Updated: 01 April 1999

MYSTERIES OF FRANCE

                    France is a old country, with a long, very long history. Of course, in the middle of court intrigues, wars, or even common life events, some events had a clear special, or even supernatural touch. You will find there some of these events her, with or without their true explanation (in the Real World) and/or their World of Darkness explanation... Or even no explanation at all...

Le chevalier d'Eon (The Knight of Eon)

                    This adventurer lived from 1728 to 1810. His true name was Charles de Beaumont d'Eon. His true sex was unknown for long, but he was in truth a man who worn woman clothes and who signed ''La Chelavière'' (The ''she-knight''). It didn't prevent him/her to be a good soldier and an excellent diplomat.

Real World Explanation:
World of Darkness Explanation:

La Masque de Fer (The Iron Mask)

                    Voltaire tells us the history of a man, a possible twin of Louis the 14th, who was jailed in 1698 with an iron mask on his face to hide his features.

Real World Explanation: In truth, it was a black velvet mask a man, probably a d'Orléan heir had to wear only when someone entered his chambers in the Bastille fortress. Louis the 14th saw this cousin (who was not his twin, in blood or in appearance) as a possible rival for the crown, and so, had him jailed. To keep the identity of the ''velvet mask'' unknown, Louis the 14th manipulated some of great men of the time, among them Voltaire, who then wrote down the history of the Iron Mask. By the way, Louis the 14th was not a good king (in the spectrum good-evil, that is: In anything but for good of the people he was a competent king). Few, if not none, among the french kings could be seen as a good king. The french cut the head of the 16th Louis for that reason among others. Forget all this royalist crap and even the De Caprio's movie...
World of Darkness Explanation:

Quasimodo & Esmeralda

                    The doomed love the ugly Quasimodo felt for the beautiful Esmeralda, as told in the Victor Hugo's novel.

Real World Explanation: A good story.
World of Darkness Explanation: More than one Kindred wonder at the possibility. Some Elders speak of a Ravnos called Esmeralda who could have been in Paris in the 15th century, and with the existence of the Nosferatu, as well as François Villon in the role of ''Gringoire''. Most Elder scoff at this romantic idea, but the others who know a little wonder quietly at the Ravnos Disciplines Villon masters, look at the idea of a Gargoyle-Quasimodo with a kind of interest. After all, their official appearance dates from the 16th century, and it is possible a Gargoyle called Quasimodo... but then, who is Phoebus? And who is Frolo? Could this romance be in truth one of the greatest breach of the Masquerade made by Villon when meeting a Inquisitor? Could have Villon done, in 1831, the ''Dracula'' move, 68 years before Bram Stoker's novel was written???

TITRE 2

                    Texte

Real World Explanation:
World of Darkness Explanation:

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