The Rugalov Vampire
It was nighttime in Glaston. Lana was alone in her father's cottage reading by the fireside. Work on construction of her tower had been put on hold to allow for the New Year festivities to take place. She had envisaged funding a mass village fete but given her depleted finances had instead settled for a quiet meal at home in the company of her father, who was now away on business in the western capital of Specularum. Trade in the Minrothrad Guilds was proving slow at the moment though she felt sure her father would pull through, as ever.
The call for help
The sound of knocking roused Lana from her reverie. A lad of no more than seventeen years fell through the cottage's front door, his clothes soaked by the rain which was doing its utmost to turn to sleet amid the freezing Karameikan winter. The lad introduced himself as Nicolai, whose sister Anna was an aide of Vladd Lutescu of Rugalov. Lana was aware that Vladd, like her father, had spent the New Year period in Specularum. As such, and since Nicolai's teeth refused to cease chattering despite the heat of the fire, Lana guessed all was not well in Rugalov. Her suspicions were confirmed when Nicolai produced a letter from his sister, indicating that the villagers sought Lana's aid in their time of need. The letter spoke of a threat at large within Rugalov village. At the date of writing three men had lost their lives within the space of a week, their corpses found dry of blood and bearing unmistakable puncture wounds to the neck. An involuntary shudder ran along Lana's spine. A vampire. One which, it seemed, she was being asked to face alone.
Journey to Rugalov
The next morning Lana and Nicolai mounted horses and headed east, knowing it would take them a full day to reach Rugalov. At sundown the village roofs came into view but not before a spinechilling howl tore through the twilight. Moments later three wolves emerged from a nearby forest. The lead creature was enormous, almost as large as a horse and easily the size of a dire wolf. The beasts' attention turned without hesitation toward the newcomers as they closed the distance within a heartbeat, fangs bared and snarling. Lana dismounted quickly and sent a salvo of amber shards into the wolves' midst. The smallest beast was slain, however the leader kept coming and pounced upon Nicolai's horse. The steed reared in fright, hurling its rider against a tree with a sickening crunch. The lad gave a moan and slumped as the two remaining wolves, seemingly perturbed by the demise of the youngest of their number, turned and retreated into the forest.
Filled with concern for her fallen companion Lana knelt and attempted to assess the extent of his injury. Blood was flowing from an ugly gash along one side of his head; his head itself was hanging at an unnatural angle. Lana laid her frozen hands upon the lad's neck but as she did so, something slipped and gave way at the base of his skull. She withdrew at once, aghast as Nicolai's breathing ceased. Had she caused this? Her eyes brimming with tears, she hastily cast a Fly spell and hefted the lad's body aloft. Perhaps if she sought help, the boy could still be saved. She was in no doubt about where to seek such aid... the fortified church atop the rocky crag which overlooked the village, home to Vladd Lutescu.
Lana tore up the hillside but found all entrances to the church locked and barred. The need to attract attention was pressing, thus she flew to the top of the bell tower and used her ring of telekinesis to slam the clanger against the heavy church bell. As she alighted moments later a small window opened in the church's front door. After a hasty introduction the acolyte Anna ushered Lana inside but was griefstricken at the sight of her brother's broken body. There appeared little hope of saving him, especially since Anna had only recently been granted use of magic by her patrons, the Traladaran Immortals. As her warm tears fell upon her brother's frozen face however a miracle took place. Her hands began to glow and move with purpose. Words of prayer came unbidden to her lips. Lana's eyes widened as she watched Anna command magics which her own clerical companions could not yet master. Lana's memory went years back to a plea made by Threy, when he had been close to death, for divine intervention when battling the black dragon Falaryx... Threy had been obliged to sacrifice part of his lifeforce but had been granted salvation. Then, as now, the Immortals heard the call of their servant and had chosen to reward faith. Nicolai drew breath anew, as his sister swooned and fainted by his side.
With fraught nerves, Lana heaved a sigh and left the pair to rest while she returned to the bell tower to survey the village below. Somewhere down there, a powerful undead creature was terrorising the villagers. In her letter, Anna had termed the creature "Nosferatu", a term which Lana was all-too-familiar with from her Traladaran upbringing, denoting a more ancient vampire which craved the taste of warm blood.
The vigil begins
Throughout the night Lana maintained a watchful eye on the village for any signs of disturbance, though none came. The sun finally rose; Lana found herself fighting to remain awake though she felt it reasonable to assume that the town would be safe enough through the daylight hours. As powerful as the undead creature might be, he would surely not be foolhardy enough to risk exposure to sunlight. Returning downstairs Anna had woken from her trance and was preparing a modest breakfast (of water and unleavened bread) which the two shared before Lana was shown to quarters where she might rest after her day's ride and night's vigil. Sleep came uneasy as her dreams were tormented by visions of Nicolai, the boy whose life had almost been torn away as a result of her intervention...
Rising later that day, a few hours before dusk, Lana ventured into the village to ensure that every household's front door was marked with a holy symbol or garlic, or both where possible. This required a visit to the local herbalist, entirely depleting the man's stock of garlic. While delivering garlic to one dwelling she observed a cloaked man hammering on the door of a locked and shuttered property, seemingly without any response from within. It transpired that this gentleman, named Boris, was one of several guards from Rugalov Keep currently staying at the Goblin’s Head Inn, many of whom called to this particular house to pay their respects to a local lass by the name of Sonia. Sonia, it appeared from the silence within the house, did not wish to receive visitors thus Lana escorted Boris back to the Inn where he was met with ridicule by his dozen or so companions. As dusk was falling Lana returned to the streets and began to patrol the village perimeter.
The enemy makes an appearance
Little happened until around midnight when Lana saw two shadowy figures making their way through the streets, seemingly toward Sonia's house which was on the outskirts near the forest. Lana followed the guards at a safe distance. She thought she was doing a good job of keeping herself concealed, until without warning a swarm of vermin streamed forth from a nearby alley, their movements co-ordinated as if under magical control. A spread of Amber Shards eliminate well over a dozen of the rats but within mere moments twice the number arose to take the place of the fallen. A Dispel from the Staff of Lucinius achieved nothing, causing Lana to curse before taking to the air. She extended her hands toward the ground below and sent an Ice Storm into the midst of the swarm which stiffened and died.
Realising that whoever had controlled the rats could not be far away, Lana withdrew her Wand of Enemy Detection and expended a charge. From down a nearby alleyway came a glow, as if something a short distance away had caught ablaze. Pausing to afford herself protections such as Shield, Mirror Images and Haste, Lana rounded the corner and surveyed the scene before her. Five cloaked figures were huddled at the nearer end of the alley, while further away a tall and slender figure had its back turned. Lana realised that if these were undead she would have to act quickly, but she could not take the risk of hurting innocent townsfolk. Drawing forth the ancient hutaakan bead from a pocket of her robes she whispered ‘Awaken’, causing the image of an eye to appear in sphere’s centre. With telekinetic help the bead then floated off through the shadows, Lana seeing through the third eye as her gaze fell on the five stooped figures from the front. They were unmistakably undead, their skin grey and taut, their tongues long, black and forked. The ghouls were feasting…
As the beady eye dropped to the gutter, Lana extended both hands and sent a Lightning Bolt crackling down the length of the alley. Three of the ghouls as well as the lone furthermost figure were engulfed. A trio of magic missiles ensued, followed by twin dagger strikes which saw the end of the ghouls. Meanwhile however the lone figure had strolled casually along the alley to bend low and pick up the beady eye, through which Lana could still monitor the alleyway. Lana’s mouth fell wide in shock realising what this might mean. ‘Sleep!’ She screamed the command word to cause the orb to close and cut off the vampire’s line of attack but too late. Her mind reeled as if it had been physically struck, two immense malevolent eyes burning themselves into her mind’s eye. Lana attempted to shake the image but to no avail. Words of magic failed her as the human form shrank and coalesced into a rat which scarpered away into the underneath of a building. Looking up Lana took note of the sign hanging outside the front door – the Lady of the Woods inn. For the meantime however there was no choice but to return to the Church of Traladara.
To Lana’s great belief the haze cleared the next morning, her resolve to eliminate her undead foe increasing as news reached her that the two guards she had been following had been killed, their bodies ripped asunder by foul claws and teeth. Lana lost no time in making her way to the Lady of the Woods, where she entered a less-than-packed barroom in which the innkeeper was nowhere to be found. Instead, two men clad in the unmistakable attire of the Black Eagle Barony were seated at a table downing ale, calling lewd remarks as Lana passed by wearing what they considered far too much clothing for a ‘serving wench’. Disgusted, Lana located the innkeep and disclosed her reasons for coming to the Inn. The innkeep assisted in carrying out a search of the basement lest a coffin had been concealed but none was found. As Lana made her way back through the barroom the Hattians’ heckling returned. The innkeeper beseeched Lana not to anger the two men as they were providing the establishment with excellent custom, and were escorting a Lady of the Court by the name of Petra Van Colos.
Lana’s eyes went glassy for a moment as she heard this name, trying to place it. As a Court Lady herself she had definitely heard the name somewhere before, though she could not think where. Bizarrely, the name made the back of her neck tingle for a short moment. Lana asked to be shown to the lady’s room and was, though following a surreptitious break-in it was uncovered that the lady’s chambers were unslept in and void of all possessions. Finding this suitably bizarre, Lana decided that some sort of a distraction would be required if she were to be able to inspect the rooms belonging to the two Black Eagle soldiers. Could they be harbouring some dark secret on behalf of their mistress? Could she be the vampire whose coffin might be concealed in a nearby room?
Returning swiftly to the Goblin’s Head, wary that sunset was now less than a couple of hours away, Lana recounted her tale and her suspicions to the (now) eight or so men and two women who comprised the patrol from nearby Rugalov Keep. Understandably these soldiers had no intention of making a stand against a life-draining undead, particularly having lost two of their fellows the night before, but once Lana placed a substantial amount of gold on the table they men agreed to at least try and distract the Hattian guards. In the course of their discussions though it became apparent that another of their number had been missing for some days now. Their commanding officer Alexei had left several nights ago to call upon Sonia, and had not returned. Lana decided she would investigate.
Arriving at Sonia’s house, whose lintel had borne no garlic before Lana’s first visit the previous day, the windows and front door appeared fastened and secure, though no amount of rapping would rouse any sound from within the dwelling. Murmuring a few soft words of magic, a bar fell out of place on the far side of the door allowing Lana entry. By the light of her glowing dagger she made her way into the first room of the small dwelling, which appeared bare. The room beyond was pleasantly furnished, a seating area, though also empty. Through a third and final door now the dagger’s light fell upon a macabre scene, the bloodied body of a comely maiden in a torn and scanty nightdress. No doubt Sonia. Her blood was everywhere. As Lana shone light around the dark recesses of the room however she realised she was not alone, as a wretched creature skulking in one corner recoiled with a hiss as amber light flooded across his features. This was Alexei, former sergeant of the Rugalov soldiers, who had been visiting Sonia when a lady in red called to the property, killed Sonia for pleasure then with purpose sank her teeth deep into Alexei’s neck, changing him forever. He had lurked here ever since, all too aware of what had been done to him but powerless to escape the prison which his new liege had bid him to inhabit until she returned...
Her suspicions confirmed, Lana took her leave of Alexei and returned to the Lady of the Woods Inn where Lana found that a violent clash had arisen between the Hattians and the Rugalov soldiers, leading to one of the former being slain and his companion being tressed and deposited on the barroom table. The way it seemed was clear to inspect the men’s rooms, though to Lana’s dismay no coffin turned up. After interrogation (with assistance from bystanders) the surviving Hattian at last let slip that his mistress had been transported from the Black Eagle Barony to Rugalov by means of a wagon stationed in the adjoining stables. Lana made her way out to the stables, engaged a bystander to kick through the locked door of the wagon and indeed there inside was a long wooden box… The lady’s coffin.
SHOWDOWN
Quivering with excitement and trepidation Lana attached horses to the wagon and a short while later the wagon was being wheeled away from the Inn, coffin and a small chest inside. The sun was already dipping into the west, and a crowd had amassed and was following the wagon despite Lana’s calls in shaking tones for the villagers to maintain a safe distance. After what seemed an eternity of trekking along the village’s dirt tracks the throng at last arrived at the riverside, where Lana channelled her concentration through her Ring of Telekinesis to lift the coffin and set it down on the bank beside the river. Then she lifted the lid, drawing gasps from the villagers as the form of a woman was revealed within, her skin like ebony, her hair raven-black and her form bedecked by a sumptuous red gown. Lana too gazed in wonderment for a short while before noticing the woman’s features contort into a smile. A heartbeat later a chittering sound came from the sky as a horde of bats came over the rooftop. Raising one hand Lana invoked an Ice Storm and the bats fell frozen to the ground.
One village woman heaved a sigh of relief. ‘Petra be blessed,’ she mumbled, though her words appear to rouse the vampire. Petra von Colos rose from her coffin, just as Lana managed to complete a protective ward. A short exchange ensued between the two females, Lana being sure to keep her eyes lowered just enough to avoid a recurrence of the creature’s gaze attack, as had incapacitated her on the previous night. A clash was inevitable however. Without warning a glint of steel appeared in Petra’s hand and she flung the dagger in Lana’s direction. The weapon was deflected by Lana’s Shield however at the precise moment Lana concluded another incantation. Lightning crackled and tore through the vampire’s form though she managed to evade the full impact of the blast. Amber shards and magic missiles followed before Petra’s form vanished to be replaced by that of an enormous dire wolf which bounded into the crowd causing shrieks of havoc on all sides. Lana paused to invoke a Haste effect, then pressed a vial of holy water and two flasks of oil into the hands of an onlooker with directions that the vampire’s coffin should be destroyed.
She then sped on her way to catch up with the wolf back in the barroom of the Lady of the Woods Inn. Having reverted to human form Petra gave a smile of satisfaction as she hefted aloft a broadsword and shield taken from the form of her deceased bodyguard. Wielding both items with accustomed ease the two females locked in battle, Petra having the benefit of superhuman strength, regeneration and weapon mastery while Lana benefited from magically boosted defence and Haste. After several rounds of fierce fighting Lana’s dagger sank deep into the area which she knew housed the vampire’s still heart. The sword fell from Petra’s grasp as her body assumed the misty form which symbolised that she would need to regenerate before she could wreak further havoc. The smile soon faded from the vampire’s face however as she realised something was wrong. True to their word, the villagers had destroyed the coffin, sealing the vampire’s fate. Petra’s gaseous form was caught up in a dark maelstrom then fell to the floor at Lana’s feet as a pile of stinking ash. At long last Petra van Colos was no more.