The Thule

Der Thule are a strigoic faction within the novel Dark Blaze. They are led by Grandmaster Mircea Voivode, who claims to be the legitimate successor of the Vlad III Drăculești. The Thule are arguably the most powerful strigoic faction on the globe and by far have the largest sphere of influence.

The Thule are a Eurocentric faction and have used the various empires of Continental Europe to broaden their territories and claims. They believe that they are the true blue-bloods of the world, and that all others are beneath them.

Background:
The Thule was founded in the 16th Century after the fall of Vlad III Drăculești, formed by his offspring with Ilinca Drăculești who had formed the Munich Court and moved out of Wallachia. Led by their grandmaster, Mircea Voivode, who went on the warpath after the first Marele Consiliu ended in a fragmented strigoic global empire, which had been so delicately formed by Vlad.

Mircea would fight any challenger to his power, however, he knew his neighbours to the north, the Berlin Court, with their highest manpower and resources would be better allies than enemies. With enemies on all sides except northward, Mircea decided on offering an alliance with the Berlin Court. Lothar Wedemeyer accepted on the premise that his daughter would marry Mircea's son and that Mircea would make it his objective to reconquer Wallachia and rebuild Vlad's fallen birthing chambers.

The Thule were vicious in their expansion, defeating all the smaller factions within Europe, absorbing the lands of the European empires in the process and breathing down the necks of factions that were thousands of miles away from Munich. Mircea was aided by the grey-pygmies and a deep network of druggans. The Thule defeated and pushed back the Neamh-Mairbh over the centuries back to Ireland and Wales, taking the rest of Great Britain, most of France and Iberia away from them. The grandmaster was finally able to conquer Wallachia after Count Florin Damaschin had been defeated by a joint Protestant-Vatican force.

The Thule were the reason for the Five Famiglias fleeing Italy and Sicily and emigrating to America. This was during a three-way war, between the Italian Strigoic Families, the Thule and the Vatican. The Famiglias lands were split up by the Thule and the Vatican and the two conquering factions them commenced in a war of their own.

Focusing more on his Eurocentric territories and expanding eastward into the Klyki-held lands and other smaller strigoic factions, Mircea had either lost or sold a majority of the land he held abroad. His most famous blunders were losing South America to various enemies, including the Aztec Pantheon, his African territories to various enemies, and his Far East territories mostly to the Kuran Chi during the Great War. The gruelling war in Italy has ended with the Thule on the losing side, however, they still hold enclaves in the country.

Society:
The Thule's society is built upon the ideals and practices of European aristocratic culture, especially that of the Germanic nobility. Although most of the highest positions in the Thule are held by supreme-strigoii, those of a lower caste can climb the structural ladder. The Thule see themselves are the true blue-bloods of the world and that everybody else is beneath them, even other strigoii.

Although it has not been heavily touched on, it is shown that the Thule follow the strigoic religion centred around their creator, Vlad, and they are viciously against Judaism, Islam and Christianity. However, it has been shown that they at least manipulate Christianity and will sire those who follow this religion, as opposed to Jews and Muslims, whom the Thule are disallowed to sire as per Mircea's orders.

Even though it is illegal to sire a Muslim or Jew, Hadrian Voivode sired Hawford Mitchell Greene, a Jewish Londoner. To hide this from his father, Hadrian ordered Hawford to drop his last name and go by only Hawford Mitchell.

The Thule's influence are deeply routed into much of Europe's political and nobility scene, holding a great amount of secret sway. Before the fall of the Hohenzollern Crown Family in Germany after the Great War, Wilhelm II and Mircea Voivode were secretly allies. Mircea and Roberto Mata's dealings at the Marele Consiliu were was sparked negotiations between Germany and Mexico during the war.

Structure:
Racially, the supreme-strigoii are the highest members within the Thule and are granted high positions instantly. Below the supreme-strigoii are their children, the first-class strigoii, and below them are the sired strigoii. Below the regular strigoii are the grey-pygmies and then finally the druggans. Up with the supreme-strigoii are Mótsognir and his own cabinet members. Ilinca Drăculești, the mother of the Munich Court, has a rank somewhere within the highest caste, although Mircea had ordered her into hiding to protect her.

Regardless of their race, whomever is a representative of an area is instantly ranked within the highest caste of nobility, albeit at the lowest ranks. This would include the likes of Anthony Leyland and Jacques D'Lyon.

Territory:
Below is a list of countries which the Thule hold territory:
 * England.
 * Scotland.
 * Wales.
 * France.
 * Spain.
 * Portugal.
 * Spanish North Afirca.
 * Germany - headquarters located in Bavaria.
 * Austria.
 * Hungary.
 * The Netherlands.
 * Belgium.
 * Czechlovakia.
 * Poland.
 * Yugoslavia.
 * Romania.
 * Bulgaria.
 * Italy.
 * Turkey.
 * Albania.
 * Greece.
 * Lithuania.
 * Latvia.
 * Estonia.
 * Russia.
 * Ukraine.
 * Syria.
 * Persia.
 * Iraq.
 * Jordan.
 * Egypt.
 * Tunisia.
 * Libya.
 * Algeria.
 * United States Of America.

Affiliates:

 * Christine May - strigoi sired by Father Daniel Mulligan.
 * Father Daniel Mulligan - strigoi sired by Eliza Bowie.
 * Theodore - ghoul sired by Hadrian Voivode.
 * Captain Benjamin Norwich - ghoul sired by Jane Murrow.
 * Sid Newman - ghoul sired by Eliza Bowie so she could escape pursuing constables.
 * Lotan - iusto daemon, Hell informant for Hadrian Voivode.
 * Louis Brodeur - druggan elevated to strigoi on Hadrian Voivode's commands.
 * Wilhelm II - secretly worked alongside the Thule during the Great War.
 * Vladimir Lenin - a pawn used by Mircea Voivode and Wilhelm II to eliminate Russia out of the Great War.
 * Tina Bowie - strigoi sired by Hadrian Voivode, she did not make it past her initiation.
 * Benjamin Campbell - sired by Hadrian Voivode to cause havoc behind enemy lines.

Equipment:
Below is a list of weaponry that has been seen used by the Thule:
 * Various silver bladed weaponry.
 * Stielhandgranate - grenade.
 * Luger P08 - pistol.
 * Bergmann MP-18 - SMG.
 * Mauser C96 - pistol.
 * Mauser Gewehr 98 - bolt-action rifle.
 * MG-08 - LMG.
 * Panzerkraftwagen Ehrdhardt - armorued car.

Sub-Factions:

 * Münchner Gericht (The Munich Court) - led by Mircea Voivode.
 * Berliner Gericht (The Berlin Court) - led by Lothar Wedemeyer.
 * Die Strigoi-Trupp (The Strigoi-Troop) - led by Friedrich von Laaber.
 * Die Thule Sturmtruppen (The Thule Stormtroopers) - led by Basarab Voivode.
 * Die Graupygmäenarmee (The Grey-Pygmy Army) - led by Mótsognir.
 * Hadrian's Pack - led by Hadrian Voivode.

Appearances:
The Thule appear throughout Dark Blaze and have regularly taken the role of the main antagonists in the majority of the chapters.

Trivia:

 * Mircea Voivode named the Thule after the mystical island of Germanic lore.
 * The Thule was birthed by the Munich Court, led by Mircea Voivode, and Berlin Court, led by Lothar Wedemeyer, joining forces.
 * The main headquarters of the Thule are based in Bavaria.
 * The grey-pygmies are exclusive to the Thule faction.
 * The Thule was originally inspired by the Thule Society of Nazi Germany.
 * The Thule boast the highest number of supreme-strigoi per strigoic faction.
 * Mótsognir is based on the same named character from Nordic Mythology, a dark dwarven king.
 * Béla Kiss was a real person, a murderer and Austro-Hungarian soldier during the Great War.