The worst kept secret in the Empire can no longer be ignored - the taint of vampirism now looms large over the north. The ties of the Blood Kiss run deep in the lines of the aristocracy, with many owing their power, position and allegiance to the Drazkharov’s politicking. The outbreak of war sees the House of Drazkharov make its bid for power. Following the religious persecutions throughout Holwingen and Mallenstein, the Priesthood of Morr can no longer defend the crypts and graveyards of those dark lands. As the banners are called, the dead rise up to march to war.
COUNTESS ANASTASIA DRAZKHAROV
The matriarch of the House of Drazkharov, the Mother of vampirism in the west, the Queen of the Midnight Court. Yet Countess Anastasia arrived in the Holy Sigmarite Empire a destitute refugee. She fled the ruin of her family following the Fall of Aquila and over the centuries since has steadily climbed her way through Imperial aristocracy to become one of the most powerful and influential nobles of the realm.
Once daughter to a long-ago Emperor and sister to another, Anastasia claims descent of the ancient bloodline of the Tyrannii. She seeks to rekindle the glory of her forbears and her thirst for power is boundless. Following her marriage into and ascension to power over the House of Drazkharov, Anastasia’s progeny has now spread their terrible curse to ensnare many other noble houses, binding the fates of each to that of House Drazkharov.
The seeds of ambition finally bear fruit as the scions of Aquila answer their sire’s call to arms. The Counts of the north unite to topple one of the greatest dynasties of the Palurin and place their grandmother Anastasia on the imperial throne.
IVAN DRAZKHAROV, THE COUNT OF HOLWINGEN
The brooding lands of Holwingen are made all the darker for lying in Ivan’s shadow. Envy of the lords in the south and paranoia of enemies at home have left Ivan an unstable man. His delusions have left him given to acts of immeasurable cruelty in order that he maintain his stranglehold over the north. It is these depravities that have proved most difficult for the Drazkharovs in their efforts to conceal their secret from the rest of the world. It is only Anastasia’s iron will that has held Ivan in check.
Yet the people of Holwingen hold a strange loyalty for their lord and master. Obedience to the Count has kept the people safe from foreign threats. Enemies from across the border are subjected to the full brutality of Ivan’s bloody hand in defence of his realm. “A beast in the hand is worth two in the bush” has become a common proverb amongst the folk of Holwingen.
As the Lord of the Krähefort, Ivan has a huge military force at his disposal. With the eruption of civil war Ivan’s callous and sadistic appetite will become the terror weapon that the Drazkharovs unleash upon the southern provinces.
VIKTOR DRAZKHAROV, CASTELLAN OF THE GRIMHOLT
The indomitable fortress of The Grimholt lies at the strategically crucial junction of the Greater and Lesser Cannaur Rivers - it is no accident that is was there that Anastasia planted her grandson, Viktor. A soldier and tactician of extraordinary ability, Viktor’s fingertip feel for the ebb and flow of battle has won him countless victories.
Steeped in the blood of the thousands he has slain, the Crimson Count presents an imminent threat for Imperialist forces from his vantage point at the Grimholt. Where his cousin Ivan is the bestial claw that will tear at the Imperial armies, Viktor is the rapier thrust with which the Drazkharovs seek to deliver the decisive killing blow.
MADAME MAXIME VOLBECK
The Doyenne of Ratzberg, Madame Maxime is an eccentric recluse, even by a vampire’s standards. Descended from the House of Drazkharov through the female line, she has been variously allied to or feuding with the family since her marriage to the ageing Count Volbeck. The Drazkharovs and Volbecks have long held one another in distrust, each having rival designs for dominion over the lands of their shared neighbour of Pellenar.
Though a changeable and unreliable ally, Madame Maxime has for the time-being aligned herself to the Drazkharov cause. Ever the opportunist, Madame Maxime will seize every chance to make gains out of the losses that the rich southern provinces will inevitably suffer as the chaos of war engulfs the land. When the dust settles, Maxime intends to find herself and her lands secure, and more powerful than ever.
No comments:
Post a Comment