Duke Vorlov

Viktor Alexander Vorlov XXVIII, now just known as Duke Vorlov, was presumable the last descendant of the long lineage of the Vorlov family, a long line nobles dating back to 0 PM. His home was Castle Anstein in the now sunken city of Volinsk, in the north eastern part of the Kingdom now known as Klarsen (Kingdom). He is famously known as a tyrant and manipulator, turning himself into a vampire to fight the rebellion of the Klarsen (Family) and loosing this confrontation. Due to his undead nature he survived and resurfaced century's later as one of the leading supporters of Monoris just to be put down for good by the adventuring party known as the Red Talons in 1225 PM. He is seen to this day as the real nemesis of the Red Talons and is to be said the driving force of the annexation of Santos and the fall of the Inquisition.

History

He was born in 679 PM to Eduard Alexander Vorlov as one of three children. His early life was turbulent since he was born at a time of political resistence of many noble familys of the region to the point that his father send his two siblings away for safekeeping in 689 PM when he was 10 years old. Viktor remained in castle Anstein as the rightful hair and had to witness the defiance of the other noble houses even though they were bound to his family by oath. His fathers goal was to strengthen the military of the land to be prepared for the growing danger of the united Kingdoms of the Greenmarsh in the east, today known as the Empire.

The political situation stagnated for the better part of 20 years until his father Eduard and his guards did not return from a diplomatic mission to implement a military recruitment policy with the other noble houses in 713 PM. Framing the other city's of murder he took his place as the rightful leader of the Vorlov family and offered an ultimatum, trying to force the policy's of his father and demanding the head of any participant of the meeting his father never returned from, causing the situation to escalate into a civil War, nowadays referred to as the Rebellion and uniting the rebellious noble houses of the land against him.

After nearly four years in 717 PM, after fighting and loosing some minor battles against the surrounding forces he turned to Arnem and Ishnar, two ancient snake people who have aided the Vorlov Family before to reclaim their position of power in a former civil war two century's ago. In need for power and having lost any respect for old alliances he orchastrated a ritual with the help and knowladge of the two snake people to turn him and some of his most loyal knight into vampires, sacrificing an adult gold dragon to do so, Ocard's wife.

After turning into an undead, Viktor lost all emotions and became driven by the dream of a bloody victory, being consumed by thirst. His City and it's inhabitants suffered greatly to the point where human sacrifices became part of everyday life as a punishment for crimes against his rule. Even though his supporters dwindled his power was at an all time high, defeating enemy forces with his vampiric spawns while even being outnumbered significantly. These troupes were know known as the red guard. The rebels started to change their strategy and stopped to try to beat Vorlov on the field but instead tried to strike at the heart of Vorlov's operation - Castle Anstein. The oldest prince of the Klarsen (Family) got killed and turned into a spawn during an infiltration mission and so his younger brother Avitus Klarsen followed in his footsteps, seeking revenge with 5 of his most trusted knights.

Viktor started to refer to himself soly as Duke Vorlov. After facing more and more resistance in his own city caused by his bloodthirsty troupes and rebellious people that undermined his defenses he had to change his strategies. In this process he managed to kill the five knights who supported Avitus Klarsen but had to admit, that this civil war needed to come to a quick end or he would finally loose. Knowing that the rebel forces were also diminished to the point that prolonged warfare was not an option he uncovered the plot of the last attack led by the Klarsen family against his castle. With the help of Arnem and Ishnar he ordered a ritual to turn the land before his domain into a swamp to drown the enemy forces in mud to then overtake the surrounding city's.

When the day of the ritual finally came in late 717 PM he faced more enemy's than he anticipated. Ocard, the gold dragon had come for revenge as had Avitus Klarsen and his 5 Knight's, who wondrously had been reincarnated with new found powers and knowledge. After killing Avitus Klarsen in a duel ultimateley Duke Vorlov was defeated and the interrupted ritual misfired, drowning his own city of Volinsk in the process instead of the military forces marching on his city. Duke Vorlov was defeated and the only thing left standing was Castle Anstein, being protected by powerful magic placed their by his ancestors, unbreakable even for the ancient gold dragon.

Roughly 150 years later the vampire's body regained his strengh according to an old Tome called "The Tome of Family Vorlov", cursing at the world and finally giving up old bonds to perceive the reincarnation of the old demigoddess Monoris. No details are known about his doings of the next century's, just rumors but history has it that he spend his immortal live to gain influence in the known parts of the world. Later on it was confirmed that he used this time to uncover the resting places of Monoris's soul, infiltrated the Inquisition and forced the annexation of Santos by the empire and enabled the great plague of Imperal.

In 1215 PM his name first resurfaced in "the adventurers manual", a small book written by Sir Otto, a knight of Klarsen. This Knight claimed Vorlov to still be out there and offered a solution to the unbreachable spell protecting Castle Anstein. As fate would have it this manual was found by the Red Talons starting their adventuring career. After defeating the five guardians of the castle in different parts of Klarsen (Kingdom) they finally managed to enter the castle and found enough clues to conclude that Duke Vorlov indeed has/had "returned".

just 2 years later, in 1217 Pm, the Red Talons first came face to face with the duke at a ball held by the Smith King Nikolai in Ignetia, a hellish demiplane, ruled by strength, steel and burning furnaces. This situation ended up in the first confrontation between the duke and the adventurers, leading to the death of Duldan, a Goliath, one of the original Red Talons, who threw himself unarmed into the Lava grappling the Vampire but he finally could not outlast the regeneration of the Duke. The encounter ended in the vampires favor but he was not there to fight as story would have it. Allegedly Duke Vorlov was there to collect a piece he commissioned from the Smith King century's ago. According to story it was the blade that now is known as the red blade, or "Red Talons Blood", a Blade that actually was never used even in the later fight against the red talons but seems to be filled with the blood of every of it's final members. To this day people speculate about it's purpose, contribution and value.

The end of Vorlov and his dried up bloodline adjured in 1225 PM, in the last confrontation with the red Talons. After brutally attacking their founded Vilage Garama-Shilmon and op ducting six of their closest friends and allies, plus the local bartender, the Red Talons traveled to Castle Anstein, defeated the undead guardians on the walls, magically suppressed it's barrier, defeated the last of the red guard and the imprisoned soul of the gold dragon used to create Duke Vorlov in the first place and finally confronted and defeated the Vampire in it's own layer and destroying the Sarcophagus after the victory . The last to be known of his might is a red mist pushing the heroes out of the castle, Treasure and trophy's at hand. Castle Anstein is since considered cursed and every intruder might face a cloud of mist, killing any intruder who dared to enter the walls.

Legends

Roll a D10	Legend	DM Info
1	Under Castle Anstein there is a secret layer. This room holds the secreds of the past, the story of Monoris, the family Vorlov and the bond between dragons ans humans.	There is a layer, but the evidence in form of the Vorlov Family Tome was taken by the Red Talons.
2	Duke Vorlov used the rule of five to protect his castle ensuring for many centurys that nobody was able to breach the gate of Castle Anstein.	true, but this was a long time ago. The Protective spell is still there but weakens every year.
3	One of Vorlovs closest supporters was a Salamander, a fire Snake, given to him by a so called Smith King. The Salamender layered south east of Klarsen (City) near the entrance to a devil infested demiplane in a hole in the southern parts of Klarsen.	True. This is one of 4 entrances to Ignetia.
4	Family Vorlov all originate from Santosia because they all share the name Alexandra/Alexander, the name of the Patrion of the Archipelago.	Partially true. Ocard was the last defender but died like his father in a fight against Monoris. His Youngling lives bit is not strong enough yet.
5	Castle Anstein is cursed and Duke Vorlov still waits there for the right moment to return.	True. Duke Vorlov turned into a very deadly Vampiric Mist but an Echo Version of him can be returned with the help of the red sword. His current vampiric mist form can't leave the castle.
6	In the last fight against a adventuring group called the red Talons Vorlov was equipped with a sword that he never used. It is said to have a red blade that is filled with the blood of the 5 heroes.	True. It's the red Blade.
7	Some say Duke Vorlov actually controls the Empire. He created the Inquisition and with them he concured Santos before weakening the Empire with a plague.	False, but he orchestrated all of these things by manipulation.
8	The Duke turned the whole family Klarsen into Vampire spawns that wait to return their master into existence.	Partially true. Vorlov turned the strongest Klarsne Family Members into Spawns but they were turned into red mist like him when the red Talons defeated him. Resurrection of many Klarsen family members nonetheless does not work because of that.
9	After his death the Duke turned into several bat's. Since then he is watching adventurers at night to wait for the right moment to strike.	Lie
10	Duke Vorlov was burned with fire many times which shut down his vampiric regeneration.	True, even though most vampires are not weak to fire.