Families Vance and Pendrake
The Vance Bloodline – The Blades in the Veil
"We are not kings, we are not gods. We are the knife that keeps them honest."
Blood Origin
The Vance blood runs hot with the ichor of Achilles himself — a lineage traced through the siege of Troy, preserved by a demi-mortal champion of Ares who abandoned the god’s service. Instead of serving the war god’s eternal campaigns, he swore his descendants to defend — and when necessary, manipulate — mortal sovereignty. This bloodline became one of the first human powers to walk between mortal and divine realms without bowing to either.
When the Glamour Law was enacted at the end of the Mythic World War, the Vances served as executioners for the gods and the Watchers alike — quietly eliminating divine insurgents in alleys, palaces, and temples. For a century, their name was spoken in the same tone as an approaching storm.
Mythic Traits
Achilles’ Gift: Near-inhuman durability and physical power; resistance to most divine compulsions and commands.
Battle Sense: Reflexes that allow them to react before most opponents have even moved.
Weapon Mastery: A Vance can master any melee weapon in days, and many display supernatural skill barehanded.
Hunter’s Instinct: Can track a target through crowds by breath changes, heartbeat, or scent.
Why They Are Feared
The Vances rewrote the rules of divine combat in the modern era. They have slain gods, demi-gods, and divine champions in the dark without ceremony. Mortal governments and criminal syndicates both fear that the family can — and will — decide the outcome of wars long before they start.
Present Day Role
The Vance line is split between two visible branches:
High-Crime Syndicates: Controlling rackets, smuggling, and assassinations from the shadows.
Shadow-Guardian Enclaves: Operatives who defend the Veil, destroying threats before they spill into mortal life.
No matter the branch, all Vances live by the same truth: a Vance never fights without purpose.
Notable Members
Heihachi Vance – The Immortal Contract
The oldest known living Vance, two centuries in the game. Has slain three gods, rides a warhorse named Kuroho, and operates by a strict personal code. Eternal family guardian and harsh teacher.
Kazumi Vance – The White Tiger of the First Watcher
Wife of Heihachi, beast-wielding assassin bonded to the divine tiger Rasetsu. Outwardly recovering from an “illness,” secretly suppressing her original divine self — the first Watcher in history.
Kazuya Vance – The Quiet Mercenary
Former world-class mercenary and eldest son of Heihachi. Retired to a quiet life near Yosemite after the birth of his son Jazuya ended his rivalry with his father. Chaotic good, fiercely protective.
Jazuya Vance – The Arcane Mafioso
7’3” demi-god marksman with supernatural precision. Chaotic good but unpredictable in battle. Known for ranged attacks that stun gods and mortals alike.
Jin Vance – The 97 Styles
Kazuya’s brother, scarred over the right eye from a family feud. Lawful good, traveling master of 97 martial arts, followed by a growing group of younger Vance disciples.
Garlo Vance – The Spring Valley Wolf
Vegas-born enforcer turned exile. Inherited Achilles’ blood gift without knowing it until he pushed past mortal limits. Now in Bellingham, intent on building his own gang from nothing.
Other Key Kin
Bob Vance – Fire magic specialist and cleanup mercenary.
Carl Vance – Underground fight legend, UFC veteran before its shutdown.
Rico Vance – Agile, mischievous up-and-comer.
Laura Vance – Tactical gear-wearing enforcer, protective of her kin.
Family Doctrine
Never fight without cause.
Contracts are sacred.
Betrayal is death.
The Veil comes before pride.
The Pendrake Line – The Oathforged
"We are the blade in the stone — unmoved by time, unbroken by gods."
Blood Origin
Born from the last mortal knight of Camelot, the Pendrake line descends from Sir Cadeyrn, who refused Avalon’s eternal peace to remain in the mortal world. His oath bound his bloodline to defend the mortal realm from both divine interference and mortal ambition gone unchecked. They became the personal sword arm of the Watchers, the dueling champions who stood between gods and mortals during the early shaping of the Veil.
Their signature weapon, Excalibur, has only answered a Pendrake hand for over a thousand years — and it will turn to cold steel for any pretender.
Mythic Traits
Excalibur’s Claim: The sword burns with light and power only for a true Pendrake heir.
Illusion Sight: Can perceive through glamours, divine masks, and most fae concealments.
Oathbound Combat: Unerring swordsmanship that cannot be magically dulled or redirected.
Legacy Memory: Pendrakes dream in the memories of their ancestors, sometimes waking with forgotten battle tactics or spells.
Why They Are Feared
Pendrake duels are final. Win or die — there is no middle ground. Even gods think twice before accepting one, as the family’s honor-bound rules are written in the Watchers’ own archives. During the Mythic World War, Pendrakes were sent to kill gods who had broken neutrality, and their success rate was… perfect.
Present Day Role
The Pendrake name is synonymous with old-world honor, generational wealth, and impossible standards. With only 100 living members, every Pendrake carries the weight of the family legacy like a sword across their shoulders. They have a brittle alliance with the Watchers, and a single broken promise could turn that alliance into a war.
Notable Members
Roan Cadeyrn Pendrake – The Laurel Warden
The current heir and strongest Pendrake since Arthur himself. At just 21, Roan has pushed Excalibur’s limits beyond anything seen in centuries, fueled by the loss of 174 fraternity brothers in the Castor Incident. As leader of Sigma Chi and commander of the Laurel Legion, he is a peerless duelist who wields charisma, humor, and battlefield precision in equal measure. Though unawakened as a full god, he skirts the edge of ascension — and the gods are watching.
Merlin Pendrake – The Last Mortal Mage
The “weird uncle” every Pendrake knows. Merlin is technically the oldest living human, a walking paradox who is “sort of a god” but refuses the title. He has mastered every spell tier up to tenth level and invented every mortal-crafted level 10 spell in existence. He appears when least wanted but most needed, meddling in family affairs like a chess player several moves ahead. His true allegiance is a mystery, even to the Pendrakes.
Lady Alarisse Pendrake – The Mirrorblade
The family’s most infamous duelist and master of reversal forms, she can turn any opponent’s strike against them, even magical assaults. She once disarmed three Watcher assassins mid-swing and sent them home alive — a calculated insult the Watchers have never forgiven. Currently trains Pendrake heirs in a hidden Italian villa, surrounded by an armory of dueling relics.
Bastion “Stonehand” Pendrake – The Iron Wall
Standing 6’9” and built like a siege tower, Bastion serves as the Pendrake enforcer when diplomacy fails. His right hand is encased in an unbreakable gauntlet forged from the same steel as Excalibur. He rarely speaks, but when he moves, battles end. Known for personally dragging divine entities back into the Veil — alive — for judgment.
Evangeline “Veyra” Pendrake – The Oathbreaker’s Bane
Family inquisitor and keeper of the Black Ledger — a secret record of every Pendrake oath and every soul who has broken one. She is feared even among her own kin, for when Veyra comes to call, someone’s word has failed… and their life is forfeit. Rumors claim she is the only Pendrake to have once dueled Merlin, and survived.
Family Doctrine
An oath is life — break it, and lose both.
We guard the realm, even from gods.
A Pendrake blade never draws without cause.
There is no duel but the final duel.