Anniballe was born the daughter of Count Albert III of Gorizia, one of three brothers who jointly ruled the regions of Gorizia, Corinthia and the marches of Carniola. When she was around 9 years old she was diagnosed with a wasting disease unknown to the doctors of that time. At the time it was explained to her that she was sick and needed to stay indoors and out of the limelight. Her priest told her that all disease was given by god because of a lack of piety, perhaps not in her but in the village. Her doctors told her that the disease was caused by her deep seated laziness, they reasoned that on the day of her sister's funeral she was lazy and wanted to sit down then the elements of science (corespondance, life, entropy, matter, spirit, forces(earth, air, fire and water), mind and time) formed together within her and brought the disease about. Essentially they were both saying she brought the disease on herself, but for different reasons. Anniballe knew she was not pious so she would be elligable for gods wrath, and she knew she always felt tired long before the day she feinted at her sister's funeral, but in her mind these were irrelevant, it was her father's dissapintment which really hurt.

And so Anniballe grew up in almost complete solitude, locked in her room within Schloss Bruck. She would spend hours reading (in Latin) about far away places and dreaming of adventure, and watching the people go about their business in the market square far below her window. Twice every day the doctor would come, she would be worked like a scullery maid then bled with leeches until she was paralysed. To Anniballe solitude was her only true friend, everything else was either emotionally or physically painful.

The disease meant that Anniballe would spend only a few hours awake at any one time, and so she was often up, sitting on her windowsill watching the sleeping town below during the darkest parts of the night. The disease by this time had really taken its toll on her body, she was under developed as a woman, and it was a struggle to eat food, and winter had been exceptionally difficult, she had almost slept the whole time. She knew from these things that the next winter would be her last.

All of this changed when in a chance encounter she befriended a servant. She knew the servants in the castle from her days working, but this was the girl who cleaned the bedpots at night, the lowest of all of the servants in the castle. She was called Afya, and beneath the grime she had an exotic natural beauty and a keen intelligence. She was also remarkably well travelled, it turned out that she had come from the holy land with her father, a spice merchant. Afya had become an orphan a few years ago when her and her father found themselves too close to a battle on the border of Bohemia and was killed trying to defend his wares. After that Afya had been taken to a place for orphans by the church and eventually ended up at a castle in Austria. That castle was captured by the Count's forces last year and now she was here, in Lientz. The pair talked for hours every night, mostly about the gossip of the daytime castle, and imagining the lives of the townsfolk who Anniballe had never met. Though Anniballe also taught Afya proper Austrian and to read Latin too. In return Afya taught Anniballe how to read Arabic, and the classical mathematics and sciences of the Muslims. Afya also introduced Anniballe to an eastern substance she called Hashish, this was burned in a stolen insence burner from the chappel and the smoke filled the room and made the girls giggle. It also took away the pain of Anniballe's bones, and for a few short hours every night she dreamed she was normal and fogot the imminancy of winter.

Completely unknown to Anniballe her family had a dark secret, the darkest posible. In total secret they followed an infernal pagan faith, they had sacrificed her sister on the night of her 17th birthday to some nameless demon. They believed this awarded them several advantages, primarily good health for them and the town was assured, this was proved when the great pestilence left the town alone. And secondly it afforded Albert the primarch of the family, an unnaturally long and vigorous life without the rigors of age.

Afya told Anniballe that she was running out of Hashish, but could get more. The pair stole money and forged travel papers and Afya left the castle, promising to return well before Anniballe's 17th birthday. Anniballe waited every night, she rationed the Hashish but the last had run out long before her birthday. Eventually her birthday arrived and Afya had not returned. The doctor became more serious, her father even turned up in her room, but was even more serious and stern than usual. She struggled out of bed and listened at the door. They were talking about her. Albert said "it is finally time, tonight I finally gain control". This was answered by a raspy voice out of Anniballe's worst nightmares "you have done well to keep her alive this long doctor, but I must make sure she is ready, collect as much of her vitae as you can without killing her and bring it to me now.". Anniballe was terrified, she did her best to fight but as always she was too weak. Her father held her down while the doctor used the leaches to take her blood. This time at least three times as many as usual and long after the paralysis set in the leaches continued to take her blood, eventually she fell unconcious.

Anniballe awoke to find Afya looking down at her. She was in a panic and had a goblet filled with some liquid. Anniballe knew it was blood. "Drink" commanded Afya warmly, but Anniballe could tell she was in a panic. Their were footsteps in the hallway outside the room. "There is so much I have to tell you", continued Afya "You are not the first, it is always when the child is 17 years old. I do not know why, but this has been going on in this town for centuries. Your sister, John-henry the boy who was Count before the three brothers, and more. I wish I could help, I begged that I could do something. This is greater than you alone, you must be brave. Drink this and we can stop this evil. We can deny it it's sacrifice and we can pray to any god who will listen that is enough." Anniballe drank. The liquid was slow, it filled her with strength more potent than the hashish. "I don't know where they will take you but lie back and let them, if you are patient and keep your wits you will get your chance. You will only have one instant though, so you must time it perfectly. Do not let them use a knife or any sword or spear. Do not let them grab you. And most importnt of all, do not look in any of their eyes. You have only one chance to escape and deny them their sacrifice, to deny them your life and your blood."
"What? .. do you mean .. this is it then? It is over for me?"
"Yes, but be strong and brave and we can stop whatever it is they are planning."
Anniballe nodded, and felt somehow calm. She finally knew it would all be over. The pain, the leaches, the loneliness.

Then Afya stepped back into the wardrobe as the door burst open. Men in hoods and a few guards filled the room and grabbed her roughly. They dragged her to the top of the tower where a stone table waited with ropes. She was forced down, though she did not struggle. And she was tied to the table, though her hands were small and she knew she could pull them free. They were lax as she seemed so weak, she seemed unable to move. Her father looked her in her eyes and said "Relax, it will be over in a moment" and she smiled at him causing a flutter almost of regret. Behind him in the corner of the tower she saw a tall figure. Unnaturally tall, but under the cowl she saw its face. It was a woman. It was odd though, it had cloven hooves for feet, rams horns, a forked tongue, it had short legs for its size and Anniballe realised the woman ended at her waist normally and there was another set of arms, and shoulders where her waist should be. It had an androgenous raspy voice and it raised its four arms to the sky and spoke words, like a priest might do but not in latin. Anniballe relaxed, as she felt she had been commanded to do. She waited but there were men in red cowls all around her. After a while her father went to a lecturn and took up a knife and returned. The men around her finally took a step back. While the raspy voice droned on her father held the knife aloft and looked down at her "You know that this would have been your last year, at least this way you can be of use to us .. to me". The right time or not, Anniballe silently and in one fluid motion slipped her hands and legs free of the loose ropes and leapt from the table. Her father shouted angrily "No, you selfish girl!". She looked at him briefly and saw the demon's face suddenly enraged, everything was in slow motion it seemed time had slowed to a crawl. The potion she was given perhaps? Indeed she had but one moment and one moment alone of this slow time. She glanced at the door back into the castle. Two heavily armoured guards stood in the way. She cuold see only one action which would deny this demon what it wanted.

She ran and lept off the opposite side of the tower from her father and the demon. It was fast, even as she cleared the ramparts as she glanced over her shoulder she saw its arms had only narrowly missed grabbing her legs. How had it crossed the tower so quickly? It felt like an age before she felt the rocks in her back, and a strange sort of bounce as her body smashed.

She awoke in an old abandoned farm cottage. Afya was their. A guard lying nearby. She could taste the blood from the knife wound which had not yet killed him in the air. She could feel the pounding of his failing heart. She could hear the gurgling of his separated throat as he tried to breathe. She could not control herself. She leapt at him and sucked and drank.

When she was done she lept away horrified at what she had done. There was clearly no liquid left in the corpse, and she had even liked the blood from the ground too. "Messy" Afya said. "You will get better at that though".
"What .. what am I? what .. did I fail? did the demon get me after all?"
"No Anni. No the demon did not get you. But, you have just become the most important vampire in the world and we need to get you as far away from here as we can. And as fast as we can."
"Vamme-pyre?" Anniballe asked, curiosity overwhelming her ".. What is one of those?"