The vampyr were overthrown, because the Knights of the Dawn successfully rallied the people. They played on their desire to be free, and convinced the people they could remove the vampyr from power. The people rose up during The Purge, and wiped out many of the vampyr. Unfortunately, over half the council survived.
The remaining vampyr were furious, but realized they couldn’t maintain their position. Olivanticus had been killed along with any vampyr strong enough to unite the council. The survivors bickered over the best course of action, and in the end decided retreat was the best course of action. Yet they kept an eye on their eventual return, and knew that in order to do so they’d need to tarnish the repuation of the ‘saviors’ of Olivantia.
Their first plan was to create a massive army of consumed. They gave blood to every person they could, transforming thousands of ordinary citizens into killing machines who lived only to feed. Then they quietly left the field and fled into the Blood Wood. Tens of thousands of consumed were left to ravage the countryside, and because they had no leadership the only way to remove them was extermination.
The knights had to kill every last one, but their beleaguered forces had already been badly mauled during the two years of skirmishes with the surviving council members. They were ill equipped to deal with a new flood of consumed, and their main army was crushed at the battle of CreateSomeName. This battle is Aranthar in the prologue.
It breaks the back of the Knighthood. They still exist, but far too many of their sons and daughters are killed. The survivors have to contend with a sea of consumed that have fanned out to cover the country. It takes them over a decade to bring the problem under control, during which time thousands of innocent families are slaughtered. This makes the knighthood look incompetent, and people quickly learn that they must care for themselves.
This final spite on the part of the vampyr prevents the knigthhood from ascending to domiance. Too many people simply don’t trust the servants of Dalanthar. They were promised a better life, but instead have watched their livelihood’s ripped away. Most have lost family, and those that survive do so in fear they never experienced while living under the vampyr.
This means there is an opening for an organization that can win the people’s trust. The surviving councilors realize this, and Arie’s father concocts the plan to create a church that will fill the void. He considered the plan carefully, and came up with an organization he feels would easily supplant the knighthood.
The first important tenent of a new religion is that it must preach non-violence. This serves two major purposes. First, because this religion is non-violent they can’t be expected to police or protect the people. This means they won’t be viewed as an immediate threat to the knighthood, but also that they aren’t responsible for containing things like the consumed, Orokh or bandits.
The second purpose is to turn the people into docile sheep. By having them embrace a religion that preaches peace they are weakening the military arm of the new government. A bunch of pacifists will not be able to stop the return of the vampyr, whereas armed and vigilant supporters of Dalanthar are a much greater threat.
This strategy of non-violence is coupled with a drive to help others. Every member of the church is taught to share food, help those in need and to promote harmony. This gives the church the moral high ground, and means it is above reproach.
The people love the church because it helps them in a direct and meaningful way. It can’t be blamed for the problems of the nation, because those are the knights’ responsibilty. This positions it perfectly to gain popular support, and then leveraging that support into quiet disapproval of the knighthood.
The church creates the perfect pulpit for the vampyr to spread their doctrine. They have large flocks of willing people show up for sermons. Every priest in their order is a vampyr, so they can farm the flock for food and for the weak willed who can be perverted for other uses.
The homeless, the unwanted and the infirm are all taken in by the church. In reality this is a source of food, but it also gives them a steady supply of consumed that can be released in local areas. This means the threat of the consumed never goes away, but because the church is careful there is nothing to connect the rise in consumed to them.
So they get food, a bogey man to plague the countryside, willing converts for a variety of tasks and an organization to keep the attention of the knighthood. This makes the church the perfect backdrop for the novel, and the perfect plot for the vampyr.
Their ultimate plan for the church is to blood their most zealous converts to create a new class of nobility who will take over when the vampyr return. The rest will be converted to consumed and unleashed on the knighthood when the time is right. If thise happens everywhere at once this should overwhelm them, paving the way for the council to return and assume command.
Aranthar will need to learn about this church, figure out that the vampyr are in charge, and then expose it. No one should believe him when he figures this out, and he needs to wage an uphill battle to convince the Knighthood that the church is a true threat.
Gavin should be disgusted with the church, but view it more as an annoyance he must suffer through than any sort of real threat. This is, of course, exactly the reaction the vampyr were hoping for. If the knights underestimate the church it only makes it more effective.
Also, keep the original plot with Arie kidnapping knights. One of Gavin’s major worries should be the disappearances in Lowtown, and that should be the first place he directs Aran to.
Arie is responsible for Lowtown, and is taking the knights for a few reasons. She wants to remove them as a stabilizing force, because them being absent means the people suffer and of course blame the knighthood for their woes. She wants to convert some of them using the Bond. This will give her direct control over the orders actions, and she can use her plants to make the order look back.
This is something Aran should have to battle in the novel. He needs to see Cameron making mistakes that will damage the orders rep, and then act to stop them. This will put him at odds with much of the knighthood, thus creating conflict. It also provides a credible and fun ending when Aran finally goes toe to toe with Cameron. This will be part of the knockout ending.
So I need Arie to be taking knights, and a way for Aran to figure this out. I’m still thinking the best way is to have Aran/Bree approached by a waif in need of help. She convinces Bree to go, and right after Aran realizes that the situation is a little fishy. Through investigation I need this to lead him back to the church.
This can be a very strong part of the novel, because it will have the impact 2XS and Burning Bright did. The church looks very benign. It’s annoying to the knighthood, but the reader has no reason to suspect them. So when the final revelation comes that the church is a tool for the vampyr it will shock the reader.
This means I need a priestly character the reader can empathize with. Someone to throw them off, and make them believe the church is good and holy. How can Aran interact with this priest? Maybe the man should be trusted by Aran, so when we find out he’s actually passing info back to the vampyr?
Maybe no one in the knighthood will listen about the return of the vampyr, but the father will. He can be one of Aran’s few allies, but in reality be a vampyr himself. Aran puts him in a position of trust, and gets burned for it. Aran’s ultimate downfall can come at the hands of this priest. Ooh, ok got an idea. Maybe after Aran sees Bree taken into the church he goes to the father with the news, assuming only one bad church, not the whole order. This can be how he finds out about the grand conspiracy.
