L E T A

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Nicoleta was born in the 2nd millenium/15th century, approximately in the year 1421 AD. She was born in Western Africa in a state called Igbo Kingdom of Nri. It is the oldest kingdom in Nigeria and she was born in the capital city of Igbo-Ukwu, which is also where she was turned at the age of twenty-seven. She was raised by Odinani religion, taught to worship the Supreme Being (Chukwu) which is the God of Creation. The religion is also based around the Igbo concept of the Cosmos, a notion about the great unknown. In ancient Igbo, the Cosmos is an endless space of visible and invisible beings. This is of extreme importance because Leta still upholds the practices and beliefs she learned in Igbo-Ukwu. She may refer to words like "Alusi" for Supernatural Forces or Deities, "Mmuo" for Spirits, "Uwa" for World. Some other words she may use related to the religion and her first language: "Anyanwu" (the Sun), "Chi" (the godly guardian), "Kpakpando" (the stars), "Enuigwe" (the heavens), "Ulukpu" (the clouds); "Onwa" (the moon); "Alaigwe" (the planets); "Ikuku" (the winds), "Mmadu"(human being), "Anumanu" (animal), "Ofia" (forests), Mmiri (water). The religion teaches that humans are the beauty of life, “egbe bere ugo bere” (Let the eagle perch, let the hawk perch), and their golden rule of religion is live and let live. Odinani expresses acting upon the right things; it is about following the dictates of our personal providence, Chi. Failure to do so, Agwu or other more potent evil forces take over our lives; we would keep running in circles and meeting bad spirits (ajo mmuo) or even Satan itself (Ekwensu).

Why is this important? Leta doesn't particularly like what she's become, she's just gotten used to it. She believes that she wronged someone in her past but truly can't pinpoint exactly where she went wrong. In Leta's eyes, this vampiric curse was brought to her as punishment for defying Chukwu or Chineke. She was turned around the year 1449 A.D. by an Ancient vampire, Nefertiti, (Named after one of the most powerful Queens in Eygpt), and migrated to Thebes (Luxor), Egypt to live with Nefertiti and the rest of her progenies. She doesn't recall ever having met Nefertiti prior to receiving the knowledge of her new supernatural abilities, so she couldn't tell you when or how she was turned. All she can tell you is that she was visited by a beautiful Egyptian vampire in her village one night as she met with her soon to be husband from the Benin Kingdom, she can no longer remember his name or any details pertaining to him. She was meant to be married at the age of fifteen, however, due to her remarkably blue eyes and the unique contrast between her skin and eyes, her parents had trouble offering her to any family in their own kingdom as well as others. During this time, due to trade, intermarriage was welcomed and often recommended. It took years for Leta to be paired with the young boy from the Benin Kingdom, and even once the marriage was set, it still took reassurance that she could reproduce because her age was concerning to the boy's parents. The night before her wedding was the last night anyone in Igbo-Ukwu ever saw Leta, at least until years later when she returned with a clan of her own. Till this day there are legends of Leta in the country of Nigeria and her clan of "nnụnụ abalị" or birds of the night.

While her eyes had been cause for rejection in her village for the entirety of her human life, Nefertiti admits to having sought after Leta because she was captivated by them. She knew there was something special about her, even when no one else could see it. She'd heard of the woman born with the most striking blue eyes and specks of brown drizzled around them, she'd also heard tales of this same woman with pertinent healing capabilities. Leta denies ever having healing powers as a human and claims that Chukwu simply listened to her prayers and granted healing to those who lived righteous lives. The Nri Kingdom was located on the larger side of the Niger river, this is particularly where ideas of witches and warlocks ran rampant. Many believed Leta to have been a witch brought to the villagers by Ekwensu because when she was born yam production was at its lowest. The Igbo people were very superstitious but also often avoided conflict. Leta came from a wealthy family, her father superb at Bronze sculpting, he had two other wives, and she was one out of twelve of his children. She was closest to her two younger siblings Adanna (Female) and Adami (Male), they were only about ten years old when she left, twins. The Igbo people had seven taboos, twins were among the seven. Just like Leta, Adanna and Adami were outcasted. They were the last two Igbo people to have seen her alive. She couldn't leave her village without saying goodbye to them as she'd raised them as if they were her own, she vowed to return for them one day once they were older. Sadly, she can hardly remember the faces or names of her other brothers and sisters. Leta's mother's name was Nneta, she helped in the farms and was marvelous with herbs and medicines. Her father's name was Obi, he focused primarily on trade and sculpting, he followed Odinani religion closely.

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The Ancient Vampire that turned Leta, Nefertiti, was born in 1360 BC., she originated from Nubia during the New Kingdom that lasted roughly from 1550 - 1070 B.C. The vampire came from a wealthy family that would sell slaves to the Phoenicians in exchange for gold, copper, ivory, and other valuables. During this time, Akhenaton reigned over Egypt and removed polytheism religion from history to create a monotheistic religion, where he and his wife were the only links to Aton (the god of the sun). Nefertiti was named after Akhenaton's wife who was known as "a sex goddess".  When Nefertiti was turned into a 'bird of the night' at the age of seventeen she believed that the God she so worshipped had cast her out. It is rumored that Nefertiti's maker was a direct descendent of the ancient Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who was the father of Akhenaton. It is speculated that it might have been one of Akhenaton's daughters, more specifically so the second daughter who was called Meketaten that give her this "disease" or "curse". Nefertiti rejects this, claiming her creator was male and had abandoned her early on. Unlike the so beloved New Kingdom's 'book of the dead', there was no 'book of the undead' for guidance. This drove her to seek revenge against the wealthy and any Pharaohs/royalty ruling that she believed Aton had blessed. However, when Akhenaton's reign ended and the young King Tut (Golden King) took over, she finally found out that the teachings of one God were made up entirely by the king and his wife. She eventually sought the help of a royal friend who claimed she could perform a sacred ritual that was written on papyri to call upon, Anubis, the Egyptian god of death and the afterlife for guidance. She believed that having worshipped the wrong God essentially caused a delay in curing her disease. The rite consisted of blessing one of the nine portions of the soul, the Akh, the immortal self. The royal friend theorized that the Gods made a mistake, granting Nefertiti immortality on earth rather than during the afterlife with her ancestors. Nefertiti concluded that the curse was irreversible shortly after this experiment, begrudging the man who did this to her but never able to locate him.

The anger and hatred she felt towards the betrayal of the sun God was now placed specifically on those in a position of high power, taking revenge on men like Akhenaton by seducing them. It wasn't until she met Tutankhamun, who was actually Akhenaton's son, that she ceased seeking revenge due to falling in love with the young Pharaoh. The King and Nefertiti began seeing each other in secret at night. She lived in an underground cave with a hand full of vampires in Thebes, Egypt. One night, she learned of a plan to murder King Tut and overthrow him, she only became aware because some of the King's advisors were working alongside the vampires. She devised a plan to try and save the king but it was too late, they had made it look like an accident with an injury to his knee, yet she knew that the king's blood had been drained and then he was poisoned. This was a major turning point for Nefertiti, she had learned to forgive through the act of loving Tut, but once that was taken away she'd developed a grudge towards men that would last well over 2,000 years. She saw what men would do for power and luxuries, and it was that same hatred, that changed her heart forever. She began seeking the very same things she claimed to loathe.


Having heard of the richest and most modern city of the ancient world, Nefertiti fleed North to Alexandria, Eygpt. It was during this time that Egypt became the greatest market place on earth. While many of Egypt's inhabitants were in pursuit of the perfect afterlife, she was engrossed with having all the luxuries the world could offer in the now, as her place in the afterlife had been denied by the God of Death. Many Egyptians were angry when Alexander the Great became king of Persia and conquered Egypt, but Nefertiti just saw him as another man who'd been hungry for power. She had little faith in the leadership capabilities of men, having witnessed many of the same mistakes repeated in history. It was also during this time that Ancient Egypt entered the age of decline, something she claimed was entirely the fault of men and the lineage of Rameses.

At the time, Alexandria was not only home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, but also the largest library of its time. Nefertiti did not only seek power and wealth but also knowledge being the pillar that would lead her to both her greatest desires. It was at this time that Nefertiti became infatuated with the vampiric curse and all the advantages that came with it. For centuries, she claimed that the sun had been her never-dying one true love, but as time went on her heart continued to grow colder. She no longer craved the warmth from the sun she thought to have betrayed her. She had spent so many years looming in the shadows trying to chase the sun until she fell in love with all the luxuries Alexandria promised. It was here that Nefertiti created what would become her two most noteworthy progenies, Berenice and Helios.

After granting Berenice and Helios the power of immortality, they both felt indebted to the vampire. She did not only promise them the fruit of everlasting life in exchange for abandoning the sun, but also guarantee that they would want for nothing.  She demonstrated her powers one night by persuading one of the successors of Alexander to build her a temple with her face and a fabricated story about her upbringing plastered all over the walls. The first stone was laid that night at approximately 170 BC.  Berenice and Helios were so fascinated that they willingly agreed to join her clan immediately, becoming the first two progenies that Nefertiti would keep without ever disposing of. Their loyalty was so imperishable that they treated the vampire as their queen. This was the origin of her "reign as a monarch" for the vampires of Egypt. She created her own empire, owning slaves that were bound to her for life (some of which, chose to 'self-sale' and offer their services to her at no cost/trade) who worked the temples and instilling a profound fear in the people of Alexandria. She had even formed an alliance with Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh Egypt ever saw, and the only pharaoh to have gained her respect in her time. She thought very highly of Cleopatra until she let men and the trickery of love cloud her vision and ultimately lead to her demise. Nefertiti was very wise, she'd watch the actions of kings and queens intently, learning from their mishaps and avoiding her own fall.


Fast forward over 1,000 years later, during the Burji Dynasty of Medival Egypt, Nefertiti really began expanding her clan becoming more selective of those she chose to welcome. The vampire aimed to double in size after having exiled or executed more than half of her progenies for disloyalty or incompetence. In her eyes, the actions of her progenies directly impaired how people viewed her and her ability to lead. Therefore, she hand-selected her progenies based upon certain criteria, she mainly recruited females with a select few males being welcomed to the clan (she saw this curse as a blessing and did not enjoy blessing men) - her mission was to create a clan that could easily adapt to the new world and the advancements of humankind over time. She looked for highly-skilled individuals with unique features like Leta's, outcasts, and freaks, individuals who were cunning and daring. She would travel all throughout Africa and the Middle East in search of the "chosen ones" and bring them back home with her. The ancient vampire would wait years before creating another progeny. She continued to view herself as a modern-day Queen, Berenice and Helios remained her secondhand and would bring prospective candidates to her night temple in Alexandria. She had been so picky that often the candidates were just used for feeding and then killed or merely disposed of. She feared no one and reveled in inseminating fear and confusion upon others, especially men. She'd often create tests of endurance, strength, and mental status for the candidates in order to ensure that she was getting the best of the best. Nefertiti's progenies were not allowed to create vampiric life, she was the one who held all the power and control, and only she could create and select new vampires.

In Autumn, the Bubonic "Black Death" plague hit Alexandria, it emerged from a ship that derived from Constantinople - This was right before the Burji Mamluks usurped the throne. The plague lasted between 1346-1353 AD., it almost wiped half of Egypt's population and threatened the safety of vampires as the world went through major changes economically and socially. Cities were holding mass funerals/burials for the dead. Many who knew or speculated about vampires claimed the plague actually derived from the bite of a "bat" or "bird of the night" instead of rodents/fleas. The vampires who had long been left alone and unchallenged remained in their night temple until driven out by Circassian sultans. Thereafter, Nefertiti made the difficult choice to leave her temple behind and attempt to migrate back whatever was left of Thebes, the true heart of Ancient Egypt, according to her. Most of what was left were ruins, a place that had been her home for centuries. She split her clan in three parts, sending one portion to establish themselves in Gaza under the authority of Berenice, while the other was sent to Cairo under the guidance of Helios as Cairo was specifically strong in trade.

Nefertiti choose to remain in Thebes (formally known as Waset to the Egyptians), in an area that would later be called Luxor. She thoughtfully selected the progenies who remained with her and the ones who joined later. Luxuries, golds, silvers, and many other valuables were brought to Nefertiti. She decided to attempt and rebuild Thebes with her vampiric clan, in search of those deemed worthy enough of the new empire. This was when Leta, and many other progenies from Africa and around the globe, unified with Nefertiti's army of vampires.


Nefertiti saw herself as a creator of everlasting life - the ultimate gift. It was when the Ottoman's conquered Egypt that she began seeing herself as more than a modern monarch, but a God herself. At this point in time, Nefertiti refused to drink from the polluted skin of humans but instead ordered to be fed by an ancient golden vessel found within the ruins. Every night she would be fed through this vessel by a progeny. As slaves rebuilt temples and buildings for her, she became more and more greedy, unhappy with the slow-moving progress of the city. She continued to abuse her slaves and her progenies because their sole purpose was to serve her. It is unclear what became of Nefertiti, she disappeared mysteriously without a trace around October - 1684 AD., the 17th century. Nefertiti's progenies had grown tiresome of her authoritarian ways and hunger for power and wealth, they sought to overthrow her. There was also a tale that Helios betrayed her and sold her out to the sultans (her enemies that had remained in power after the ottoman's conquered) However, It is unknown if there was any foul play in her disappearance. Some believe she was murdered while others believe she went into hiding and still remains hidden. There is an urban legend that the Plotemaic vampire Berenice still searches for her today.

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Leta was turned in the year 1449 AD, she was sought after in Africa by Helios who then reported to Nefertiti. Leta's maker never traveled outside of Egypt for a progeniture, but when she learned of Leta she was so intrigued she couldn't wait and had to see her for herself. Pleased with what she had seen, Leta did not have to perform any test of endurance or mental status to join the clan. Under compulsion, she went to Thebes with Nefertiti and Helios, where she was finally turned into a vampire. At first, Leta cherished her new clan and the vampiric powers that came with it. However, as the years went on the ache for her blood family only grew stronger.

She believed her parents were much too old for this lifestyle and never created a bond with her other siblings, but she remembered the promise she vowed to keep to her twin brother and sister, Adanna and Adami. Now that she finally felt accepted for who she was and what she could only hope to become, she wanted a safe haven for her brother and sister that had been rejected in the Nri Kingdom. When she approached Nefertiti with this desire, she accused Leta of wanting to commit treason and denied her request. The following day, Nefertiti decided to grant Leta her wish but only on the bases that she'd pick one. Leta, of course, could not do this. Nefertiti decided to choose for her, and thus, Adanna was welcomed into the clan but resided in Gaza with Berenice. Leta never got the chance to see her sister, Nefertiti would never come to allow it.

As for Adami, the ancient vampire was merciless, she saw no use for the boy and ordered to have him brought to Thebes to be executed. She wanted to make a statement, to prove to not only Leta, but the entirety of her clan that everything comes with a price and that they are better off not making any "silly" demands. And if they dare ask, they must be willing to make a sacrifice. Adami was only about sixteen when he was beheaded in front of those in the clan that resided in Thebes, including Leta. Shortly after the incident, Nefertiti compelled Leta to forget her twin siblings for one hundred years. She wanted her to remember that day forever, but it was more convenient for her to use time as a means to lessen the grieving period. She was creating space, she would say. As Leta became closer to Nefertiti, so her fear grew. That fear was only heightened in the years to follow as she witnessed atrocities she never would imagine a woman, or even a vampire, was capable of.  


Nefertiti compelled Leta to reveal her deepest desire, what she found was that it was merely to be accepted/wanted, and this was pitiful to her. Nefertiti used this knowledge against Leta, manipulating her, and always attempting to convince her that she was one of her favorites. Her objective was to get Leta to do her bidding willingly. For a long time, it worked, until the dreams began, until she remembered them. After the memory of her siblings resurfaced, Nefertiti asked her the same question, but this time her answer was to be with her sister Adanna. The devotion Leta had to her sister frightened her, she ordered for Adanna to be removed from Gaza and placed elsewhere outside of Egypt. Adanna had Heterochromia Iridium, one of her eyes was as bright a blue as Leta's, while the other was brown. Adami, the other twin, did not possess this physical feature/deformity. This deformity would make her easy to find. Leta frequently traveled from Thebes to Cairo to Gaza following orders from Nefertiti to help transport gems, golds, goods, and search for potential candidates for the family. Without knowing Nefertiti moved Adanna, she searched the city of Gaza up and down, she did so for years. Meanwhile, Nefertiti selected Berenice as her successor were she to ever fall, and appointed Leta as her new right hand - closely behind Helios.


The longer she lived under the authority of Nefertiti the more she saw how power and fear not only affected the hearts of humans but also those of vampires. She not only witnessed the heart of Nefertiti grow blacker than coal, but also those of Berenice and Helios. Helios was angry that Nefertiti chose Berenice over him. He knew exactly why she did too. Leta always tried to steer clear of both of the originals, they were just as cruel as Nefertiti, sometimes if not more. Leta became one of the main progenies that fed Nefertiti through the golden vessel found in one of the ruins. There came a point where she would do so every night because Nefertiti did not trust anyone else.

Leta began to notice how Nefertiti would refer to herself as not a queen, nor a goddess, but a god. Things were changing inside of her, she was still dead, but a fire that had begun to dim over time burned bright all over again. She began to want more than what she could possess, she was displeased with everything, and any little mistake brought about a rage she hadn't seen in centuries. It was during this time that Helios kept returning less and less, his visits became virtually non-existent. Leta would overhear hushed conversations between Nefertiti and Berenice, 'What do you mean you cannot find him?, and Berenice would answer honestly and with her assumptions.

The feeling of betrayal was too much for Nefertiti to bear, especially coming from Helios, another man, but he wasn't just any man. Leta, on the other hand, did not feel sorry for her maker. Just like many others, she wished her an unrelenting fate. Nevertheless, Nefertiti sent out a group of vampires to search for Helios and bring him back to her for repentance. It is said that Helios convinced those vampires to run with him instead of her, and then shortly after the Fall of Nefertiti was all anyone could talk about. Her disappearance left chaos amongst the clan. Everyone dispersed and began clans of their own or followed Helios. The bulk of the clan was too much for Berenice to seize control of, but she did gain some loyal followers of Nefertiti who went with her proudly. Leta migrated to Africa shortly after this, but she kept the thousands of years old golden vessel that belonged to her maker, she still owns it today. She has no idea if Nefertiti was still out there, but this was a blessing to her, after hundreds of years, she was finally free.



Once the clan had degenerated, Leta made her way to Gaza in search of her sister Adanna and what was left of the clan under Berenice's jurisdiction. She never did find Adanna and began to question if she was ever even chosen as a progeny for Nefertiti in the first place. Without her sister by her side, her only true family, she went to Africa in search for a little piece of home. Upon returning home she quickly realized this wasn't like the home she remembered at all. People now practiced Christianity over Odinani, and the African people were being transported on ships to be sold as slaves to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade. The voyage to the Americas was so dangerous that many of the slaves died on the ship, never even stepping foot on American soil. This is what urged Leta to start creating progenies of her own, having been forbidden to create vampiric life on her own by her maker. The slaves could not defend themselves and had no one fighting for them, Leta saw this as unfair so she wanted to level the playing field.


In the 19th century, Leta decided to create her first progeny. She didn't just stop at one, she continued to create in hopes that she was "saving" the lives of those she turned by giving them a fate that stole their human life but granted them immortality and immunity from a man-made disease called slavery. Similar to Berenice and Helios, her progenies felt indebted to her. For the first time in centuries the role was reversed, Leta was the one people looked up to now, she is the one that made orders. As the years went on, she started to become greedy, mimicking what she was taught from her maker. She had lost her empathy, she'd lost her way entirely. Not only was she becoming gruesome, but so were her progenies. They had been careless with human life, wanting power over the British who tried to enslave their people. She knew they'd never beat them, it was far too many of them and too little of them. She knew she couldn't turn the whole population into vampires, which would leave them with nothing to feed on if at all possible. How much she loved power scared her, she decided to leave her clan behind, letting those false cravings die with her position as leader.



Leta boards a ship with a one-way ticket to New York, many told her she would not be welcome there, but she went anyways. Here she meets a vampire named Dalton. He fills her in on some gruesome American History, his background, and his crucial role in the Civil war that ended in 1865. In return, she told him about her time in Egypt, her story, and all the vampires she'd dealt with thus far. Both Dalton and Leta were alone, which was odd as they weren't infants. Nonetheless, he became her only ally. They once had a romantic relationship but it lasted less than a decade, Leta remained in New York City meanwhile Dalton took a bus headed west.


Leta spoke with Dalton on and off over the years, long enough to keep tabs, but conversations short enough not to spill too much. It was in the year 2018 that Dalton called Leta telling her she should relocate northwest, there was less sun there and the vampiric presence stronger, at this point he lived in Washington. Leta was hesitant, having known what was in his heart and how he'd never truly healed from not just the war but the racist crimes of the whites in America. She had been in upstate New York and had some vampire friends but no one she felt truly aligned to. Hunter activity continued to grow in the east, she needed her ally back, so she willingly moved to Evergreen Grove. Now she resides in vampire territory. She lives near Dalton and his two progenies, Kendra and Shade Lee.