Vlad Tepes

Vlad Tepes

Vlad Tepes is a vampire of great power, an imposing undead thing that came forth out of a cold mist, stretching his arms and declaring how good it felt to be free. He is a creature given to slaughter, and a grave menace withal, named "the black world" by the Ghost of March, who is at pains to make plain that Vlad is no mere ghost but something far worse. Sustained by blood, his presence is a formidable one, and he can call up floating blades that drip with gore — a sign of how deep his commerce with dark magic runs.

Bound within the ruins of a church raised by his brother centuries past, Vlad owned his relief at being loosed from his cage. The Ghost of March, who has dwelt long within that church, would have the party face and slay Vlad and so free him from his own imprisonment — a hint at the long history that lies behind Vlad's binding and the uncanny events tied to him. The tangled bond between Vlad and the Ghost bespeaks consequences of no small order should Vlad be let loose.

In a taut encounter Vlad came out of the mist, flexing his arms and proclaiming his freedom. He slew Hayriah, a leader of armed men, together with another, and so gave proof of his deadliness and sowed fear and confusion among the party. The company answered swiftly, and Miray above all, who loosed a radiant Moonbeam that dealt him grievous harm. For all his formidable nature Vlad could not endure the radiant assault, and met his end thereby, stripped of his armour and evaporated, leaving only that armour to clatter to the ground. His destruction weighed heavily upon the encounter, and put paid to a looming danger within the dungeon.