History of Rancoff Vandershine
The Red Baron
Rancoff Vandershine was born on the planet of Earth-3.13 in Transylvania before the collapse of the Chronoverse. He grew up in the lands of Scotland in a poor family before he entered the wars on behalf of Scotland. His father died from a plague that spread across their land and his mother had to turn to working in a brothel in order to provide for them both.
Rancoff hated the life he grew up in and when he turned sixteen years old he joined the Crown’s guard and became a soldier in the Scotland military. He was later knighted after being pivotal in helping the Crown win an important battle against England. After being knighted he met a young woman named Cora Verran that was a medical nurse for the Crown’s guard.
He courted her for several years until he was given the position of Baron along with his own lands. Once he had that he approached Cora’s father with a request to marry her. Given the notoriety he gained in the wars it was seen as foolish for anyone to turn him down so her father accepted the offer and provided a dowry once they were wed.
He retired from the Crown’s guard, at the age of thirty, when he found out that Cora was pregnant with Melanie. However, after twelve years of fatherhood and sixteen years of marriage his wife’s health took a turn for the worse and she passed away due to a hereditary disease. Losing her broke Rancoff and he didn’t know what to do anymore. He became a much colder person and was focused on setting Melanie and his house up for success.
Even though he was a Baron he didn’t have access to the same medical treatments as a Duke and higher ranked nobles had access to. He felt it was his failure for his wife not receiving proper treatment and for Melanie to be without her mother. The doctors had told him that the disease that took his wife was hereditary and could be passed on to Melanie. Something he never disclosed to her, but he knew if he positioned her well she would never have to worry about not having access to treatments.
House of Baron to Marquess
As Melanie’s sixteenth birthday drew closer and closer he knew he would need to marry her off to someone so she could be given a title of higher rank than his. He saved and saved to increase her dowry. Started new ventures and partnerships to build his chest of money to give to whoever agreed to marry her when it came time.
He received an offer from Duke Hayes to have his Marquess son marry her. This would be a deal that would help both fathers. Melanie would be connected to a Duke’s house through a Marquess, which mean as long as she provided grandchildren they would do everything they could to keep her alive if she became sick.
For Duke Hayes, he was getting tired of the stories people were telling about his son and daughter having sex with each other and needed to marry his son off quickly so he could ensure a lineage before no other father wanted him around their daughter.
However, they never made it to the wedding day due to Cephas’ sister, Adelina, catching Melanie with Mitchell. She told her family about what happened and they ended the marriage agreement. Rancoff was irate and went on a rampage, sending his first born child away to the vampire lord, Masef de Matthecourt, so she would be protected by him.
