fifty years old, and endowed with intelligenct, Potence and a foul vocabulary.

For the past hundred and sixty years, she has been travelling the world again, including long stints in South America and France. She has something of repuation for teasing princes, especially upstart new-world Princlings who think that being a hundred years old and eighth generation makes you an elder. Elizabeth is not above starting enough trouble and politicking that especially condescending Princes end up dethroned by the time she leaves town. You don't get the nickname 'mal roi' for nothing.

One of Elizabeth's most notably characteristics is her rather promiscuous bestowal of the Embrace. Generally, if a mortal can convince her that they really do want to become Kindred, she will take them. Rather fortunately, the visible disadvantages of becoming Nosferatu keep this at manageable levels. As result, she is in danger of developing a bloodline, and her childer are in fact already described as such (rather sneeringly) by some of the more traditional Nosferatu. 'The Mallroyes' have something of a dubious reputation as they tend towards ostentation, extravagance and _Art_. They favour Auspex and Presence over more traditional Nosferatu Disciplines CLAN: Nosferatu, generation 6th , age "20", born, embraced, by Nebless Richie, arrived , left 1841.

IMAGE

Without the mask, as well as the usual Nosferatu disfigurement, there is a deep scar which runs down the right side of her face, twisting her eyelid and mouth downwards. Her red hair is still thick, but stands out around her, hopelessly matted and no longer glossy.

INFLUENCE

SECRETS

HABITAT

ULTIMATE GOAL

IMMEDIATE GOAL

RESOURCES

©1995 - 1997 Anna Simpson and Richard Gemmell. All rights reserved.