The Masson Family

The Masson family is a line of vampire hunters and ex-french nobility (though I wouldn’t tell them that bit to their face) that go pretty far back in history. The Massons are adamant about tradition, heritage, and keeping a good face. Some of their beliefs are archaic of course. Their strong pride in being a family if purely human blood and their public disapproval of anything else is one example.

The Archives
Once housed on the Masson family estate in France, the archives are kept in the library of the Masson house in New York. The archives carry any and all information about vampires as well as collected information about other supernatural beings. Also, since the mid 17th century, the Masson children were conditioned to keep journals for the sake of future generations. There are journals dating back before this of course, but the bulk are post 17th century. Not all children actually kept up with these journals, but nearly all leaders did. For instance, in the current Masson family, Henri, Gabrielle, and Julien keep journals but Cordelia chooses not to.

The Poisoned One
Essentially this the Masson ghost story. The story goes that in the 18th century, the youngest son of the family died tragically on a hunt to raise again from the dead. Rumor has it that he remains living until this day. Now it isn’t a ghost story in the sense that it is actually the son’s immortality blood kicking in, but it sure does scare the Masson family. The thought that there is impurity in their bloodline scares the crap out of them. The family has a firm belief that any impurity must be corrected by killing the child (or banishing them and faking their death which is clearly the better option). Children are conditioned with this story to fear the potential that their child may be the next immortal and that they will have to kill their child. Oh, and that Poisoned One who was the first and only immortal to ever occur in the Masson line so far who ruined their pure blood, we know him fondly as Fletch.

The Noble Five (The Origin of the Masson Hunters)
The Masson family first became hunters in the 1300’s with the Noble Five. Back before the Black Death really got in full swing and France was still doing the Hundred Years war thing with England, the Masson were nobility. Old nobility as they are so fondly called. Back then the Masson landholding, a whole county with a castle and everything, sat outside of Paris (which eventually got closer to them as the city expanded with time).

The noble five were the five remaining children of the Count and Countess. The Count was at away at war with no sign of ever returning and the Countess was on her deathbed with illness. The eldest boy, Jaques, became the head of the house. He was a knight, well trained as he had spent time away at the war only to come back with an injury. Then there was the second son, Victor. Who was noble, a good fighter, and a good man. Next came Claude, the only Masson who could read and write as he was a man of the church. After was Ansel, hot headed and strong. Lastly was Marie, the youngest girl, who was beautiful but had a habit of ignoring her suitors to pursue more male-like activities such as archery, which she excelled in when nobody was looking.

Their county faced the threat of a monster. For years, before even Jaques’ birth, it would attack peasants in the night. The bodies would be mauled, eaten alive. However, with time, the body count rose and the peasants lived in constant fear. Victor urged action, for the sake of the innocent and Jaques felt that it was his duty to protect their people. Finally, Jaques rallied his brothers, calling for a search to find the monster when it would strike. They left one night, followed by Marie who wore a disguise. Eventually they came upon a house that was in upheaval. When they went inside they discovered that the monster was a man, with fangs and eyes full black.

The five attacked it and as they fought they saw that the man possessed superhuman qualities. They were outmatched. And when the monster attacked the family, injuring the family and grabbing Marie about to bite at her throat. It was then that the second son, Victor, stepped forward. He recognized the monster’s lust for blood and cut open his wrist to entice the monster away. Famously, he spoke the words, “Spare my family, spare the innocent, take me instead.” And when the monster did the others ran away.

The remain children ran and so moved by their brother’s sacrifice decided not to let it go in vain. They learned from the night the creature’s weaknesses and struck some weeks later to kill the monster. It was then forth that the Masson’s hunted the monsters they came to know as vampires. The four remaining children decreed then that they would fight the vampires for they saw it as their duty to protect the innocent. It was then also set that when the eldest son came of age, he would lead his brothers and sisters in their battle.

The Noble Five are more commonly known among the family and in lessons by their titles:

Jaques the Brave Victor the Good Claude the Wise Ansel the Strong Marie the Bold These five titles also link to the teachings of the family (Be brave, good, wise, etc.). The sacrifice of the Second Son is recognized on their coat of arms with the cresent moon which is the symbol for second son as well the symbol for glory and enlightenment (which at the time the Masson’s saw themselves as enlightened due to their knowledge of vampires).

The Traditions
So most of their traditions are pretty simple. At five you begin to train in earnest. After passing some tests you are give weapons. Your first hunt is at sixteen (this used to be earlier back in the day but now it’s sixteen). Your first kill is a call for celebration

Marriage is another thing. None of the children are allowed to marry anyone not approved of by the family. Typically the family sets up sort of arranged marriages for their children.

Hunting is a secret. Always a secret. Your spouse is allowed to know but that’s it outside the family.

All Massons have a lot o kids. More kids means more hunters.

Coat of Arms
Considering I did mention it. The coat of arms underwent major change in the 14th century and came up the way it is now. I have it drawn up but it’s terrible so let me just give you a briefing. It’s a two gold dragons on either side of a gold framed maroon oval. Inside the oval there is a gold crescent and a gold bell (which symbolizes the power to disperse evil). Below there is text that reads “In Nocte Cadit Gravis” which means ‘The Night Falls Heavy”.