Danika Ruthven is a mighty Tzimisce koldun. She was a childe-bride of her sire Damek Ruthven but turned against him after he jilted her. Later, she became one of the Council of Twelve, the ruling body of the Inconnu.
Biography[]
Before the Romans came, she lived in the city of Sarmizegetusa, capital of Dacia. At the age of fourteen, she was betrothed to an undead voivode named Damek Ruthven. She was educated, and her sire visited her only once a year. As time passed, she was more interested in the arts of the koldun than the Metamorphosist philosophy. She soon surpassed even her sire in her ability to summon spirits and manipulate the elements (something she took care not to let on).
After her training, she ruled her own domain in service to Damek, who was engaged in the process of grooming a new bride for himself; Danika soon learned she was not the first and would not be the last. Although she does not claim credit for engineering her sire's Final Death at the hands of his Tzimisce enemies, she quickly offered her fealty to the victors, thus retaining the holdings she had been given, including Hunedoara Castle. By the time the German Ventrue began their incursions in the Land Beyond the Forest, she had both a sizeable brood and a vast storage of koldunic learning, and was able to hold her own against them as well.
As she witnessed how paganism gave way to Christianity, she grew restless, seeking a reason to continue her unlife beyond simple feeding and stargazing. She wandered across Europe, seeking an answer and a goal. She found one in the form of the warrior-philosopher Rothriel, a Salubri who told her of Golconda. She invited him into Hunedoara, only to find it occupied by Tremere and her childer slain except for one. In the ensuing battle, Rothriel sacrificed himself to defeat the warlocks' Gargoyle swarm and Danika chose to honor him by making her castle a school for the teachings of the Salubri. She searched for Salubri that survived the pogrom of the Tremere and found the Methuselah Mokur and his retinue within Tuscany. As the Italian city-states waged too much war for the taste of the assembled Cainites, they took Danika's offer gladly and followed her to Hunedoara. In time, others followed, attracted by the tale of the Salubri sage, among them the Lasombra prince Zamra Matoub, who offered her own domain as a seat of power to the seekers of Golconda. Only intervention of Mokur prevented Danika from expelling the arrogant Magister for this insult and the relationship between the two remained tense.
In time, the Tremere attacked Danika's domain, but with the aid of the assembled Cainites, many who had been tutored in Blood Magic before turning to seek the Unmapped Road, the castle prevailed. The lone surviving Tremere reported back to Etrius, who became convinced that the castle housed a Tzimisce Methuselah of similar power to Yorak or Triglav for managing to destroy so many warlocks. When Mokur gave himself over to the warlock, a powerful contingent of Tremere was sent out to capture the fiend. Danika and her compatriots found themselves surrounded by enemies, both mortal (Turks and opposing Christian knights) and undead (Clan Tremere and its allies). When Cretheus summoned a demon to protect the Castle, Danika entered the pact with slight reservations, but unwilling to surrender her home to the Usurpers.
After the Pact, Danika was the one responsible to organize and maintain a constant supply of vitae to the castle, as well as providing amenities to the Twelve. To this end, she cultivates contacts among mortal criminal syndicates and, through them, directs a small number of Sabbat packs and ambitious ancillae within the Camarilla. She has lost her interest in Golconda, focusing solely on preserving her domain and continuing to be a good hostess – even when she came to silently hate most of them. Only with Drenis, Mahtiel, and Demetrius can she be amiable, all others proving obnoxious and ungrateful.
Appearance[]
Danika is tall, lean, and proud. While she behaves most generously to her guests, her carriage and bearing are unapologetically imperious. She makes no effort to disguise her accent or her age. She dresses in gowns of simple cut but exquisite fabric, recalling the early Renaissance: rust browns, earth greens, dove grays, often with yards of slightly tattered lace or beading. These fine garments do little to soften her regal face or her archaic expressions.
Character Sheet[]
References[]
- VTM: Lair of the Hidden, p. 14-15, 79-81