i think we are in rats' alley;
where the dead men lost their bones.
--from t.s. eliot's, "the waste land" 1922
[ Introductory Information | Background | Agenda | Supplementary Information | Membership & Hierarchy ]
NOTE: If you aren't clear about something, contact administration, and we'll try to clarify. Keep in mind that most of what is written on this page is generally unknown to both the vast majority of the human and vampyre populations. Only the higher ups of each corresponding society know of the true activities and reasons for existence of Blackdove.
I N T R O D U C T A R Y . I N F O R M A T I O N
- Less commonly known in full as the "Veil of Blackdove." Aptly titled after its primary membership's street nickname, consider the phrase "Veil of Blackdove" a metaphorical suggestion to the true meaning of the agendas behind this seemingly mundane terrorist organization, in reality one of the City's greatest little white lies. Doves handle the vampyre end of this snide little political secret, but shockingly, or perhaps not, the "veil" is formed by state government L.D.H.O. officials serving to issue and carry out transportation orders. Humans are captured in the City by either Delos Patrol militia units or pathetically loyal Low Blood grunts, its prisoners bound and gagged, smuggled through the perimeter walls of Los Delos and then carted off into the Wasteland to be either immediately feasted upon or used as slaves, kept half drained of blood in an obedient zombie-like state as a supply "herd" for High and favored Intermediate Blooded vampyres.
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B A C K G R O U N D . I N F O R M A T I O N
- It became horribly apparent to the L.D.H.O. sometime in the last 50 years that though their dogma preached human superiority over vampyre to the populace, in truth they were fighting a losing war against the enemy. Current publicly accepted vampyre population statistics were anything but accurate, a bleakly accepted fact to City government officials. Roughly 20 years is required for a human to reach physical maturity, while a new vampyre could be created in the space of a few days. The news was bleak; humanity was quite literally being out-bread.
On the other side, the desert vampyre population (which at the time consisted of at least half the total vampyre populace) was in constant need of human cattle. Fresh, healthy human blood is needed to replace the vampyres' own dying red and white blood cells, but lacking quantities of vampyres loyal to the Sangiu'matii barred the two century old species from organization and an outright assault on humanity's superiority. For years the issue of finding a new blood source raged among the desert Sangiu'matii masses.
Both sides faced serious problems, neither possessing the resources to immediately usurp the other, and both quickly running out of time to reach a solution. And so a compromise was issued - a compromise in morality, and perhaps a compromise in the humanity of mankind itself. The City's own Delos Patrol could obviously not contain the urban rogue "Crestfallen" vampyres, so the Sangiu'matii would, in return for live human shipments every few months or so to the Wasteland vampyres. To maintain this agreement the front organization Veil of Blackdove was created. To the Los Delos public they appeared to be a terrorist group of human madmen, defying the L.D.H.O.'s popular claims of "the vampyres, contained, and only a sprinkling few remaining in the desert wilderness," and taking it upon themselves to personally remove the threat through whatever means they deemed necessary. In all freakish reality, the group handles the shipments of human cattle while their cover story strengthens the L.D.H.O.'s necessary presence to maintain and ensure survival in Los Delos City in the public's eye. The group itself consists of several dozen nameless Blackdoves, Low Blood loyal to the Sangiu'matii, and a City L.D.H.O. cabinet organization of top security clearance officials.
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A G E N D A
- The transport of live human cargo to be used as "cattle" and nourishment to the vampyres of the desert (the Wastelands) under joint L.D.H.O. and Sangiu'matii supervision, while protecting and maintaining positive redirecting media propaganda and ultimately the group's cover. Also, in return to seek out and destroy the urban Crestfallen rouges located in Los Delos. More recently Blackdove organization existence and importance has increased dramatically with the onset of the urban vampyre movement of the Spider's Dusk in the last 20 years. Mounting vampyre resistance in the City has put pressure on the organization to increased their original efforts to contain the rogue vampyre population in Los Delos or face their own eventual destruction as the urban vampyres band together.
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S U P P L E M E N T A R Y . I N F O R M A T I O N
- Little is known concerning locations of importance to Blackdove due to the humans' limited knowledge of the vampyre structures outside Los Delos walls. Popular speculation points toward the supposed "Hypostyle" stronghold rumored to exist as a center of business and activity among the core desert vampyre populace. In all likelihood, if such a structure exists then this would double as the delivery point of Blackdove's precious cargo. However many human vampyre analysts claim no such place could possibly exist given the assumed limited resources and supplies the Wasteland has to offer. These individuals rather believe that such a concentration of the vampyre population is far more subterranean as a whole, living in the closed underground Tram lines that once ran the length of the area at least a century ago, and that therefore this is surely where the human victims are being taken.
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M E M B E R S H I P & H I E R A C H Y
- Since the group depends on a low profile to succeed, few individuals are allowed to progress high enough in the rat race of human/vampyre politics to make membership of the Veil of Blackdove. Higher ups consist of Intermediates charged with the transportation of the cargo itself and the L.D.H.O. officials who organize the transfers. All members of the Veil of Blackdove (and not all Blackdoves as referring to the street nickname for the Intermediate vampyre subspecies) have twin black tattoos of a dove in flight positioned on their backs over each shoulder blade. This they receive immediately after initiation into the sacred order of blood carriers.
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h o m e
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