Real Name: Maria Elizabeth Falmouth
Alignment: Villain
Faction: Shadow Axis
Maria Falmouth was always interested in dark and dangerous things. She was financially indulged by her parents who were frequently occupied elsewhere and always emotionally absent. Maria learned that she had to entertain herself at a young age. Excess led to greater excess, and she found herself as a teenager engaging in a wild and hedonistic lifestyle, using money and deceit to access the experiences she desired, never quite filling the void in her soul.
Maria’s fascination for life’s darker things grew alongside her descent into further indulgence. Her path led her to Hades, a club she had not heard of before, and she was sure she had sampled every high- and low-class place in Empire City.
Hades’ proprietor was Damon Hallion. His club quickly became the latest trendy hangout for many young people with too much money and too little self-restraint, and Maria was at the vanguard of ‘discovering’ it. Intrigued by the young woman, Hallion allowed her into his circle.
There was something different about Hallion. His excesses didn’t mirror Maria’s own. In a heady atmosphere he remained sober, but not obviously so, as he charmed his patrons. Once within his inner circle she had more extreme experiences until at least she learned Hallion’s secret – that creatures of the night were real and not imaginary, and that he was a vampire and Hades enabled him a steady supply of sustenance.
Within short time Maria was given the ‘embrace’ and became one of Hallion’s vampire consorts. However, within her a strong ambition was suddenly ignited, along with a power that had lain dormant until it was triggered.
Maria fed as other vampires did, but something was lacking. She began to work the vampires of the city, building loyalty to herself above all, and ensuring all were content in a subtly shift of power to her. She indulged her growing flock to cement her influence.
When one of her thrall eventually stepped out of line Maria feasted on him, her might far greater than his. Something other than vampirism coursed through her veins but combined with her thirst for blood she realized in that moment that vampire blood was a greater boon to her than mere human blood.
Maria quickly set in motion a chain of events that sundered the vampire community in the city, leading to Hallion’s destruction. The last vampires in Empire City were hers and hers alone, as Hallion’s loyalists served only to slake her thirst. Too late her followers realized their error. Now the few vampires of her city keep to the deepest shadows, periodically offering the embrace to unfortunates to provide food for the Red Queen. Her legend has spread far, and no vampire has yet challenged her supremacy.
“The Red Queen thirsts!”
Red Queen – Tales to Terrify #137