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Vampires are the lords of the dead and all the Vampires
in the Old World are descendants of one of the great
Masters. Men dread these mighty creatures, for Vampires
are immortals with great powers who require only blood
to sustain themselves. They are physically stronger
than any living man and can endure wounds that would
slay a mortal in an instant. They have a natural ability
to command necromantic magic and to bind Undead to their
will. The greatest among them are also able to command
the skies, so that when their armies march to battle,
the skies darken with heavy storm clouds. This casts
dismay in the hearts of the mortals facing the Undead
and protects the the Vampires and their minions from
the touch of the sunlight, which is the bane of their
kind.
 There
was a warrior in the ancient city of Lahmia, greatest
amongst the captains of the king's guard. Abhorash was
a matchless fighter, and he soon caught the eye of Neferata,
the Queen of Lahmia. Thus, he was summoned before the
mistress and given a cup to drink from in honor of
his Queen. When he lifted it to his lips, his fate was
sealed and damnation seized him, for he had been given
the Elixir of Life.
Long did Abhorash fight the urge to prey upon his people,
but the necromantic powers in the blood of the Queen
were too strong, and finally he succumbed. In one night,
he slew twelve men and women. It is said that he wept
tears of blood for his victims, and from that day on,
he traveled to the desert to prey upon the scattered
nomads instead of his own people. He vowed to learn
a way to keep his raging thirst under control.
 Abhorash
rose quickly in the ranks of the vampire nobility until
he became the supreme commander of the Lahmian armies.
He was given the title of the Lord of Blood and began
bringing law and order to the kingdom. Laws were upheld
and bandits kept in check, but the Vampire nobles of
Lahmia were above the laws of Abhorash. Despite his
warnings, they often hunted for human blood in the lands
of other kings, and this soon raised the suspicions
of the other kingdoms.
Then came the day when the kings of Khemri forged a
grand alliance. Their countless armies marched into
Lahmia. For many long months, Abhorash led the defense
of his homeland and won many battles. But, inch by inch,
the vast armies of Nehekhara forced him back. Finally,
the gates of Lahmia were broken, and the ancient tombs,
pyramids, and high spires
were toppled.
Abhorash was irreversibly changed as he saw his beautiful
city razed. He vowed to be the enemy of mankind for
all eternity.
 Abhorash
headed north with his disciples, seeking a sign which
would give a new purpose to his existence. Legends say
that after many years, he came to a great mountain, the
pinnacle of which was wreathed in fire. As he reached
the summit, a red dragon of immense size emerged and
descended on the Vampire Lord. For an entire night, he
and the great wyrm fought, and in the end, the vampire
was victorious. As the Dragon lashed in its death throes,
Abhorash seized its throat with his fangs and drank
deep. His search had ended. Now, he no longer craved
the lifeblood of men. He had found an escape from the
curse of Vampirism.
Now, he bid his vampiric minions to go forth and hone
their martial skills, so that when their prowess equaled
his own, they could also escape the curse of vampirism.
Since those days, Abhorash's disciples have called themselves
Blood Dragons, and they have sought to perfect their
martial skills in order to be worthy to rejoin their
master.
A Blood Dragon may be included in your Vampire Counts
army as a Vampire Lord (as both a Lord and a Hero choice),
a Vampire Count (as a Lord choice), or a Vampire Thrall
(as a Hero choice).
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