"When civilizations end, they fall quickly," said Hiram, and the ancient vampire looked at the brood gathered around him. There were six of them, three males and three females. He'd turned them recently, and recruited them into the House of Nadir. Now, as Master of the House, it fell to Hiram to educate these fledgling vampires and transform into Knights, so that they might defend the Enclave. Someone had to stand between order and chaos, especially in an age where the Undead rule much of the world.
The newbie vampires listened with rapt attention as Hiram talked about the old days. They were in a secret underground lair, perhaps half a mile beneath what used to be the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Hiram, who was once a prince of Sidon, in what is now known as the Republic of Lebanon, gently stroked his beard. Tall, bronze-skinned and dark-haired, he didn't look a day over forty, even though he'd been walking the earth for close to three thousand years. As far as anyone knew, Hiram was the oldest vampire on the planet.
"The humans really screwed things up," said Hiram's protégé, a six-foot-four, burly and dark-skinned vampire named Erebus. A long time ago, while visiting West Africa, Hiram met a beautiful woman named Nadia, and fell in love with her. Nadia knew that Hiram was a vampire and did not fear him. When Hiram offered Nadia the gift of eternity, she happily accepted it. Hiram and Nadia spent many years living together in the Nok Kingdom, whose borders matched those of northern Nigeria. During their time together, Nadia and Hiram adopted a son, a young African named Erebus.
Born of an African father and a Berber mother, Erebus was exceptionally handsome and bright, and he knew that his adoptive parents Hiram and Nadia were not ordinary people. For starters, they spent the day sleeping in their vast villa, and their myriad servants were instructed to never disturb their slumber. They only came out at night, and whenever they ventured out into the nearby towns and villages, people went missing. Erebus remained loyal to his parents, for, in spite of their inhuman nature, they were kind to him. Hiram and Nadia were fabulously wealthy, and none in the Nok Kingdom dared to cross them.
When Erebus grew to manhood, Hiram turned him into a vampire, and along with Nadia, they formed an unholy trinity. The three of them traveled from place to place, and became legendary even among the Undead. The Eternal Family, that's what the other vampires called Hiram, Nadia and Erebus. Of course, all that ended in the third decade of the twenty first century. A civil war broke out in the United States, between a faction which wanted diversity and progress, and another which promoted xenophobia. Nuclear weapons were used, and the United States of America, one of the world's mightiest civilizations, ended.
A few million human beings died, but the damage done to the land, the sea and the air by the nuclear fallout seemed irreparable. Darkness descended upon the continent of North America, triggering an ice age. Millions more died, and the humans discovered that they had a new enemy, the race of the vampires. For tens of thousands of years, vampires have existed among humans, hiding in plain sight. With the continent of North America plunged into darkness for eighteen hours out of every twenty four hours, on a day to day basis, the vampires found the haven they'd spent centuries hoping for.
There are many factions vying for power among the vampires. Hiram, who hasn't seen his immortal wife Nadia since before the nuclear holocaust, leads the House of Nadir. They are a purported civilized group among the vampires. They feed only on evil men and evil women, and protect the human enclaves within their territories. For example, the House of Nadir rules what remains of the City of Boston, Massachusetts. With a population of two hundred thousand human beings, Boston is one of the largest remaining human settlements. While other vampire overlords enslave human enclaves and treat their denizens like cattle, the House of Nadir protects their charges.
