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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 ability 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
are few facts and much legend surrounding the origins
of this Vampire bloodline, destined to become the most
powerful and important in the history of the Old World.
It is known, though, that their zenith came when Vlad
von Carstein took over the rulership of Sylvania.
Before the advent of Vlad and, in fact, since the beginning
of historical record, Sylvania had always been referred
to as a cursed and evil land. Its surface was covered
for the most part by dark and dangerous forests, its
soil poor and unproductive. The dead had long had the
reputation of not resting easily there.
 Sylvania
was a haven for necromancers expelled from the human
kingdoms of the Old World. The Empire tolerated the
presence of this accursed place only because the Sylvanians
were, at least in theory, loyal to the Emperor. But
this was to change. In the year 1797, Count Otto von
Drak died without a male heir. A mysterious stranger,
Vlad von Carstein, married his daughter, Isabella, and
seized power over Sylvania. The nobles of Sylvania at
first would not recognize Vlad's authority, but were
soon "persuaded" to do otherwise. The best
of them Vlad made into lesser Vampires so that they
could form his bodyguard and be the generals of his
army. The other Elector Counts witnessed the change
without interfering, since the new Counts seemed far
better lords than the former von Draks. Under Vlad's
iron grip, Sylvania was transformed into an efficient
province. Vlad ruled over it for two hundred years,
using different names in different periods so as not
to arouse suspicion over his unnatural longevity.
 In
2010, Vlad revealed his true nature as a Vampire Lord
and attacked Stirland at the head of the Sylvanian regular
army accompanied by countless legions of the living dead.
Stirland and then Ostermark were devastated. Vlad turned
his attention towards the heart of the Empire, and for
forty years his armies rampaged through that realm of
Men. More than once Vlad was cut down by a hero's blade
or lucky cannon shot, and his army suffered severe casualties.
However, the Vampire Count always wore a powerful magic
ring that granted him amazing regenerative powers. Vlad
always returned from the netherworld and the victims
of famine, pestilence, and the war were always there
to replenish the ranks of his armies.
A Von Carstein 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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