AUTHOR NOTES & CHARACTER BACKSTORY:

This story follows my protagonist Mara- a vampire seer that has arrived in Kattegat following the death of its original seer, and in the midst of a civil war between the sons of Ragnar.

In this universe vampires adhere to most of if not all the traditional rules and mythos of vampirism. I have made an exception to things like sunlight however- in my story vampires are still incredibly sunlight sensitive (think of it as an extreme allergic reaction of sorts), but it will not completely barbeque them and kill them. In my own universe/tale, the sunlight serves to drastically drain and weaken them. They are sensitive- physically and mentally to sunlight's effects (especially direct sunlight), and they prefer to avoid it since it is draining to them and quite discomforting. However, they will still be out and about during the day if needed- usually with some kind of coverage like a cloak, hood, etc. and/or they will likely be seen sticking to overcast conditions or shaded areas. Also, I've scraped the whole nonsense about garlic and also holy water etc.

Most of the other traditional rules and mythos will stay true and apply to my universe's vampires; some of these will be familiar and absolute cornerstones on the whole vampire mythos, some will be subtle and not directly referenced and/or will remain ambiguous throughout.

I will also hopefully be drawing a lot from pre-Christian vampire mythology as a basis; as it is integral to the backstory of my character Mara. I've drawn particular inspiration for this character from another story I've read online regarding vampire/Greek mythology (so, I've basically used that as a kind of jumping off point for this character and her backstory FYI...I'm not sure what/how to credit that other story exactly because I've seen it titled multiple things and posted on various online sources...so, that's me just throwing that out there for you guys- but it's a simple find if you just google some key phrases). Also, I borrowed a bit regarding the transformation and siring process from the White Wolf/Vampire the Masquerade universe.

This fanfiction will remain primarily a short kind of one-shot type of thing (although a one-shot with several chapters).

If the reception for this story and its main character are good and people like it, then perhaps I'll look into writing some more stories involving Mara or perhaps I'll seek to continue this particular story (I am open to suggestions).

CAST:

MARA 

(Played by: Ana Ularu)

Things to know about my protagonist Mara:

1. She was the oracle/seer of Delphi- known as Pythia in her mortal life and has since abandoned that name along with her past humanity. (FYI- Pythia served as a title for the chosen oracles, but also a name in this particular instance for my character.)

2. Her sire's name is Ambrogio. (Ambrogio in some early myths- according to the stories I've read- is known as one of the first vampires. He fell in love with a maiden Selene at the temple of Delphi- where the sister of Selene/the oracle Pythia served. Through a series of various events Ambrogio ends up being cursed by the God's with vampirism and is sworn from ever being with his love Selene. In my story he saves Selene's sister- the Oracle Pythia from burning at the stake and turns her. He does this out of his love for her sister Selene but also as a way to be closer to Selene herself since the two share a slight resemblance.)

3. My character Mara's personality yo-yo'sand she can oftentimes spiral...be paradoxical and is completely unpredictable (think of her character alignment as being Chaotic Neutral folks).

4. She unbalanced at times and suffers from some kind of unnamed/ambiguous mental illness (in my universe it is common that the older a vampire gets and the longer they are alive the more their sanity can potentially unravel...this is especially a problem for my protagonist and a bit of a character flaw).

5. She often sees the ghost/has mental hallucinations of her dead sire.

6. She is a seer and her visions and prophecies are usually true although at times cryptic (She herself even oftentimes struggles with conflicts centered around the ideas of fate and freewill).

7. Her visions led her to Kattegat, and to the dead seer- prophetic images and dreams lead her in her travels and ultimately to her journey to Kattegat and to the sons and allies of Ragnar.

8. She is intelligent, conniving, and sexually open (as in she's not specific as to her preferences)- oftentimes she can be a kind of man eater/femme fatale type of character.

She will also usually take a fancy/obsession to particular individuals and string them along for her own entertainment or to use for her own personal devices and/or gain.

9. Although, she is manipulative and kind of a bitch, she is also surprisingly vulnerable at times, and does secretly wish for love and affection (probably because the love and affection she has sought and/or received has either been one-sided, faked/coercive, and short-lived).

10. A part of her embraces her vampiric nature and sees herself as above mortals, yet she also has instances where she breaks down and is especially vulnerable and yearns for her lost humanity.

She straddles the line between self-described monster/villain and remorseful victim...

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Brief AN:

Primarily Harald/OC (I actually really love Harald guys...especially given how he's developed so far in the show...) with some slight Ivar/OC flirtations (Not complete Ivar...because quite frankly I absolutely fucking hate and despise that character- I know I'm probably likely the only one out here that doesn't like him given the shit loads of Ivar fanfiction's there are that exist...)

Also, this is going to be rated mature because I plan on having some sex scenes later on. (What are vampires without sex eh?)

Likewise, I've played a bit with how I've written and formatted this story; and I decided to write it partly like a screenplay- for primarily my own ease of writing (it's easier and faster for me to write shit like a script).

Anyways, hope you all like this small tumble into the Vikings universe that I've written...and please let me know what you think with comments and/or votes!

Thanks, and enjoy! <3 xoxox

-DangerElf