Founded in 1892 during an outbreak of Tuberculosis (also known as 'Consumption') in New England; The infection appeared to consume a body from the inside, and spreads easily among a family; thus, when one family member died of consumption, other members were often infected and gradually lost their health. People believed that this was due to the deceased TB sufferer draining the life from other family members. Some of the more visible symptoms included drained energy, loss of apatite, and a severe cough with sputtered blood.
During the 1800s, the infection was a highly feared disease and a cause for superstition. The 'Mercy Brown Vampire Incident' was in accordance with threads of contemporary folklore, which linked multiple deaths in one family to undead activity. The mother, Mary Eliza, was the first to die of the disease, followed in 1886 by their eldest daughter, Mary Olive. In 1891, daughter Mercy and son Edwin also contracted the disease. Friends and neighbors of the family believed that one of the dead family members was a vampire, although they didn't use that name, and had caused Edwin's illness.
George Brown was persuaded to give permission to exhume several bodies of his family members. Villagers, the local doctor, and a newspaper reporter exhumed the bodies on March 17, 1892. The corpse of a daughter, Mercy, exhibited almost no decomposition, and still had blood in the heart. This was taken as a sign that the young woman was undead and the agent of young Edwin's condition. Mercy's heart and liver were burned, and the ashes were mixed with water to create a tonic and was given to the sick Edwin to drink, as an effort to resolve his illness and stop the influence of the undead. Unfortunately he died two months later.
While most of these 'attacks' were just a result of consumption, a few cold cases held feasible evidence that vampires exist. Indications such as bite marks, elongated canines on the deceased, and a skin sensitivity to sunlight. Other cases such as animal mauling and criminal activity were taken once again into consideration, tracing back on those cold cases to the scene of the crime for missing evidence.
George Brown wasn't entirely convinced that Mercy was human, even after her organs were burned and ingested. Records claimed that her body was kept in a cold environment above ground which kept her body from desiccating like the others. But to George her preservation was just too perfect. It can't have been that simple.
Meetings were held among those who had been there for Mercy's examination, and new evidence from the existence of the supernatural was brought to light. Thus the beginning of The Cross organization. The uncovered evidence files were passed in secret among world leaders, information exchanged for resources, money, and weapons.
It was also used as blackmail, threats, and power grabs. After all, who would believe that someone turned into a wolf under the full moon, or that a man drank someone's blood in an alleyway?
Over time, things started to spiral out of control. The information was leaked into public news, causing riots and terrorist attacks on government officials. Everything that went public was shut down and supposedly destroyed. What remained of The Cross went underground with knowledge passed only to trusted few. Mainly between New England, Romania, and Europe.
Present day, The Cross numbers are dwindling. Even with their new alliance to the local hunters and Paladins of Ravenblack, humans were still inferior. Medical research and technology grew with new information on how to manipulate the human body right down to their DNA structure. The Cross took advantage of this discovery with theories that if a human couldn't eradicate the supernatural race, maybe another of their own kind could. At worse if their test subject failed it'd be just one less monster to worry about.
Back in 1892, samples of suspected undead were frozen in cryopreservation and kept locked away in an underground vault. Eighty years later, they were reobtained and code named 'Proto-Paranormal'. Using various substances such as venom, blood, and other bodily fluids from beasts they could get their hands on, The Cross tried to fabricate their own concoctions. Not only to make the creature obedient, but stronger, faster, and harder to kill. To their dismay not just anyone was a prime subject. The serum had to successfully merge with the subject's own DNA in order to transmute it, born predisposed to make them vulnerable. Without the genetic susceptibility the subject's body would reject the serum and die. Through out the years, generations of experiments were created and rejected. Those that survived but showed no desirable traits were sold off in anonymous auctions on the black market and the dark web. Though they had no physical attributes the Cross wanted, they were still used else where. Body guards for Government officials, posing as attorneys and officers of the law. Any place in corporate or positions to get a foothold on power, yet still remain under the radar.
The Crosshair Cross is their trademark, a way they identify each other, it can be found any where on the body as a tattoo, or an article of clothing. It features your basic 'crosshair' in the scope of a gun. The top and bottom lines are lengthened and some of the lines taken away.
Today, the lead of the organization in Ravenblack was passed down to Helena Brown, who married to a Vampire Hunter; David Miller. They reside on Vervain and 20th, and bore two children, Zach and Tessa. Both of whom were tragically turned and no longer hold the inheritance.
