Lambach Ruthven in the Final Nights
Name:	Lambach Ruthven
Embraced:	unknown
Final Death:	N/A
Clan:	Tzimisce
Generation:	5th
Sire:	Tzimisce Antediluvian
Childe(r):	Damek Ruthven, Vlad Tepes
Allegiance:	Sabbat

Lambach Ruthven is the sire of Dracula. During the Anarch Revolt of 1413, he witnessed the death of Lugoj, and the fake diablerie of the Antediluvian Tzimisce while Tzimisce posed as Lugoj to take command. Several decades later, Lambach witnessed the death of his grandchilde, Tabak, at the hands of Vlad Tepes. Lambach wanders throughout Sabbat territory, haunted by occasional messages from his dead sire, while holding Tzimisce's secret for centuries.

Origins Edit

Lambach was a noble-born Tzimisce, raised specifically to become undead, bred to wield power. Unfortunately, the side effect of controlled breeding, creates spoiled childer with weak genes and weaker wills. Thus, Lambach never wielded his command with much confidence or courage. He was rather an indecisive vampire lord. He lived his life in fear of the inevitable Embrace and tried his best to avoid it. Because he spent so much time dreading the bite, he suffered greatly when his grandchilde, Tabak, was drained of his blood. Thus, as a vampire, he became an anxiety-ridden, desperate, terrified bully.

Anarch Revolt: Battle of Tzimisce's Cathedral Edit

Lambach inherited a large power base to administrate many loyal followers. His Tzimisce leaders demanded that he help fight the Tremere, fend off rampaging anarchs, and control the ebb and flow of mortal power. Trouble then stirred in the Transylvanian highlands. The Anarchs seemed unstobbable, as they had just crushed the Lasombra Antediluvian and were now attacking the Tzimisce in full force. In 1413, they captured the weak Tzimisce monarchs demanding that they join or die. Lambach's grandchilde, Tabak, called all his childer to defend him, thus escaping. However, it left Lambach behind only to be overwhelmed and captured by renegade forces. While the other childer were slain, Lambach agreed to convert rather than die.

The Anarch leader, Lugoj, broke Lambach's blood bond to the Tzimisce to extract his knowledge of the Tzimisce Founder's hiding place. Lambach guided Lugoj to Sarmizegetuza, who was accompanied by a mob of anarchs, to the ancient cathedral (and ancestral site of the Ruthven lineage) where the Tzimisce Antediluvian laid to rest in torpor. A great fight broke out between the Tzimisce Guardians and Lugoj's anarchs, which resulted in Lugoj infiltrating. Lugoj dispelled the magical protections and unearthed the ancient Tzimisce vampire from torpor, greedily consuming its blood.

Lambach was surpised how easily the "Antediluvian's" body crumbled to dust. He knew full well the power of the Tzimisce's ability to mold mortal clay, to disguise, and disfigure themselves as well as others. He realized that Lugoj did not in fact consume the "real" Tzimisce Antediluvian. Rather, it was a decoy that was fleshcrafted to look like him.

After further analysis of the carnage, to Lambach's dismay, his power of perception allowed him to see through a wall of invisibility where he discovered the real body of Lugoj impaled on a massive wooden hook. Lambach soon realized that during the raid on the cathedral, Lugoj was somehow subdued by the real Tzimisce Antediluvian, who at the time of the infiltration, was not in torpor at all. The Antediluvian fleshcrafted into an imposter Lugoj, to fool everyone into thinking that Lugoj had diablerised Tzimisce. Perhaps this was a tactic for survival since the Lasombra Antediluvian was just killed not too long before.

Not disclosing this secret, Lambach now worked for The Anarchs under a newly formed Sabbat. Interestingly, he felt the orders from the top were similar to his old orders. Oddly, he regrets keeping this secret for so long and when he attempts to reveal it to others, he is scoffed at.

Confronting Vlad Tepes Edit

Some decades after the Anarch Revolt, Lambach served the Prince Vlad Tepes who ruled Romania. Even as a mortal, Vlad Tepes was well aware of vampiric powers. Due to Lambach's incompetence, Vlad discovered a vampire neonate spy. He had the spy imprisoned in Castle Dracula, drinking his powerful blood to gain inhuman strength.

When Lord Tabak caught wind of this violation of vampiric power, he led a group of Tzimisce to depose the Impaler Prince. On their way to the Castle, they were ambushed by Camarilla Justicars who captured Lambach and forced Tabak into torpor, while killing the others. Before they could do anything with Lambach, the mortal Vlad Tepes attacked, slaying the weakened Justicars, just after their battle with Tabak. At that point, Vlad "forced", or persuaded, Lambach to turn him into a vampire. Immediatly thereafter, he diablerised the defensless Tabak. Dracula, now having the power of Tabak, warned his sire never to challenge him, then turned Lambach loose.

Final Nights Edit

By the Final Nights he's made his way to the New York Undergroud where he has an unpleasant encounter with Tzimisce the Antediluvian, whom he hadn't seen since the Anarch Revolt of the 1400s. Tzimisce claims to be protecting Lambach to ensure that he records the Antediluvian's history.

Sources Edit

• Who's Who Among Vampires: Children Of The Inquisition, p. 9, 41-45
• Transylvania Chronicles 2: Son of the Dragon, p. 82
• Clanbook: Tzimisce 2nd Edition, pg. 18, 20
• Clanbook: Tzimisce Revised, pg. 14
• Lair of the Hidden, pg. 78