Deacon Jacob

 At the turn of the century a boy was born. The boy was given the name Isaac Kilnner in Yorkshire. His family, known for their humble trade of brick-making, toiled under the weight of poverty. From a very young age, Isaac realized that he was different from his rough-handed relatives. While his physical strength lagged behind, he possessed a gift for words and a natural charm that set him apart.

Amidst the grueling labor of brickmaking, Isaac would escape to the claypile, perched upon its peak, regaling anyone who would listen with fantastical tales and melodies that seemed to bring light to the gloom. It was on that mound of clay that he found solace, where he could transcend the hardships and transport others to distant lands of his own creation. The broken arms and cruel humiliations he endured from his older cousin and others served only to fuel his determination to find his true calling.

As the years passed, Isaac's intellect grew alongside his dreams. He hungered for knowledge, realizing that books held the key to a world far beyond his humble village. The library of a nearby monastery became his sanctuary, and even though he knew it was wrong, he would occasionally liberate a precious volume to sate his insatiable thirst for learning. It was within the pages of these stolen treasures that he discovered a letter, written by his father to a trusted friend, which stated, 'You may make a scholar, a poet, or a priest of the boy, but never a mason or a bricklayer.'

The words struck Isaac with a mixture of surprise and hope. Despite his family's occupation, his father had recognized the potential within him, yearning for a brighter future. Encouraged by this revelation, Isaac determined to follow the path set before him. With the support of his father, he embarked on a new journey, leaving behind the dusty brickyard to pursue the life of a priest.

Enrolling in the seminary as a boy entering his teenage years, Isaac faced both joys and challenges. Within the hallowed halls, he found himself surrounded by scholars and seekers of divine knowledge. His quick wit and magnetic charm quickly made him popular among his peers, allowing him to forge lasting friendships and alliances. Isaac effortlessly navigated the intricate social dynamics of seminary life, weaving through the hierarchy of students and teachers with grace and a hint of slyness.

As his studies progressed, Isaac proved to be a gifted student. He delved into the scriptures with fervor, absorbing the teachings of the Church and pondering the mysteries of faith. But his hunger for knowledge went beyond the prescribed texts. Sneaking into the library under the cover of night, he would immerse himself in forbidden tomes, exploring forbidden subjects that ignited his imagination. This clandestine pursuit of wisdom led him to uncover ancient legends and esoteric rituals, captivating his mind and expanding his understanding of the mystical.

Under the guidance of wise mentors and the watchful eyes of his superiors, Isaac honed his skills as an orator. His sermons became captivating performances, drawing crowds and earning him praise as a rising star within the Church. Whether he spoke of divine grace or delivered heartfelt pleas for mercy, his words had a profound impact on those who listened. The congregation saw in him a beacon of hope, a young man destined for greatness.

Yet, for all his success, Isaac remained humble and empathetic. He recognized the struggles of the downtrodden, having experienced them firsthand. In secret, he organized charitable works, discreetly helping the poor and providing solace to the broken-hearted. His acts of compassion were whispered among the marginalized, their gratitude a reward that far outweighed any accolades.

The seminary years molded Isaac, shaping him into a compassionate and socially astute young man. He danced on the delicate line between obedience and rebellion, adhering to the Church's teachings while privately exploring the hidden depths of forbidden knowledge. He reveled in the mysteries of faith and sought to reconcile the divine with the enigmatic forces that called to him from beyond the accepted truths.

And so, as the boy turned into a man, his dreams of priesthood neared fulfillment. Isaac stood on the precipice of his destiny, where his talents and aspirations would intertwine with the turbulent world outside the seminary's walls. Little did he know that a journey awaited him, a pilgrimage of grace that would challenge his faith, test his resilience, and ultimately lead him to a fate he could never have fathomed. 

Writing with a member of clan Ventrue, whom he considered to be a secret patron, he was slowly drawn closer and closer to the Mithraic mysteries, running their errands and slowly but surely being groomed for the Embrace into clan ventrue. However, as the revolution came, and the attempt to restore the Bonny Prince Charlie to the Throne of England, Isaac threw in with the "wrong" ones, and took up sermons and arms against the current monarchs. It was in one of these grim encounters that a pike pierced his entrails, leaving him wounded and bleeding on the battlefield. And there, in his darkest hour, his sire, Marcus Craven, a Templar of the British Sabbat, found him.

With his mortal existence shattered, Isaac shed his old name, adopting the biblical moniker Jacob, the son of Isaac, to symbolize the rebirth he had undergone. In Jacob's eyes, the world stood damned, its sanctuaries desecrated, and the fall of Great Britain into heretical faiths and the resolute willingness to deny truth and unity. Under the guidance of Marcus Craven, a seasoned warrior and a member of the Sabbat, Jacob learned to navigate the treacherous world of vampires, harnessing the powers of Obtenebration to command shadows and employing charm and guile to hunt his prey. When the Ventrue Elder confronted him, revealing the truth, Jacob was already so deep in the indoctrination of the Sabbat, that he did not even consider turning sides.

As Jacob rose in strength and embraced his true nature as a loyal Sabbat member, he felt a calling to seek further knowledge and power. Intrigued by the ancient lands of Transylvania, Romania, and Bulgaria, he ventured eastward, drawn to the teachings of the Tzimisce clan. There, he sought out a Tzimisce sire known as Medved the White, a wise priest and member of the clan of dragons.

Under Medved's tutelage, Jacob delved into the intricate rituals and sacred rites of the Sabbat, spending a decade within the ancient lands, honing his skills as a ritualist of renowned expertise. He learned to channel the power of the blood, communing with the spirits of the land and harnessing the primal forces of the night. He became a master of Ritae, and a whisperer of the wild.

With the knowledge and wisdom imparted by his Tzimisce sire, Jacob embarked on a journey to the ancestral homelands of the Lasombra in Spain. There, among the shadows that danced along the cobblestone streets and whispered secrets in the night, Jacob sought to deepen his understanding of his vampiric lineage. He immersed himself in the teachings of the Lasombra, embracing the elegant power of darkness and honing his skills as a master manipulator.

As Jacob led his pack on a Crusade against the Camarilla of the North African coast, his path intertwined with that of an enigmatic figure known as "The Black Dove." This dove, whether it is an ancestral blood memory, a creature from the abyss or something else, granted him oracular powers and led him further. The Black Dove painted vivid pictures of a new creation, a world free from the shackles of morality and dogma. Seduced by the lure of forbidden knowledge and a desire for ultimate liberation, Jacob found himself entangled in a web of intrigue. He pledged to dive deeper, and here learned the ugly truth: Not only had the mortal church fallen, but also - the Kindred needed to be guided, with a rough hand, by the royal priesthood of the Lasombra. It was during this time, that he gathered himself a furious pack: The Brother-slayers Beloved (BSB). This pack is still in power in southern England and northern france, but he has left them, due to the revelations of the Black Dove, calling him to the new world after the fall of Franco. 

Without the clan of keepers, all is lost. The children need to be taught, the rites need to be bled and the fires need to be quenched.