Vlad The Impaler: Blood Prince Of Wallachia (d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)

AVALANCHE PRESS

Requires the use of the Dungeons &: Dragohs'® PlayerJs Rantlbook, Third Edition) publishetl b, JJti{.a,-ds of the Coast®

'0 2 0 Syst em' and the '0 2 0 System' logo are Tradem arks owned by Wizards of the Coas t and are used acco rd in g to t he terms of the 020 Syst em Licen se version 1.0 . A cop y of this License can be fo und at www.wizards .com. The Open G ame Content in thi s book includes game rules, character and creature statistics, and similar mat erial using the d20 Syst em. This content is den ot ed by its placement in

bordered-sty le sidebars and by t ext h.ighlighted in bold-italic type wit hin the ma in bo dy o f the text. In addit ion , all of Part 3 and Part 4 are considered O pen Game Co nte nt. The remaini ng material is designated Product Identity. Wi th t he exception of th e Open Game Content, reprodu cti on of thi s work without th e written permission of t he Copyright H older is a violat ion of copyr ight law and is expres sly forbidden. This is a work of fiction. Any resembl ance to actual perso ns living or dead less than 50 0 years is p urely coincidental.

Avalanche Press Ltd. p.o. Box 4775,Virginia Beach,VA 23454 USA 1-800-564-9008 • www.AvalanchePress.com Copy right © 2002 Avalanche Press LTD . A ll rights reserved.

ISBN 0-9 7°796 1-9-6 Printed in the United States oj A merica. First Printing,

2002 .

(

Introduction Part I: Vlad, the Impaler Blood Prince of Wallachia Impalement Part 2: Wallachia The Land Land of the Vlachs Climate and Landscape The People Social Organization Everyday People

Prestige Classes

II

II 12

Ottoman Turks The People

25

The State Government Faith The Economy Armata. Romana Outsiders Shining City on a Hill

33

5 5 8 9 9 9 10

15 16 17 17 18 19 20 22 22 24

Gender

New Feats

Part 3: Characters

Noblesse without Oblige Clothing

Lautar

27 27 27 28 29 29 3I

4

Boyar Hussar NPC Classes Herbalist

Part 4: Monsters and Other Horrors

34 Vampires and Other Undead 34 Moroi Gamerlnformation 34 Strigoi 34 Strigoi Game Information 35 Obru 37 Obru Game Information 37 Vukodlak 39 Vukodlak Game Information 40 Gtmpowder Weapons 41 Arquebuse 41 Siege Cannon 41 Grievous Bodily Harm 42 Gangrene 42 Part 5: Son of the Dragon 43

While Vlad's dining amid impaled corpses can be verified, the setting was much more informal. Woodcut by A mbrosius Huber, 1499 . Cea uses cu pursu ed such Vlad- like p ol icies as executing people for possession of two or mo re oranges ("hoarding citrus fruit"), receivin g o r per formi ng abort ions, or heati ng t he ir homes in winte r. The cu rr ent government has tried aga in to make V lad a touri st attract ion with rest o rat ions of h is cas tle and pa lace. There's also t alk of a V lad-t he me d am use ment park nea r Bras o v ( Kron stadt} , sce ne of so me of his greatest crimes. VLAD THE IMPALER: BLOOD PRINCE OF WALLACHIA is a d20 Sys te m ™ suppleme n t allowing players to exp lore t h e reality behind the legend . It is no t a book for chi ld ren; if any thing, Vlad's legend p ales beside t he ho rror o f h is actual dee ds . C o ns ide r yo urs elf warned; parts o f what fo llows are fai rly di sturbing. But it act ua lly hap p en ed . All of the inc ide nts invol vin g the cha rac ter of V Iad in this book are based on actual events .

Introduction For more than five centuries, t he nam e of V lad III Tepes Kazikli , also know n as D rac ula (Son of t he Dragon) or t he Irnp aler, has inspire d fear an d loathing in peop le aro u n d the wo rl d. Easily hi sto ry 's m ost renowned Romani an , Vl ad th e Irnp aler set a sta ndar d for evil deed s which has been app roa che d sin ce but never eq ualed. While recent decad es reek wit h th e n am es of murderous lunatics like Hitler, Milosevic, Bin Lad en, Kar ad zic , Stalin or Arkhan, there 's never been ano t he r quite lik e Vlad. We tell o ur children t her e are n o m on ster s, but we lie. The monster s are out th ere, they ju st wear a human face. Vl ad 's sheer joy in inflicting painful death see ms beyond m ortal cap abil it y, an d, as a result, he' s often been p ortrayed as so me t hing other t ha n human . R ather than accep t that we are capa ble of such th in gs, we in vent supe rhu m an m on ster s t o sh ift the bl am e. But V lad was perfectly human . The fi rst ficti on ali zed acco un t o f the Wallachian princ e's ho rrible cri mes came in 1491 , ju st fift een years afte r hi s g rueso me death. Thi s early Ge rm an p amphlet m ad e n o effo rt t o show Vl ad as anyt h ing o t her than a bloodthir sty ruler - vicio us but quite human . Bram Stoker 's 189 7 n ovel Dracula laun ched V Iad Tep es and vampire legend s in to lasting fa me. In m o re rece n t years, V lad has been the subjec t of several films, includi ng at least o ne p urporting t o t ell the true sto ry. In Ro m ani a, the commun ist regim e m ad e hi m a nat ion alist hero fo r havin g fou gh t the Tu rk s. While Stok er 's novel an d film s arisi ng from it were bann ed for slan dering a Ro mani an icon, the go vernmen t b ui lt a number of fictional si tes mentioned in the boo k, in cluding D racula's castl e and th e hotel, Golden Krone, complete down t o the same dinner menu en joye d by S toker's cha rac ters. Dict at or N ico lae

4

The sto ry takes p lace in Wa llachia in 1456, t hree years after the fall of Cons ta n t inople de pic ted in LAST DAYS OF CONSTANTINOPLE and two after the events of GREENLAND SAGA (both d2 0 sup p leme n ts also p ub lishe d by Avalanc he Press). VLAD THE IMPALER can be combined wit h those two adventures in a co n t in uous campaig n, or played separately. Some no n-player characters from the earlier adve n tures re-appear. To provide some local flavor, the book adds several new prestige classes and m o n st ers from Balkan lo re and history. Drac ula's vampiri sm as shown in modern boo ks and movies is a W estern in vention; here we p resent the vampire legends as p eople of the t im e saw t hem in all of their fear and horror. As in our ot he r hi sto ric al supplemen ts, th is is intended to show the 15th Ce nt ury as its p eople saw it without the benefi t of hindsight. M agic is very real, t hough n ot as powerfu l as in fantasy campaigns. T he advent ure is design ed for cha racters of Sth t hro ug h 10th level. Fantasy races are no t appropriate fo r this se tting ; fo r full enjoyme nt pla yer s sho uld use h uman characters of Eu ro pean origin.

In addit io n to the special sidebar boxes and t he spe cially de marked text, all of the material in Part 3 and Part 4 is designated Open Game Conten t fo r licen se p urposes .

No fantasy tale has ever matched the reality oj Vlad the Impaler.

Image oj Vladjrom Schloss Ambras, Austria. Late artist unknown.

14 0 0'S,

Murad II . But Vlad seems to have wage d war wit ho ut hi s usual fire, giving suspicion as to hi s true motives, and th e Sultan's agents imprisoned the prince an d forc ed him t o hand over you ng Vlad and R adu as host ages. Upon hi s rele ase, Vl ad, th e D evil joined th e Hungari an-led crusade of Janos Hunyadi against th e Turks and, to gether wit h his eldes t son, Mircea, battled th e Ottoman s in several campaigns . D espite their father 's treach ery, Murad did n ot execute th e hostages. Both younger boys learn ed to sp eak and read Turkish and received a thorough edu cat ion both at th e Ottoman court in Bur sa and in th e fi eld alo ngs ide th e Sultan . R adu came to identify with his Turkish captors and prob ably became th e future Sultan M ehmet Fat ikh's lover at th is time. VIad hated them, though he appreciat ed th e military lessons, and it was here that he came to know and love th e art of imp alement . In 1444, th e C hrist ian nations made their last co ncerted attempt to throw the Turks out of Euro pe . A coaliti on of Ven etians , Genoese, Serbs, Wallachians, Hungari an s, an d Alban ians won rep eat ed vict ories an d put th e Ottom an s on the run. But at the Bulg arian port of Varna , Chr ist ian luck ran out, an d the Turks annihilat ed th e alli ed army. The generals began to bicker, and th e eld er Vl ad and Hunyadi fell ou t. Vl ad , pr obably with reason, blamed th e Hungarian gen eral for th e C hrist ian defeat. Ang ered , Hunyadi murdered him and in stalled Vlad's cousin , D an , on th e Wallachian throne. Pro-Hunyadi Wallach ian nobles dragged Mircea back to the Wallach ian capital city o f Targoviste , tortu red him, th en buried him ali ve alongside h is father. The Turks responded by over throwing the pretender an d imposing th eir hostage, Vlad Dracula, who last ed less than two months before the rival Hungarian crusader Janos D an esti clan once again Hunyadi . Hi s minions killed sei zed th e throne. Vl ad fled Vlad the D evil. to th e court of his cous in Stephen, Prince of Moldavia.

Part One: Vlad) the Impaler To understand V lad, one first has t o look at who he was, how he came to be in his station, and what th e p olitical climate at the t ime was. T h is sect io n exam ines Vl ad 's life an d th e circ um sta nc es t hat help ed create him . H is nati ve Wallachi a is discussed in Part 2 .

Blood Prince

of Wallachia

Born in 14 3 I, V lad probably wen t ro Germany as an infant when Holy Roman Emperor Sigis m und in duc te d hi s fat he r, also named V lad, into t he Order of t he Dragon. T h is feudal soc iety p ledg ed it self to figh t the Tur ks witho ut rest an d wit hout surrender, an d th e elder V lad took this responsibility very seriously - at least at fir st . H e rode under a dr agon bann er an d t hus beca me kn own t o hi s p eople as Dracul, or "the dragon ," wh ich can also mean " the devil " in Romanian. As the yo unger V lad grew into manhood, he becam e known as "T he Little Dragon," or "Drac ula." Vlad had two you nger b rothers, Ra du, the H andsome, and Mircea, known as V lad, t he Mon k, an d one olde r brother, also na med Mircea. At least one of th e boys served as a p age at th e co u rt o f Byzant ine Emperor John V II I Paleol ogus (elder brother of the Byzantin e Em pe ro r of LAST DAYS OF CONSTANTINOPLE) duri ng the 14 30 's, p robably Vlad.

At this p oint , the sources di verge. All agr ee th at Vl ad had t o leave his refuge in Moldavia aft er a palace coup bri efly overthrew hi s protect or, Stephen. Most plac e him alo ngside Jan os Hunyadi , learning military stra te gy an d fi ghting th e Tu rk s.

Vl ad Drac ul fo ug ht t he Turks rep eat edl y during th e 14 30 's but sensed momen tum head in g th eir way. In 14 38 , he changed sides an d fo ug ht alo ngs ide t he Tu rkis h Sultan

5

to happily impale p eople. Mircea's murder ers would be th e fi rst to su ffer, but they were far from the last.

Th e re ign o f t error lasted for six years, until a Turkish ar my fin ally defeat ed Vl ad and put R adu in his pl ace as the new prince. During the interim , V lad too k a leading rol e in C hris t ian pl an s to re-take Cons ta nt ino p le, joining a coa lit io n o f Pol es, Hungari an s, Vene t ians, and o t he rs. At th e head o f hi s Wall achi an s, he cap t ured the Turki sh fort ress o f G iurg iu and sent th e ga rriso n's 23 ,809 no ses to Kin g M atthi as of Hungar y as proof of hi s det erminati on. Vlad had learned mu ch from hi s Turki sh hosts, and his army had on e o f the age's m ost sop h ist icate d s iege trains and a ski lled corps o f military eng inee rs. The W all achian s m arched d own the Danube to the Black Sea, taking sev eral m ore Turki sh fortresses and sacking town s and villag es. The Turkish Su lt an responded with a massive invasion of Wallachia, for cing Vlad to retreat.

Playing Vlad V lad Tepes is t he central character of t he adventu re included in t hi s boo k and may also feature promine n tly in furth er sto ries yo u craft yo urself. Thou gh he has committed un sp eakable crimes, Vlad sho uld com e across as an extre mely charming, friendly noblem an . A bad accen t o ut o f a B-movie wo uld not be app ro priate; Vlad is an ed uc ate d and cosmo politan man , at hom e in many situations. It should be very easy to like thi s man, thus making his act s that much mo re horrible. Vlad is aware that others find his hobbies disgusting, and thi s only encourages him. H e draws amusement from th e discomfort of others and rarely shows anger; he will or de r a p easant impaled with the same exp ression and tone of vo ice he'd us e to inquire after a gues t's pr eferen ce in wine. In secure at heart, Vlad will answe r anyt hing he sees as a cha lle nge to h is aut hori ty wi th th e immediate im palem ent of th e o ffe nde r.

Unabl e to st and up t o th e Turks in o pe n battle, Vl ad resorted to sco rche d-e art h tacti cs including ma ss impalem ents o f peasants. Intended to fri ghten th e Turks , these in st ead enraged the Sultan' s m en - who then fell prey to di seases' harbored in th e rotting corp ses. Vl ad showe d so me real military skill but a co m p lete un willingn ess t o del egat e aut ho rity. H e co uld tru st n o ne of hi s nobles o u t o f his sig ht. A daring ni ght assa ult led by the Impaler h im sel f almos t kill ed Su lta n Me hme d, bu t it m arked the h igh point o f Vl ad 's campaig n. T he Wall ach ian s aba ndo ne d t h eir capi ta l and Vlad fled into th e Tran sylvani an wilde rness.

Though t he prince is un questi o nabl y evil - one o f t he m ost evil bei ngs in human history - he does no t consider himself so and wo uld be trul y su rprised to find himself coun ted thusl y. V lad believes in God, and co ns iders himself a rig hteo us upholde r of God's will. God has placed Vlad in dominio n ove r the lesser bei ngs of W allachia, who are t here fo r Vl ad 's en joy me n t. To fail to explo it this opportunity wo uld be a rejection of God's gift, and th e p rince would never be so un gracious as to reject such a fin e reward . While Vl ad do es not mak e too grea t a show of religion it go es against hi s arrogant nature to acknowled ge an y being as s up reme over him he wo uld certainly call himself a good Christian.

At o ne point Vlad 's wife becam e di strau ght over the fam ily 's slende r ch anc es o f escape and threw herself from a ro cky cliff

/

H owever, V lad is known to have ha rbored a serious grudge against H un yadi for t he mu rd er of his fat her and espec ially for that of Mircea. Hi s fury over M ircea 's deat h may well have unh inged hi m. So me sources clai m he went ins tea d to joi n his yo ulJger br other, R adu, at th e Turkish co ur t. During the Turkish siege o f Consta nt inople, he m ay have fou ght alongs ide the jani ssari es with who m he'd t rain ed as a teen ager, and t his is t he premi se taken in LAST DAYS OF CO NSTANTINOPLE. In 14 56, Vl ad ove rt hrew the ri val D an esti prince, Vladislav II N ovember, Hunyadi's creature, and proc eeded

A fanciful rendering of Vlad's night attack on the Sultan's camp.

6

to her death. T he chronicles do not record her name, and Vlad see ms to have been even less interested in her loss . But whe n Vl ad 's beloved yo ung so n be ca me lost durin g a skirmi sh wi t h t he Tu rk s, the prince lost much o f hi s will to fight. H e threw himself on M atthi as ' m ercy, and the Hungari an kin g respo nde d by tossing Vlad into prison at Visegrad in nort he rn Bosni a, a city whic h wo uld become known fo r Vlad-style horrors of it s own five cent uries lat er.

Playing Vlad (cont.) Som e lat er historian s will come to believe th at V lad may suffer from so me so rt of sexual dysfun ction. H e cert ainly is obs essed wit h female sexuality, especially wit h femal e breast s and gen italia. Yet he has fathered several ch ildren and maintain s multi ple m ist resses. Thus, despite his great charm and undoubted ability in th e arts of sed uc t io n, he sho uld be reluctant to lure strange wom en to his bed. An at temp t to seduce Vlad will probably end in di saster, though give n the prince's p ers on ality yo u sho uld p ro bably allow a character attempting thi s to advance to a point orno return before Vlad turns o n him or her.

D urin g his t ime in p riso n, V lad came to kn o w M atth ias and see ms to have charme d the Hungari an rul er. In 1474, the kin g released V lad from pri son and marri ed him to hi s dau ghter, sig na ling th at Hungar ian t ro op s wo uld help Vlad ret ake hi s th rone. Back home in Walla chi a, Radu had lost co nt ro l to a riva l D an esti prince named Basar ab Laiota, the Old , an d th e t wo m en sw itc he d pl aces severa l times. Afte r fi ghting alongside Matthias o n an an t i-Tur kis h crusad e in Croa t ia, Vlad co nv in ced his new fath er-in-law that he was th e m an to lead the fight against th e Turks . Backed by Hungari an-paid m er cen ari es plus Hungari an and Moldavian t ro op s, Vl ad re- entered his old domains. His coalition defeat ed R adu 's t ro o p s outsid e the n ew cap ita l, Bucharest, and V lad too k co nt ro l of Walla chi a o nce aga in.

A number of later depictions emphasize th e hom oero tic overtones of th e vampire mv thos, but there is no evidence that Vl ad pr eferred m en beyond th e Freudian symbolism of impalement. It's m ore th an likel y th at Vl ad was sexually mol est ed during his bo yhood in Turki sh captivity.

Things fell apa rt quickl y on ce the Hungari an s an d Moldav ians left. M ost of Vlad' s Wall achi an suppo rte rs then deserted, and o nly 2 0 0 M oldavian vete ra ns left behind by Vlad 's co usi n, S tep he n , as a bodygu ard staye d by the prince. Less t ha n two m onths afte r hi s last corona t io n, Vlad faced a new Turk is h ar my jus t o u ts ide Buch ares t. Once aga in, the Tu rks had se nt t ro ops t o put R adu o n the Wall achi an th ro ne. W it ho ut a cha nce t o hire the m er cen ari es who had bee n the back bon e o f hi s form er militar y po wer, Vl ad had to call o n th e hi ghly unreliabl e noble kni ghts and feudal levies to resist the at tac k. During the battle, seve ral Wallachian nobl es and th eir troops turned o n thei r prince. The M old avian s fought furiousl y t o d efend Vlad , but a Wallachian turncoat ran the Irnpaler through with a lance. D espite the m ortal wound, Vl ad m an aged t o kill five of hi s attacker s before co llaps ing from lo ss o f bl ood . At some po int, eit he r a Turk o r a W all achian cho p pe d off his h ead , and it was se nt to C o n st antin o ple. After co n firm ing the head 's id entity an d di splayin g it for a few days, M ehmet gave th e trop hy t o his janissari es. The so ld iers used it t o pl ay kickb all - a di sm ounted form o f pol o po pular wit h the Turks. One especially vigo ro us kick se nt it sa iling ove r the

head s o f the playe rs into t he Bosph o r us, t he arm of the sea flanking the jani ssary pa rade gro und , and the head was lost in the wate rs. Ju st wha t beca me of t he res t of t he Imp aler is n ot kn own ; seve ral sites vie for t he claim (and to urist in come) o f hosting Dracula's grave. Vl ad 's descendants ruled W allach ia for anot her 200 years, th ou gh n ot es pe cially well. Princes o f hi s lin e incl ud ed his son s Vlad Tepeles (" T he Little Impal er ") and Mihnea, t he Bad as well as Pet er, the Lam e, Mihnea, th e Islami sed, and Alexander, th e Cocoon before th e Turks fin ally repl aced t he m with family of Greek co urt iers then in g rea t favor wit h th e S ultan.

7

Vlad prides himself on being a good father and tries to instill his young son with righteous family values. Vlad Tepeles, "The Little Impaler," is about five years old at the time of this adventure. He accompanies his father whenever possible, though not into battle or other dangerous situations. During their quality time together, Vlad and the Little Impaler engage in father-son bonding by impaling small birds, mice, and other tiny creatures on sharpened sticks. Vlad is quite taken with his eldest's accomplishments in this field and will proudly display his son's skills to visitors

Impalement More than anything else, Vlad is remembered for impaling people. The practice is an ancient one. As carried out by the Turks , and by Vlad when he and his minions have the time, this consists of carefully tapping a stout, narrow pole into the victim's rectum. It is then inserted several feet deep, often exiting the chest cavity between the shoulder blades. Done with skill, it will not kill the victim, but rather leave him or her to dangle in excruciating pain. An impaled victim can take several days to die. Drinking water will usually kill the victim by rupturing their internal organs, and impaled victims will implore passers-by to kill them or at least give them water. The medical skills of this age are not able to save a man or woman who has been impaled.

Though Vlad is best remembered for his obsession with impalement, he also has an equally morbid but less renowned passion for forced cannibalism. On at least one occassion his troops have stewed captured Roma (Gypsies) in large pots and then forced the rest of the clan to eat the result. Vlad is also known to have had his men slice off the breasts of a woman accused of adultery, fry them, and force her lover to eat them.

The poles themselves are usually seasoned hardwood with a cavalryman's light lance being especially favored. European metallurgy is not capable of making a metal rod long, thin, and strong enough to hold a human body upright for days. The end of the pole is rounded and oiled, to avoid penetrating a vital organ and killing the victim too quickly.

Vlad rarely if ever participates in atrocities. The quintessential tyrant, he has others do his dirty work. He is no coward, but the fact that others will commit horrible acts in his name reinforces his ultimate authority. He enjoys this exercise of power immensely: he obtains as much satisfaction from having others commit the act at his word as he does from watching it.

As proper impalement takes time and skill, and lances are hard to come by in quantity, Vlad's men often take a shortcut. When impaling large numbers of people, they will hold the living victim to the ground on their back and pound a heavy stake through their chest. They then place the stake in a prepared post-hole. This usually kills the victim outright. The prince disdains this method and will become quite angry with his men if he believes they are cutting corners on proper impalement technique, having the offenders themselves impaled. Vlad is also noted for a particular obsession with impaling nursing mothers: they are uniformly stripped topless, impaled by the first method, and the infant is then carefully nailed to their bare breast and secured in place with rope. A later age would say that Vlad has some serious psychosexual issues. He bears a profound hatred for women and above all for female sexuality. Yet he fathered several legitimate children and maintained a number of mistresses besides. Well-documented cases show him ordering women se~ally mutilated for crimes of adultery, impaled through the vagina rather than rectum. He also enjoys ordering impaled women stripped, and their breasts mutilated. His sick savagery is one that will not be equaled for centuries. But Vlad has never been reported impaling a person himself; he always directs his servants to carry out the actual act. It is a messy business, for the victims always foul themselves and sometimes bleed profusely. Vlad hates all living creatures, and is not content with impaling humans. His men are also known to impale house pets and small barnyard animals; they would probably impale horses and cattle if they could manage it. It is not unknown for Vlad to have whole families impaled: parents, children, pets, and farm animals, all lined up in a neat row.

8

r-> I

Part Two: Wallachia

1E I

Southeastern Europe in the 15th century. N ational Museum oj Bucharest.

T his section dea ls with Wa llachia, t he land t h at Vlad called home. A primer on the land it self, its nati ve people, and their customs follows.

In th e early 1 3th Century, a n ew invader stormed out of C entral Asi a. The M ongols eng age d in wh ol esale slaug hte r o f th eir ene m ies and o fte n anyo ne else who go t in th eir way. When they retreat ed fro m the lower Danube valley to elect a n ew Great Khan , they left behind a devastat ed and m ostly

The Land

depopulat ed region.

Located in the mountains of Eastern Europe, Wallachia is a hard country populated by a tough people.

D escendants of those Roman farm ers - th eir Roman ancest ry now m ingled with Hungarian, Bulgari an , Avar, M on gol, Greek, Tart ar, Hunnish , Sl avic, G othic, and o t he r et hn ic gro ups - slow ly mo ved o ut of t he ir mountain s to set tle the em p ty plains. They nam ed their regained lands Wall achi a, Land of the Vlachs , and also se t up a principality in nearb y Moldavia. Some wandered even further south into Macedonia and Greece, usuall y running flocks of shee p in the hills. Known as "V lachs" in this area, th eir villages co uld st ill be found there in the early 20t h C entury.

Land of the Vlachs The pe o p le known to the 2 I st C en t ury as Romanians claim descent from the ancient Roman settlers of the region known as Dacia. Roman Dacia had been lost to waves of barbarian invad ers more than a thousand years before V lad's birth . Roman farmers retreated into th e harsh mountain valleys of the Carpathians. Called V lachs by their neighbors, th ey kept alive a Latin-derived language but little else of th eir heritage. Over th e centuries th eir sp eech becam e heavil y influenced by their neighbors but retained its Latin charact er.

D espire their mi grations, the Wall achi an s st ill lo ok ed

9

to

the

Carpathians, th e region known as Tran sylvania, as th eir homeland. T here is no Roma nia n peo ple as t he 2 1 st Ce n t ury wo uld define a nat io na lity; if asked, people wou ld call them selves "Christian," or "from here." A few of t he m o re ed uca te d and aware might even call the mselves Roman . But Romani an is a lan gu age, not a peo ple, and no one po ssesses any so rt of Rom an ian or even Wallach ian nati onal identity. Even th e nobles see th emselves as ultimately beholden to th e King of Hungary.

Farm er s her e raise whea t as their primary crop, and the rich D anube bottomlands yield good harvest s. The technology th ey use is rather prim itive; th e iron pl o w has n ot m ad e it s way here despite adap ta tio n in West ern Euro pe ove r a century ago. Pl o wing is a tw o-per son job usuall y performed by a hu sb and-wife team : o ne g uides th e pl o w, while the other prods the animal pulling it (an o x, mul e, or draft hor se) , Harvesting is done by hand, as is tru e in all of Europe. \ Adult s cut the rip e wh eat with long-handled scyt he s, while child ren follow alo ng behind to ti e it into sh eaves an d st ack them . When left alo ne by raider s and o t he r desp oil er s, even this p rimitive system can turn over good amo unts o f gra in.

Ro man ian is a Ro m an ce lan gu age, but ove r the centuries it has diverged fro m its roo ts. Gramma r and struct ure and man y words are similar to It alian , bu t man y Slavic and Hungarian words have crept into the vocab ulary. It is also pronounced m uch m o re like a S lavic t ha n a Romance lan gu age.

Th e lo wer slopes o f th e Ca rpath ians begin abo u t 4 0 mil es north o f the Danube and continu e to ri se ge n tly fo r abo u t 100 mil es before reaching th eir sum m its. On th ese hill s,

Befo re the Wallac hian settle rs co uld truly es ta blish control ove r t heir new lan ds, a new invad er en te red so ut he rn Europe. T he Otto m an Turks smas hed th e region's political order, destroying bo th th e growing an d powerful Serbian Empire and th e decay ing Byzantine Em pire. Fired by the mi ssionar y religio n of Islam an d kept s tro ng by a war rio r et h ic, th e Turks are fearsome opponents wit h m o re stay ing p ower than earlier invaders. By turns, t he Wa llachia ns have fought aga inst the Turks and as their allies, as t he ir p rinc es see k a path of survival in these despera te times.

vin eyards produce so m e ver y good wine s (us ua lly deep reds) . Orchards are also common, and m an y farmer s dry th e fruit for lat er use. Most o f the Carpathi an s are actuall y in Tr an sylvania. These are beautiful but harsh an d rocky mountains . So il is po or here, and the for ests are dark and forbidding. Winters can be t erribl e, and people regularl y di e o f expos ure. Wol ves roa m the m ountain for ests wit h no fear o f human s. Som e whisper that far wo rse th an wo lves prey o n people am o ng th e Carpathi ans. Few people live here by cho ice, but habits di e hard and many Wallachians still see th e mountains as home.

Now Wall ach ia stan ds at a key m oment in it s sho rt hist o ry. The C hrist ian king do ms to th e north expec t th e Wallachi an s t o sta n d firm aga ins t th e Turks, but th ey are much fre er with th eir wo rds th an wit h troops o r money. Still, Wallachia and it s sis ter nation of Moldav ia have st ro ng, militaril y skille d leaders. Shou ld they choose to resis t th e Turks, th ey can pu t up a very strong defense.

The advent ure included lat er in thi s book is set in lat e summer. Thi s is th e time of year when armi es go to war since food for m en and horses can eas ily be req u isit io ned (t hat is, sto len) from farms alo ng th e m ar ch route. The sun sh in es go lden in the sky, humidity is lo w, and cloud s are few. It is a wo nde rfu l time to be alive. It 's stay ing that way that 's diffi cult.

Climate and Landscape Despi te t he dread wh ich han gs ove r th e people, Wall achi a is actually a very p leasa nt land . In sum me r, th e temper atures rarel y get excess ively hot , and win t ers are relatively mild in t he D anube bas in. W he re they have not been burned and dest ro yed , t he fields are lu sh and g reen, an d there are m an y deep forests as well.

10

• A peasant's most imp ortant possession is a bed, the sym bo l of a home. Thi s cons is ts o f a woo de n fr am e t o h ol d th e slee pe rs up o ff th e gro und. Wi thin th e fram e is a strawfill ed mat tress, th ou gh in poor households (and most Wallachi an hou seholds are poor) th is fra me is simp ly fi lled with lo ose straw. One or two blanket s th en co mp lete th e bedclothes; ru ral Wallachi ans kn ow no th ing of sheets. All lon g for a down- fill ed mattress, but this use of goose feat hers is reser ved for the boyars. The typic al hom e has two roo ms: a livin g area with t he hearth and a bedroo m. All mem ber s of the fami ly sleep to gether in th e bed room - in poo rer ho useholds, all in the same bed . M or e pro sp erou s fam ilies have multi pl e bed s, bu t usu all y p lace th em all in th e same roo m. As a res ult, mar ried co up les have no shame regarding sex. Ch ild ren are aware of th e act from a very early age, but yo ung p eopl e who want to indulge wit ho ut benefit o f mar riage mu st somehow snea k \ away. Ge tti ng away from th e constant presence of others is as mu ch a part o f th e shame and exci tement of the affair as the act itself. Walla chians, like o ther Euro pea ns , are h ighl y un comfortabl e when th ey are alo ne.

The People A land is defined by th e p eople who live in it . Walla chia is no exception.

Villages are usu ally walled, t houg h few can afford to build st ro ng sto ne wo rks. Instead , th ey are surrounded by earthen em bankme nts o fte n topped by sharpe ned st akes to deter Tu rki sh cavalry men from rid ing or leaping over th em . Rath er th an a ga te, an ope n ing in th e embankment will be blocked by a large wood en cbevaux-des-jrise, a log with stakes attac hed to it as a barri er.

Social Organization Wallachi a, like all th e neighboring lands, is overwhelming ly rural. Th e village is th e cen ter o f so cial o rga n iza t io n, and even t hose Wallac h ians who leave ho me (an d th ese are very rare) refer to th eir village as th eir pla ce of origin. Though Vlad and hi s co us in, St ephen , th e Great of M oldavia, will so meday be hailed as the firs t Rom an ian na t io na lis ts, th ere is no Rom an ian nati onal con sciou sn ess at an y level o f so ciety. Boyar an d peasant ob ey Vlad becau se he will im pale th em if th ey do n ot. T he typ ical village is a mi serable co llec t io n o f hovels. Wallachi an s build th ei r homes of woo d, but constant warfare has destroyed so man y o f th em th at p eople are often found livin g in huts of mud and st icks or th e tumbled ruin s o f dam aged bu ild ings. In no rma l t imes, th e village sits ami d farmlan d, and th ose who wo rk th e land walk o ut to th eir field s by day. Such a village has two streets lin ed with ho mes, a sma ll churc h, and a tavern.

M anning th e walls aga ins t attackers will be a poo rly-armed militi a bearing farm imp leme n ts. Boyars do not allow serfs to own weap ons, th ough som e have armor ies and will iss ue swo rds, pikes, and mail shirts during wart ime. In many villages, th e inhabitants will ru n for th e fo rest or the mountains if th ey are within reach ra the r th an defen d th eir ho mes. Both Turkish and Wallach ian raiders have mad e a pract ice o f slaug hte ring villagers who defend th em selves whi le sparing th e lives o f th o se who do not resis t. As a result, ma ny W all ach ians beli eve th ey s ho u ld n ot figh t, t ho ugh the ir t o rment or s (whet her Chri sti an o r M oslem ) will rape an d stea l wit h abandon even in villages they" spa re."

Wallachi an s kn ow o f t he fir epl ace, which is used by some bo yars in th eir es tates, but the typ ical peasant home consists of a sing le room su rro und ing an open hearth. The fir e burn s cons ta n tly during fall , winter, and sp ring, keeping th e room luk ewarm and very smoky. The hearth is built up o ff th e floor by a foot or so to keep rainwater from putting out th e fire whe n it in evit abl y leaks through th e walls and ove r t he packed eart h o f t he floor.

A village is lead by it s headman . Since most villagers are rel at ed t o one an ot he r, thi s man is o fte n also th e loc al patriarch. The headman has littl e p ower beyond jud gin g minor d isputes and assigni ng far mland because anything he decid es can be overt urne d on th e boyar 's whim. T he headm an's wife often ha s more practi cal power becau se she is expec te d t o oversee marriage mat ch es and ot her" wo me n's issues," and th e bo yars never bot her with t hese.

A farming peopl e, Wallachians kn ow th e im p ortance of a good do or stoo p. Even th e mo st wretch ed dwellings have at least a sma ll porch in fro nt o f th e doo r, wh ich is typi call y raised at least six in ches above gro und level. This prevents animal waste from being tracked inside the home.

Typically, a village sh ould also have a pri est. M an y paris hes are vacan t, however, wit h th eir ch urches sta nding em pty. Thi s t errifies th e inh abi t an t s fo r t he un dead are known to hold gr eat p owers if th ey can make use of co nsecra ted buildings (see page 34). While th e co m mo n fol k lon g fo r I1

priests in their villages, th ey have little knowl ed ge of th eir suppose d reli gi on.

hi s own peasants and sec o ndly t o ward off Turkish raiders . M ost dat e from the earl ies t da ys o f Wall achian se t tle m en t ( t he Mongol s sm ash ed alm os t all o f the older fortifications) and are positioned t o fend o ff in vad er s from th e northeast. The bo yar will em p loy a number o f m erc enary so ld iers to guard the castle, often Wallachian farmboys with little military training but sometimes foreigners (ch iefly Germans and renegade Turks) with some exp erience. The elite Italian and Swiss m ercenaries are well outside their price ran ge .

W ith priest s in low supp ly, man y villages have come to rel y o n eart h ier sp irit ua l lead er s. The lautar is a Wallachian folk singe r reputed to have great ma gical power s (see Part 3, pag e 3 I) . Similarl y, herbalist s us e th e power s of plants to achi eve th eir en ds, which are sometimes medical but just as often inflicting pain and suffering on others. Wallachians like seeing th eir enemi es brought low. See pag e 29 for more on herbalists. The C h urch does not app rove o f lautars o r herbalists, but in mo st villages even th e pri est seeks their aid occas io nally. For all o t he r q ues t io ns, th e village must look to the local boyar, o r no bl e. The boyar is usu ally responsible for several villages. H e owns th e land and everyt h ing o n it including the people. Th ese se rfs ma y not leave the land without the boyar's permi ssion. They ar e not strictly slaves in a legal sense - he canno t sell th em off th e land or kill them outright - but the lin e betw een slave and se rf is very thin.

Slav er y is legal in Wall achia, th ough it is considered o ut of bounds to ens lave a C hrist ian. Ca p t u red Turks are o fte n put to work in fields, but, since the Wallachi an s lose most battles, the t ypic al slave is Wall ach ian by birth. Some Wall achi an s fall into slaver y through debt, and , in so m e villages, life is so miserabl e that p eople actually volunteer for slav ery, sellin g them selves in order to spare their families a slow death by starvation. A slave 's child is not considered the owner 's property; slave st at us en ds with the slave's death.

Boyar s pr efer th eir serfs to m ake cash paym ents but few ever see currency. Serfs therefo re co nt ribu te a large proportion o f t heir crop to th e local noble. In return, th e boyar is expe cte d ro pro tec t th em fro m raiders, though few even mak e weak ges tu res t oward doing so. A Wallachian boyar is more likel y to dr aw hi s swo rd to enforce peasant obligati ons than aga ins t a for eign ene my. The bo yar also oversees local ju stice, though this is becoming an ever-m o re dangerous occupation. Vlad the Irnpal er sees himself as a gr eat lawgiver, and a bo yar who render s a decisi on with whi ch the prince disagrees ma y find himself riding a lon g wood en pole. Vl ad randomly reviews cases from all ove r Wall achia, both for hi s ow n am usem ent

Wallachian bo yar s are th e only on es allo wed to o wn slav es, and they are also kn own t o capture and en slave gyps ies, a pr actice that will rem ain legal in Wall achi a for ano t he r 4 0 0 year s. The gyp sy love o f fr eedom m akes th em very poor slaves indeed , and th ey will often sit do wn and refu se to work, glad to di e rather than be a slave. Their sta t us as social o ut cast s makes them relativel y easy to throw into bondage. Wallachian slav ery is of th e chattel vari et y: slaves are property, and their ma sters are all ow ed to do wit h them as they wish , including raping, beating, and killing th em for spo rt. Gi ven the hard life many lead as fr ee m en and wo me n, it takes seve re cruelty t o opp res s a slave. The boyar s m an age.

and to reinfor ce his position o f sup reme aut ho rity. The bo yar rarely res ides in o ne o f the sme lly villa ges, in st ead setting up an indep endent esta te at some location with easy access to all of his lands. Incom e from the peasants' labors is supposed to fund full equipment for th e bo yar (o r his sons if he is an older man) to rid e alo ngs ide his prince as an armored cavalryman. While o ut wardly sim ilar in app earance to Western kni ghts, Wallach ian boya rs spe nd little time honing their skills in th e tournam ents and o t her kn ightly events which ob sess th eir French, English, and Ge rman counterparts. In pr actice, what little m on ey can be raised from selling th e produce of a boyar 's lands goes ro improvin g th e es ta te and pa yin g its garriso n. M an y bo yar s br eed horses , which are maj or consumers of Wallachia 's g ra in. If ignorant of arms , literature, science, and ju st about every t hing else, th e t ypical Wallachian boyar's knowledge o f hor sefl esh is wit ho ut peer. Serfs are employed o n th ese farms but are forbidd en to rid e. They perform the di rt y wo rk o f fee d ing the an ima ls, mucking o ut their stalls , and o t he r ha rd labo r. Only a well-bo rn p ost erior ma y occupy a saddle. Wall achi an s ride As iat ic sty le, bending lo w over th e hor se's neck and spurring th e mount forward in a straight lin e.

Everyday People Wall achi a is a desper ately poor country, though it has g reat potential (as has been the case for hundred s of yea rs in the past, and will be for hundreds of years in the future) . In th e lowlands north of the Danube Ri ver, fertile soil produc es bumper crops of wh eat - if the farm ers can manage to bring

S tro nge r boy ars build th eir own castles, fortified stone plac es int ended fir st and for emost to defend the noble from 12

Campaigns of Vlad, the Devil and Hunyadi against the Turks. National Museum oj Bucharest.

it in before rampaging arm ies destro y it. O at s are als o a com m o n crop, which is used to help feed the regi on 's thri vin g hors e farms . Walla chia has been a co n st an t battl efield. Even th ough Wallachian troops at times have march ed alongside th e Sultan, the land is not spared from Turkish raids.

despite their genetic differences and are sometimes us ed for breeding, but they have nasty dispo sitions and cannot be broken to th e saddle.

The common p eopl e lead a fairl y mi serable exis te nce. Most village s ha ve be en sacked at least o nce in the last decade. U nlike most Eu ropean peoples, Wallachi an s rarel y bake br ead. The national dish is mu sh , made from coarse wheat and flavored on special oc casi on s wit h cu cumber s and ga rl ic. Those who can affo rd it eat lamb and mutton whe n they can. They wash t his d own wit h har sh red wine; here as elsewhere to drink wat er is to court di sease.

Beyond th e fin e hors efl esh , t he re's not mu ch of value for th e raid er s to take whe n they st rike a Wall achi an village. As a result, th ey se ize the villagers' mo st valuable possession: their children , who are led o ff to Ottoman slave m ark et s where pretty yo un g bo ys are espe cially prized . Such lad s are often forced into prostitution or harem service; so me who show promise are castrat ed and trained as court eun uc hs. The Sultan purchases several hundred other bo ys each year to be train ed as jani ssari es , his elite infantry troop s. In a few d ecad es a regular draft of ch ild ren will begin in Ottoman-ruled Europe, but at this point most suc h ch ildre n are taken by raiders from bordering land s, mostly from Wallachia.

Most people are se rfs, bound to the land on which they live. Th ey do have some limited ri ghts : the serf decides what to plant and how to tend it , and ow ns hi s own tools and animals. Few Wallachian s are landown er s; most o f the country is carved up into large esta tes held by the bo yar s. Wallachia is home t o many stud farms, whe re fin e riding and warho rses are rai sed . These are the country 's p rimary export and th e target of Turki sh raid ers who cross the Danube to loot the countrysid e. The bo yar s value their horses far more th an their serfs . Wallachian farms favor a heavyw eight horse useful for both carriage and riding similar to th e modern th oroughbred - a lin e found ed by a Wallachi an horse , the fam ed "Byerley Turk."

Ad ults are ra rely t aken as slaves; t he hard life o f Wallach ia us es them up by the time th ey reach their mid-z. O's, and leading them away is n ot wo rt h the effo rt. Some Turkish raiding parties will sep ar at e out b eautiful yo u n g wo me n for sal e, but adult m en of all age s and older wo m en ar e usuall y ignored. For those who rem ain , life is brutal, nasty, and sh o rt . A man can expe ct to live to 35 if he' s lucky, 25 if he's very luck y. Women can expe ct an early, arra nge d marri age, to bea r man y children, and th en di e - o fte n wh ile giving birth. In fant mortality is eno rmo us: less than half o f all bab ies see their first birthday. The peasantry makes up for th ese losses wit h sheer numbers and consequently has little attachme nt to t h..eir

Wild horses kn o wn as Tarpan s also run fr ee in the country, usually in sm all family groups in t he foothills of th e Carpathians. Th ey are sim ilar to the Prezwal ski horse, a primitive relati ve of th e domestic vari et y. Tarpans have larger heads and thicker neck s than domesti c hors es and o fte n feature ze bra stripes on their leg s. They are interfertile with domestic horses

13

children. Family life usually means the absence of love. The deaths of so many have given the people a fatalistic indifference to life; some believe this is what drove Vlad to impale them: simple death held no terror. It takes a lot to shock the typical Wallachian, and their monsters are frightening indeed. __

noble peasants. They do still retain the rights of the nobility: to assemble and advise the prince, to bear arms, and to render verdicts in disputes on their domain. No one takes these rights very seriously, though, and the higher boyars react quickly and decisively to crush attempts by their lesser kin to put on airs.

Because of the short lifespan, people are expected to take on adult roles far earlier than will be the case in . another 500 years. Girls are often hired out as maids at age six, and .married at age 12. Puberty, however, generally hits later than will be true in the 2 I st Century with 16 being the typical age of sexual maturity. Boys also begin work very young, hitting the fields at six. Those who are apprenticed to a trade begin their training at age seven. A teenager is expected to take on the full responsibilities of an adult man and is usually treated with as much respect as an older man of similar skill and accomplishment.

The remainder of the boyars style themselves after Western knights and, during wartime, fit themselves and their retainers as armored horsemen. Only a select few can afford the weapons, equipment, and animals, though. This makes riding to war in full armor a social distinction, and, thus, the heavy horse remain in the Wallachian order of battle even as they have become less useful on the battlefield. Traditionally, the boyars rule Wallachia with one of their number serving as voivode, or chief. This has not always been an hereditary title and, until the advent of VI ad Dracul, many saw their voivode as merely the first among equals. Vlad Dracul, impressed by his brief time at the Imperial Court, began using the German hereditary title, prinz, instead of voivode, implying their equivalence. Many boyars did not appreciate the imposition of hereditary rule by Vlad's dynasty and supported the rival Danesti clan. These were the men who conspired with Hunyadi to murder the elder Vlad and Mircea. Vlad Tepes considers his title hereditary and absolute, inherited from his father. He massacred all boyars he could connect to his father's murder, and a few more for good measure. Any who were even present at Mircea's death found themselves on wooden poles, and Vlad continues to seek a handful of renegades he believes had a role in the murder. Otherwise, Vlad sees the boyars as a service class that should devote itself to administering and defending Wallachia under his unquestioned leadership. The surviving nobility mouth the right words of acquiescence, but they do not accept this radical new idea. Most consider Vlad's rule illegitimate, for he was never elected by his peers, and he does not give them the co-equal status they deserve.

Wallachians found in the army or working will almost always be younger than a party of . adventurers might expect. They don't always look it since life is very hard and the strains show.

Noblesse without Oblige Wallachia sports a much larger noble class than in Western Europe. Perhaps as much as 10 percent of the

Vlad knows the boyars hate him, cordially returns the emotion, and enjoys feeding their fear of him. He periodically impales a few to emphasize that he holds the power of life and death over all Wallachians both common and noble. Those most likely to resist the prince have long since been killed, but the Danesti pretender Basarab ~d a handful of diehard supporters still lurk in the Carpathians. Vlad has never managed to dig them out of their mountain hideouts, and he knows that boyars at his court are in league with his rival. Vlad considers himself an excellent judge of character with some justification. Therefore, he makes sure all powerful boyars spend at least some time at court in Targoviste every year, so that he can judge their loyalty to their prince.

population claims boyar heritage. Many of these people are noble in name only and cling to a tenuous existence in hopes of avoiding slipping into serfdom. Unlike serfs, however, they can own land, and the handful of independent Wallachian farms are worked by such

To the Wallachian boyar, heredity means little, but family ties are paramount. The head of a family holds the boyar title, but he is not necessarily the eldest member or the son of

14

th e last patriarch . Rather, the clan foll ows the man who can seize lead er ship. The boyar s are a thi evin g and untrustworthy lo t who value blood ti es as the o nly lin ks o n wh ich they can rely. T hey engage in bl ood feuds like all Balkan p eoples, b ut Wall ach ian bo yar s will drop suc h a vendetta in excha nge fo r payme nt mu ch fast er an d eas ier th an t heir Slavic neighbo rs. Th e bo yars speak o fte n o f their "ho no r," but they really mean an easil y-wounde d so rt of chi ld is h ego. O therwise, t hey ge nera lly lack act ua l hon or.

with th e Sultan are good, bo yars can usually be found in Tu rki sh robes wit h caftans on th eir heads . When th e Turks are th e ene my, the boya rs are likely to turn o ut in Italian iat e co ur t d ress to show th eir support for Christendom . When t imes are un cert ain , t hey d ress in Byzantine robes in hopes they will simp ly be overlooked as o ut !I ' of date an d n ot t aken for havin g a ! polit ica l op in io n . Noble m en an d wo men do ba t he, t hou gh infreq uen tl y, and, unli ke t he peasants , th ey do wear unde rga rme n ts . M en wear s ilken boxer s, and often a padded vest ove r th eir chest - o rig ina lly intended t o help so fte n blow s taken during battle. These are fr equ ently wo rn on n on-military occasion s as well becau se they give t he owne r a mo re mu scular appeara nce. Wom en pre fer a shift mu ch like th at shown o n th e cover illus tra t ion wit h lace deco rati on. T hi s keep s t he scra tchy fabric o f t heir clot h ing o ff th eir ski n.

Clothing Wallac h ian peasan ts wear the typi cal garb o f the rural East Europea n: for m en , a long-tail ed wh ite shirt, buttoning in front o nly halfway d own (so that it is in fact a pullover) over clo se-fitting homespun tr ou ser s, usu ally d yed brow n. Wom en wear long hom espun dresses wit h lon g sleeve s and high neck s. Pro sp erous peasant s will decorate th eir clothing with em bro ide red Bo wers and birds o r co lo rful designs . Wallachian s gro w Bax from which they spin ro ug h linen an d raise sh eep for wool, but they kn ow n othing o f cotton. In keepi ng wit h th e times, they also do n ot wea r underwear, which m akes for a very unc omfortabl e exis te nce as these scra tc hy fabri cs are always in co n ta ct wit h their ski n. Rash es are co m mo n . T he b rassier e st ill lies four centuries in th e futu re; wo me n's cloth ing of this time d oes no t lend itself to adve nt uring. Corse ts and stays are available to th e nob ili t y, whe re lad ies favor a t all and at hlet ic lo ok . Waif-l ike thinness is held to be di sgu sting and rem ini sc ent o f plag ue vict ims . Amo ng the peasant ry, however, t he standard of female beauty calls for a large, volup t uo us bod y type. The perception of male beauty is sim ilarly split ; a handful o f noble m en even wear co rse ts to lend th emselves a m ore at h let ic, soldie rly air whe n they feel the need . A fat peasan t man, how ever, is see n as success ful an d pro sperou s (he can affo rd to be fat; a thin peasant is a failure) .

Vl ad pre fers a long Tu rkish-st yle ro be wit h Iitrle deco rati on (as show n o n th e cover), much lik e th e m od ern grea tcoa t it will someda y become. He usuall y closes th e collar and

A peasant is unlikely to own more th an o ne set of clothing, and, thus, th ey rarely wash th em . Th ey also bathe infrequently; washing an ything o t he r than the n eck , face, an d hands m or e th an o nce a yea r is unu su al an d in fact co ns ide red unh ealth y. Th e body se cre tes it s o ils to p rotect the skin , and so peopl e sho u ld keep them in p lace. Wallachi an peasants rub th em s elves b r iefl y wit h s t ic ks afte r excre t ing, but ot he rw ise d o n o thing to clean them selves. Thi s lead s t o terribl e rash es. The Turks , a fas ti dious people who was h t hem selves after each s u ch event , ca ll th e Wa llac h ians "s h it -asses " fro m th is ha b it (a nam e st ill used by Turks fo r Romani an s an d so met ime s W est ern ers in ge nera l). The t yp ical W all achi an peasan t s t in ks ho rribl y an d knows n othin g o f soap . They rarl ey cu t th eir h air, o fte n pullin g it int o a p on yt ail an d s o me t imes g reas ing it wit h an ima l far. W om en will braid th eir hai r int o a lon g , s ing le p lait . M en usu all y hack it o ff at abo u t s ho u lde r len gth.

han gs hi s jewelry rarel y t he same pi ece twice o uts ide. On th e cover, he's wearing o ne of hi s favor it e pi eces: th e dragon sigi l o f hi s father. Becau se V lad does n ot cha nge hi s s ty le with his po lit ics , the bo yar s have learn ed n ot to mi m ic him ; showing up in a Turkish robe like V lad 's can m ean dea t h if the p rin ce is angry with the S ultan.

Boyar s dress in a bewilderi ng mi sh-mash o f for eign fashion s; clothes are co ns ide red a political s ta te me n t. When relations

15

".i•j

.1'

! I' \

to see this as an indictment of their husband or father's ability to maintain them and will offer at least veiled insults to male members of the party as a result. More sympathetic Wallachians may take pity on these unwanted women, perhaps offering their assistance in locating a suitable husband.

Gender Wallachia, such as it is, is a man's world. A peasant woman is expected to marry early, serve her husband faithfully, bear many children, and then die quietly. A farmer whose wife performs hea vy labor is considered a failure; while most peasant women do such work, their husbands try to keep it from the prying eyes of neighbors . Nobles usually keep their women secluded, and they rarely appear even on social occasions. At home things are different: noble women can of course appear in front of serfs or slaves .

In the time of Vlad Dracul, women participated in court functions just as in the rest of Europe. Women are rare at his son's court. The boyars do not know how to read Vlad's views on women, and so they keep their wives and daughters away from the voivodes palace. Vlad has never seemed to notice, and his own wife never appears in public. Whether Vlad wants women kept away from public functions is unknown. As Vlad spent his formative years at the Sultan's court where women are sequestered in the harem, he may not have noticed anything peculiar. No one has ever mustered the courage to ask.

All Wallachians are obsessed with prestige and their standing with their neighbors. Jealousy is rampant at all levels of society, and both m en and women play this destructive game with equal abandon. A Wallachian delights in seeing a rival brought low: it is less important to win than to see others lose. They therefore seduce one another 's spouses fairly regularly. Noblemen have relations with common women, but this is considered an embarrassment best kept secret. A common man engaged in a sexual affair with a noblewoman risks death or worse .

Noble women take a stronger role away from Targoviste, often taking the lead in managing their husbands' estates. Officially such women have no legal standing, but, since boyars typically have no education and little skill in running an estate, no one makes an issue of it when a woman who is more or less competent at the job wields such power. Wallachian serfs believe female nobles to be far harsher than their male counterparts and dread events that leave the local boyar's wife in charge. A woman cannot manage an estate on her own account; she cannot by law own property at all.

The victims of repeated foreign attacks, Wallachians dislike outsiders and consider them bizarre in any case. Adventuring women, therefore, will be seen as just that much more evidence of the strange ways of foreigners . If Wallachians meet a party of foreign adventurers that contains women, they are likely

Marriages are usually arranged, at all levels of society. Clergy rarely officiate at these ceremonies. Instead, the bride and groom repeat promises of fealty in front of witnesses. Each family then pledges to treat the new in-law as they would their own son or daughter. Once the ceremony is complete, the woman passes from her father to her husband, literally as his property. Tradition holds that a husband may kill his wife for adultery without legal process - in effect, disposing of his property as he sees fit. Vlad has overturned this rule, though not out of kindness' sake: only the voivode has the power of life and death. Vlad hands down all death sentences, including those for adultery. However, if a man petitions the prince asking that his unfaithful wife be put to death, Vlad almost always agrees simply on the man's testimony. Vlad is known to believe women capable of most any treacherous act, and he has little trust in them. Rape is a crime in Wallachia, but here practice follows the rest of Europe. Unlike 2 I st Century Western legal theory, rape is not seen as a form of assault. It is a property crime, and the victim is the woman's closest male kin. He is entitled to monetary compensation just as would be the case if a miscreant had damaged any other of his possessions. Since a serf owns no property, a peasant woman by definition cannot be raped. A slave, however, can be raped - her owner being the victim.

16

ta xes and en fo rce hi s laws in add it io n to performing military service. A small collection of scrib es performs the tasks of government, but they are not especially efficient. In ess ence, Vlad 's authority is

Southeastern European foot soldiers: such professionals are rare in Wallachia .

absolute within his sight and no more than nominal outsid e of a day 's rid e from his current location. Probably seeking to avoid a confrontation that might expose the short reach of hi s power, Vlad mak es surprisingly few d em ands o n his people. Taxes are low, and he co nd uc ts no more military campaigns th an hi s neighboring rulers . Vlad relie s more on mercenary men-at-arms than his father did, preferring loyalty he can purchase wit h solid co in , and, thus , th ere is less of a burden on both noble and peasant for military service. This also removes a potential flash point of resistance and make s sure that resentful boyars have no excuse to go about surrounded by armed retainers . Government intrudes very little into everyday life. Justice is on e area where Vlad can impose his vis io n of absolut e go vernment in an effective and symbolic manner. All judgments, civil and criminal, ultimately flow from the vo ivc de. While bo yars hear cases as they have for gene rat io ns past, they now do so as the representativ es of the voi vode rather than through an y authority of th eir own . VIad review s as many reports as he can to make sure th e nobles are acting in his name. Periodically, he will overturn a findin g to ass ert his authority, usually by imposing the death penalty where a bo yar judge had shown merc y.

The State The Wallachian Stat e is a complex on e. Navigating it can be tricky for outsiders .

Government All aut ho ri ty in Wall achi a flo ws from its p rince wit h boyar s holding their power at his pl easure. That , at least, is ho w Vlad im agines things t o be. W ithin hi s s ight, it is more or less true. Those bo yars willing to openly challenge the voivodc' s absolute power have long sin ce been impaled or have fled into the hill s to join the pret ender: Basar ab.

Vl ad has n o patience with liars. thieves, or other miscreants an d impales both the guilty and the suspected with swift and thorough efficiency. He has been known to impale the wives of poorly-dressed peasants. Sometimes, how ever, the prince's desires to impale cannot be m et by the supply of criminals (even counting incompetent seams t resses ), and Vl ad has been known t o order en t ire villa ges impaled s im p ly to amuse himself. Rarel y does he choose hi s vict ims by random chance, however : th ere is a method to Vlad 's madness. The killing serves his end of imposing supreme authority in a land that has known none since the Romans left a millennium ago . A golden chalice rests on a pedestal in the middle of Targovi ste's m ain square . tempting would-be thieves to challenge the Impalers justice. It has n ever been touched.

The typi cal Wall ach ian boyar rese n ts V lad's preten sions, feelin g that the voivode o n ly exp re sses the will o f the assem bled nobility. Through bl oody repression, however, Vlad has succeeded in fotcin g them to acknowledge a reverse power structure in which Vlad apportions authority from the top down. Few o f th em trul y believe thi s, and many lon g to see the Irnpalers end so that they may recla im th eir lost p res t ige. To replace th e bo yars, Vlad relies on a paid cad re of mercenari es: bureaucrat s as well as soldi ers. His storm trooper s collect

17

Seeing the lack of authority, papal re presentat ives hope to est ablish their own foothold in Wallachia. If that m ean s Vlad must go , that is but a sm all price to pa y. Pow erful C at h olic communities already exis t on Wallachia's northern border : the Saxons an d Szekely both practice their C at holicism with a devotion bordering on fan aticism . The n ext step is to exte n d C ath olic practices into W allachia and place it s prince under th e firm guidance of a st ro ng and skille d archbishop. As in Byzantine lands, this is much eas ier said than done. Orthodox use of icons is repulsive to Catholics, who con sid er pra ying with the aid of th ese paintings of saints to be nothing short of idolatry. Orthodox clerg y maintain that the icon only helps focus th e pra yer. However, in Wallachia the standard is so low that even many priests believe that the icon is the saint, and this saint can perform deeds for the one asking rather than merely interc eding wit h God.

Faith Orthodox Euro pe of the 1 5th Ce nt ury ha s n o concept of separa t io n of chu rch an d sta te. The C hu rch is a branch of the sta te. U nder the ter rible condit ions of life in W allachia rel igion has a powerful rol e as the people seek an explan at io n of t he ir sorry lo t. Offic iall y, all Wallachians follo w the Ortho dox faith ; Byzantine mi ssionaries brought th em C hris t ianity cen t uries ago. Th eir priests looked to the Metropolitan in C o ns t antin ople as the head of their ch ur ch an d the Byzantine Emperor as th e living symbol o f the O rt ho dox faith. The fall of . Consta n ti no p le sha t te red the Me tropolitan's autho rity over O rt ho dox priests and bishops, t ho ug h it had alre ady been in decline for q ui te so me t ime. Vl ad has t aken adva n tage of thi s to d isrupt a p oten ti all y hostil e sea t of power. The C hurc h does nothi ng to oppose Dracula for it s priest s and bishop s are appointe d by t he p rince. Ma ny outs ide rs recogn ize th e religious p ower vacu um crea te d by th e Turkish co n q ues t of t he Byzantine Empire. Religio n is by far th e mo st powerful ins t it ution in Europe: unlike the ana rchi c feudal sys te m go verning kingdo ms, ch urches have clear lin es of au thority an d autocrat ic rul er s. T he in tr ig ue b ehind the select io n o f a Pope or M etropolitan ass ures t ha t the office will go t o a m an skille d in the rut hless calculus o f power polit ics.

In Wallachia, the ruler holds the church 'sfate in his hands.

To the so u th, Moslem imams also see the religious vacu um as an opportunity to harvest soul s and power. Some of Islam's greates t successes in making European conv erts came in Bosnia earl ier in the century. There, a s t ru ggle b etween two C h r is t ian faction s exp lode d in a murderous fren zy as each labeled the oth er heretics worthy of death. Disgusted and afraid , m any Bogomils (t he lo sin g sect) converte d in stead to Islam . Perhap s, some feel, W all achia is ripe for s imilar succes s.

The Turki sh Sultan , M ehmet II Fat ikh, is war y of religio us war. H e wan ts Wallachi a firml y under Turki sh control an d sees mi ssionary effo rts as a danger. M ehmet is set ti ng himself up as the protector of Orthodox Christianit y aga ins t the . Roman Catholics and wish es to use this same t echnique to bnng Vl ad and W allachia to heel.

V lad has acco m plishe d som ething tha t has brok en far m or e powerful rul er s: th e unquestioned right to nam e C hurch officials in W allachia. This assures t ha t his legitimacy will not be qu estioned from the pulpit and gives him acce ss to the wealth held by the Wallachian Ort ho dox C h urc h. M o re importantl y, he can make us e of t he C hu rch's in te llige nce and propaganda network to his own en ds . Reli giou s oppos it io n to state authority does not exist in Wallachi a. ~.

In practice, Wallachian C h rist ian ity is a thin venee r over a mass of superstition. Most W allachians beli eve there is a G od, and that H e has forsaken them . Alm ost all Wallach ian priests are illiterate an d lack an y sort of formal t raining; they mumble t he words of th e liturgy and would be at a los s to exp lain the differenc e bet ween the ma ss and a magic sp ell. Some o f th em in dee d beli eve them selv es t o be m agic user s; those who us e magic and are not priests obviously are in lea gue wit h Satan . Priests receive their appointments as favor s to their familie s to allow them access t o Church fund s. They hold very loose work habits, and in sm all villag es are kn own for drinking and philande ring. Some even commit the

T he Roman Ca t ho lic C hurc h is awar e of this trend and finds it highl y dan gerou s. T ho ugh Pop e N icholas V has no lo ve fo r t he Ortho dox fait h, he consid ers it important that no European r uler esta blish worldly authority over the sp iritual realm . T he last Byzan tine Emperor, C on stan t ine XI D ragases , co nse n te d to p ap al autho rity over the Orthodox Church. By th at right, the Pop e's advisors arg ue, there is no Wa llachian Ortho dox C hur ch: it is but a branch of the Ro ma n Ca t ho lic faith, and it s bi sh op s must be chosen an d co nse cra ted by t he Pope.

18

hein ou s act (at least as see n by Eas te rn clergy) o f shav ing th eir beards. Orthod ox priests are allowed to marr y, but, as the ultimat e m oral authority in thei r village, so me p ries ts see no reason to be co ns t rai ne d by t heir vows.

Traditi on holds that t he vo ivode m ay ask for volu n tary co nt rib u t io ns from hi s boyar s in time of crisis (m ean ing, almos t exclusiv ely, war ). The boyar s then cons ide r t his req ues t an d vo te a levy of money an d man power to assist t hei r ch ief. V lad in sists, ho wever, that every boyar pay an ann ual head t ax for himself and hi s serfs . The bo yars have no ri ght to limit their vo ivode in an y respect. If he requi res more money, horses , gra in, o r troops during wart ime , he will in fo rm the bo yars, and th ey will provid e th e need ed it em s. There will be no discussion .

Byzan t ine po wer never mo ved north o f th e D an ube for long, and th en only for bri ef periods centur ies ago. A few lit erat e and skilled Greek priest s rem ain in a handful of pari sh es, remnants of Co nstant inople's authority. Vlad has weeded out mo st of those who mi ght qu esti on hi s auth o rit y, impalin g so me and sending ot he rs back to Cons ta nt ino ple. The vast majority of th e clergy are them sel ves Wall achi an .

V lad doesn't need th e m on ey from the hea d tax, and th e am o un ts in vol ved are tri vial. Aga in, it is sym bo lic: a reg ular reminder o f who is in charge. Failu re to pay results in swift impalem en t: not for the m oney 's sake, but beca use th e mis cr eant has defi ed V lad's word. Gold from the Saxo n c i ti es m or e th an co ver s Vl ad 's expe nses.

Wh at learning th ere is in Wallachia - and th ere is very little of it is concen trated in th e handful of Orthodox mon ast eri es. These usu ally co n trol the surro und ing farm villages, and the monks o pp ress the serfs th erein as fiercely as any boyar. Serfs held by religious houses usu all y face even harsh er demands th an those on bo yars' lands; Godly self-righteous ness multiplies th e usu al cruelties of t he sys te m. Monasteries usu ally also own slaves, th e better to free the m onks fo r religious contemplati on . They copy holy writ ings and keep ch ronicles of local events but have little interacti on wit h o u ts ide soc iety. M ost m onks come to th e m on aster y as ch ildre n and never leave. Few adults are accep te d in to th e o rde rs. But within th e mon ast eri es' fortified walls resid e th e bulk of Wallachia 's lit erat e population. The lan guage o f learning here is G ree k, thou gh m an y als o speak and read Latin an d Sl avoni c. There is no written form of Romanian at thi s time.

What is useful to the voivode in wartime is the levy of horses he makes up on his bo yar s, who supply th e beasts to mount Vlad' s Ro siori and C alaras i plus equip hi s m erc en ar y light and heavy cavalr y. Draft hor ses are also need ed by any ar my to pull wago ns and siege guns. A boyar who supplies eno ugh good ho rses to the prince and o t he rwise makes no t rouble will find himself in hi gh favo r with V lad. Other th an hor ses, Wallachi a also exports so me gra in . Tu rki sh co nq ues ts to the south have destroyed th e usu al Byzantine market for this produc e, however. Wine and dri ed fruit also wen t to Cons tan t in op le an d o t he r Byzantine o utpos ts, but this is no lon ger possible. New trad e links with the Turki sh rul er s o f th ese lands have not ye t been es ta blishe d, nor have t he W all achian s begu n t o look t o the north or west for new pa rt ne rs.

Remn ants of pagan -like beli efs rema in among th e Wallachians, who co n t in ue t o propitiate sp irits (co nven ien tl y re- d ubbed as sai n ts ) an d ask them fo r good wea t he r for th eir cro ps, sexual prowess, reli ef from di sease, and vengea nce o n their ene mies. Wall achi an s co n t in ue to cele bra te the anc ien t pa gan holid ays of th e solstice, hiding red-co lo red eggs in spring time to welco me the sun's return. They claim th ese are brou ght by a rabbit, an o t he r sym bol of fertility. The Ea st er Egg Hunt will join the legend of Vlad, the Irnpaler as Wallachi a's m ost n otabl e contribution to West ern C iviliz at io n.

What t rad e exis ts is almos t excl usively in t he han d s o f forei gn er s: Transylvani an Ge rma ns (known he re as Saxo ns ) for the m ost part with so me Jews, Greeks, and a tin y handful of It ali an s thrown in . They buy horses' an d grain an d sell finished good s, espe cially weap on s an d iron t ools . Vlad bu ys a fair amount of military hardwar e, and is well-respecte d by th e arm s merch ants .~ as a fai r dealer. In rece nt years, cara van s ~ o f gyps ies, o r Rom as they call ~ t hem selves, have ente red t he land and co nd uc t so me tr ad e.

The Economy Wallachia is a poorly-dev eloped feud al ag ricultural society, whic h it will rem ain for an o ther 5 00 years. Very few people use cas h, inst ead subsist ing o n barter arr an gements wh en th ey trade at all. Boyars gather in agricultu ral surpluses to su pport their st ud farms (a ga t he ring wh ich occurs whet her th ere is any act ual "s urplus" at all, o f co urse), and pay their own taxes to th e voivode in th e form of hor ses, grain and occasionally cash.

"

Only Tar go vist e, th e capital, is

~ called a "city," but this is a purely ~ nominal desi gn ation. It is no m or e than a village overgr own by .~. the n eeds of Vl ad 's ga rr iso n. It ~ . lack s the m ar ket s and tr ad e fairs ~

,

A modern Romanian homage to the Impala:

19

and Prussia's Frederick the Great will be labeled, "enlightened." Vlad is simply remembered as an insane mass murderer.

that mark cities in the rest of Europe. "Stores" lie far in the future here as in the rest of Europe. Instead most trade takes place on market days. But market days never come to Targoviste. Instead, individual merchants conduct business in the main square when they arrive. Vlad personally licenses all such occasions, extracting a percentage as tribute.

The vast bulk of Vlad's troops are local recruits, peasant conscripts who serve as untrained infantry. As in Western Europe, the boyars direct thousands of poorly-armed serfs to accompany them into battle. These men perform the heavy labor of campaigning in the field - cutting wood, preparing food, driving cattle, and making camp. During the infrequent pitched battles of war in Wallachia, the peasant militia are sent forward first to wear out the enemy's professional soldiers. When both sides do this, as is usually the case, the cavalry often never become engaged. Wallach ian peasant infantry are sometimes poorly armed, carrying clubs and farm tools, but not always. Some boyars fit out at least some of their followers for war. Many foot soldiers wear a heavy leather jerkin with a mail shirt over it. The more experienced also wear a heavy linen pad under this - far more men are killed by the trauma of a heavy blow than by being pierced by a weapon. The tails of the mail shirt are designed to flop down well below the waist, to protect the crotch. These men usually also sport an iron cap. The preferred weapon for these infantrymen is a heavy two-handed sword. They often carry a round wooden shield reinforced with iron straps, though some would rather do without this extra weight and use both hands on their weapon. This kit is extremely hot in the Wallachian summer, and a mob of armored infantry cannot move fast or far in full battle array.

Armata Romana Vlad makes himself either useful or dangerous to neighboring rulers through his military strength. He is first and foremost a warlord and is considered one of the better generals of the time. Part of his legend comes from the fearsome discipline he expects from his troops. Having learned the military arts from the Sultan's tutors, he has a very different view of leadership than other Christian rulers. Under the European feudal system, the prince or king is not an absolute ruler, but the first among equals. Many nobles hold that one can in fact be involved in a deadly feud with the person of one's ruler, yet still be a loyal subject of the crown. The king is no more than another noble, who can only act in concert with the will of the noble class.

War with the Turks has taught the Wallachians the value of light cavalry, and more and more of the infantry are carrying pikes to ward off enemy horsemen. Professional foot soldiers like those of Italy and Germany are unusual in Wallachia. The infantry remains an auxiliary force because it lacks the training and cohesion to stand up to a determined cavalry charge. Horsemen decide battles in the Balkans.

Among the Turks, the Sultan rules supreme to the point that in effect all Turks could be considered the Sultan's slaves. While most Turkish troops are irregulars, called to the colors during campaign season and compensated only with booty taken from the Sultan's enemies, they are under fierce military discipline. Orders are to be obeyed without question. Cowardice is considered a terrible crime, one that shames all Turks.

On campaign, the Turks employ tens of thousands of light cavalrymen. Armed with lance and bow, they can move very rapidly. They scout ahead of the main army, devastating the countryside to deny supplies to the enemy and terrorize the inhabitants. In battle, they hang around the fringes of the European armored knights, flinging arrows into the enemy ranks and using their superior speed to keep the knights from coming to grips with them. Against enemy infantry, they usually overcome them with the sheer force of their charge. Should their enemies offer stout resistance, the Turks have a hardened professional infantry force of their own in the Sultan's janissaries.

Learning generalship from his tutors, Vlad drank in these notions of absolute rule in his most impressionable years. He therefore expects the same obedience from his troops and his boyars, something many of them find utterly alien. What they consider legal and socially acceptable resistance to Vlad 's dictates, the prince views as treason bordering on blasphemy. Hundreds of impalements later, the boyars have come to view obedience to Vlad as vital to their survival, but they still do not understand it. Their prince's insistence on _ enforcing the power of life and death over his subjects is seen as a form of insanity. In this sense Vlad is ahead of his time; by the 1700's European rulers will be executing "rebels" in horrible fashion (burn ing, drawing and quartering, breaking on a wheel ). Austria's Maria Theresa, France's Louis XIV

Like other Eastern European armies, Vlad employs light cavalry to counter the Turkish horsemen. The Szekely provide some of Europe's finest light cavalry, known as hussars. Vlad hires some of these men for his forces but has raised light cavalry 20

of his o wn from Wallachians with the pr op er ski lls. These are o rg an ize d in two branches , whi ch are never mi xed . The Calaras i, o r Black Hus sar s, only accep t volun tee rs from the lower nobility. Young bo yar s do wn o n th eir luck have a chance to regai n resp ect abil ity on th e battlefield, and this has become a very popular outlet for the ene rg ies o f yo ung m en wit h no asse ts beyond a go od bl o odline. The Rosiori , or Red H ussars, are co m mo ne rs by origin and usu ally thought to be fiercer battl e cavalry. Calarasi sco ut fo r Vlad, whi le he keep s Rosio ri clo se t o h is p er son for act io n. H e co ns ide rs them more reliable du e to th eir social origin, tou gh er fighter s who respond t o hi s o rders much m or e quickl y.

mak e us e of heavier siege g uns fo r at ta ck ing fortifi cat io ns. The sto ne walls of this age were built t o resis t cata p ults and di rect assa ult. Large cannon can do enormo us dam age to th em becau se the outworks ( t he tr en ches and sma ll walls o uts ide the m ain barrier, intended to keep the bes iegers at a d istan ce) are n ormall y no t extended far enough t o keep cann on o ut o f range. The siege guns can set up and pound ene my cit ies o r fortresses into submission in a matter of days. V lad 's gunners are mostly Ge rma ns, who are very well pa id for thei r t rouble. U nlike t he Tu rks, who cas t fresh ca n no n barr els at t he site of a s iege, the Wallachians drag their heavy guns alo ng wit h t hem . Tho ugh th is slows th eir mar ch , it allows them to begin s iege operatio ns within days o f th eir arrival ra t he r than weeks - t im e du rin g whic h a m ounted Turkish reli ef for ce co ul d easi ly sweep down o n t he Wall achian besieger s.

A typical hussar, whe t he r Szekely o r Wall achi an , is uniformly well- mo u n te d: some of Europe's fin est hor se breeders are found in thi s regi on . The chi ef weap o n is a lightweight curved sword based o n the Turkish scimitar. This allows the hus sar to swing it o ne - ha n de d while mo vin g at spee d on horseback. A lightweight sh ield and a lance complet e the weaponry. A handful carry bows , but these are unusual. Most hussars are not arm o red, so as not to slow their horse, but a few wear mail shirts.

Vl ad wo uld like to emp loy a co rps o f professional miner s much lik e the Sultan's arm y us es to tunnel under ene my fortific ations . The Sa xon cities of Tr an sylvani a have refu sed t o pro vid e such men. W all achi an s are n ot allowed t o wo rk in th e Tr an sylvan ian mines, and th ere are no loc al mining oper ations in Wallachia.

Boyar s are expe cte d to show up for three months of service as fully armo re d h eavy cavalry. These t ro op er s are an anac hro n ism , and Vl ad does not rely mu ch o n them . Me rce nary m en-at-arms help s t iffen the noble kni ghts, wh o are not n oted for a sur p lus o f co urage. The Wall achian knigh t wears plate armor and carri es a heavy lan ce and a sword fo r wo rk o n foot. His ho rse is usu ally protected by a mail ski rt; while this wo n' t stop a lan ce driven wit h the power of a warho rse behind it, it is very useful for turning aside Turkish arrows. Hard training is necess ar y to m aster a knight 's weapons, and few Wallachian bo yars have such skills. To rem ed y this lack , Vl ad em ploys m er cen ari es from across Europ e. With Italian cit y-states skim m ing off th e best soldiers for hir e, th ose in Vlad's army are usually th e dregs considered too bl oodthirst y o r unruly. A number of th em serve Vlad becau se th ey quite simply enjoy the work. Some serve as heavy cavalry, but more common are paid foot soldiers: cross bo wme n an d arq ue bu siers plus th e pikemen to protect th em from fast-moving ene my cavalry. As fir earms are terribly expens ive, Vl ad normall y do es n ot trust th em in the hands of his Wall achi an s. M erc en ari es t end to g unpowde r weap o ns, as th e profess io na ls are less likely t o destroy th em through igno rance and their loyalty can be bough t. Ylad spends heavily o n hi s militar y, hiring spec ialists in the most advanced tec h n iq ues, an d as a result the p easantry claims th at wizards se rve the Impaler, M odern Turkish siege techn iqu es employe d at C o ns ta ntinople grea tly impressed Ylad, and h e is det ermined t o make hi s war m achine just as adep t as the Sul tan 's. Vl ad 's army is th e firs t in Euro pe to employ battl efield artillery: lightweight cannon m ounted on solid bloc ks o f wo od. These do littl e dam age, but are highly effect ive in d em or ali zing Vl ad's o ppone n t s. Hi s m en also 21

Fortresses in Romanian lands) late 1jlh century. N ational Museum of Bucharest.

Outsiders Things are very similar her e, and th e Prince o f Wallachi a claim s th at much o f th e regi on owes h im fealty. The locals do not agree, however, looking to Kin g M atthias of Hungar y as th eir lawful sove reig n.

D espite it s almo st inherent poverty, Wallachi a is far from iso lated. It s positio n on th e map has mad e it a frequent stop for invaders , and the current st ruggles between the C hr ist ians and Turks have only heighten ed th e poo r co unt ry's woes.

Within th e last cen t ury, Ge rma n settle rs have founded towns kn own as th e " Seven C it ies," giving Tr an sylvani a it s Ge rma n name o f S iebe nburge n. The Seven C it ies are mining towns, produ cin g much of Europe's domestic go ld o u tp u t . To keep

Shining City on a Hill Ju st to th e north of Wallachia lies Transylvania, a mountainous region also inh abited by Romanian-speaking people.

22

these mines out of Turkish hands, the King of Hungary and the Holy Roman Emperor are willing to put up with Vlad's apparent insanity as long as he keeps the Sultan at bay. Transylvanian gold funds Vlad's war machine: he certainly could not maintain his army on the meager output of Wallachia's farm economy.

the argument: the Saxons pay him tribute. Saxon lawyers would claim that this is simply a subsidy they fr eely provide to finance his wars with the Turks. Vlad considers this a binding relationship, proof that he holds sway north of the Carpathians and can cite the fact that payment s are due regularly. A wartime subsidy would only be paid as requested, and Dracula does not request.

Wallachians and native Transylvanians call these Germans "Saxons," though most of them actually originally hailed from the Rhineland. The Saxons are industrious and efficient, and have begun to make themselves wealthy from their mines. Just as high fantasy writers drew on the popular conception of ravenous Turkish hordes to create" orcs," so did these Saxons help spawn legends of industrious dwarves delving deep under the mountains in search of riches.

Those Saxons not working as miners are mostly city dwellers. Their towns are neat and well -ordered; as new settlements , they lack the clutter of ancient tumbledown buildings and walls that mark older cities. A Saxon city is protected by a wall of well -dressed local!granite; often the area around a gate will be decorated with a brick facade. The walls are thick with a wide fighting platform on top of th em and are solid stone (un like the rubble-filled constructions of less prosperous towns). Watchtowers are also stone. On the sections farthest from city gates, wooden latrines dot the rim of the walls. These are open to the sky below, and their locations can be marked from far away by the greenish smear on the light-gray stone of the walls . Men, women and children are assigned separate privies . It is not purely because of ease of access that besieging armies usually attack cities near their gates.

The very act of moving across Europe to found new cities winnowed out the lazy and stupid among the Saxons. Since many residents are immigrants or first-generation natives, they retain a high standard of vigor. This has made their neighbors highly jealous. The Saxons are seen as greedy and standoffish, and indeed they have a fair degree of contempt for Romanian civilization, seeing the people as backward and barbarous (wit h some justification). In contrast to the illiterate natives, most of the Saxon colonists can read, and they enjoy an enormously higher standard of living. Saxons do not interact socially with Romanians, and almost never intermarry. Most are repelled by even the thought of casual sex with a Romanian. Saxons will not speak Romanian as a matter of principle, and the few who understand the language rarely let on. Seeking to keep the gold flowing into his treasury, Vlad has never paid much attention to the Saxon cities. They pay their protection money, he keeps the Turks away - whether this is through alliance, bribery or warfare is of no concern to the Saxon burghers .

Inside, the streets are paved with well-cut gray granite cobblestones. Buildings in the richer sections are brick while those in working class districts are wooden. There is an air of prosperity and happiness in a Saxon mining city. These are boom times, and many businesses are doing well. Taverns do a brisk trade with miners come to spend their shares, and prostitutes operate discreetly in the back rooms of these establishments. City police enforce all manner of regulations , and crews of convicts regularly shovel away the leavings of horses on the paved streets.

The exact legal relationship between the Wallachian prince and the Saxon cities is vague and undefined. Vlad's father made the first claims upon their allegiance, and his stout defense of them brought him the Order of the Dragon. Here lies Vlad Tepes' claim to lordship: these Germans owed fealty to Emperor Sigismund. Sigismund made Vlad Dracul their protector. Vlad inherited this relationship. Therefore, the Saxon cities are subject to .V lad .

At the center of each city is the town hall - a large building of finely-cut stone sporting a tall clock tower. This building contains meeting rooms, an archive, offices for officials, and the arsenal for the militia's weapons . A small paid force patrols the streets and enforces the lengthy list of municipal rules, but the city is defended by a militia of free citizens, who are invariably poorly trained and officered by the leading businessmen.

I

Near the town hall , usually facing it across an open square, is a cathedral. Saxons are Roman Catholic and are proud to have recently obtained their own bishops. The cathedrals are well-made and beautiful, as befits the showpiece of a wealthy society. In Kronstadt, there is even a public library.

Saxon lawyers - and there are many of them - see things differently. Hungarian nobles conquered the land by the sword in the 12th Century, driving out the Cuman and Pecheneg nomads who had filtered in from the east. The Hungarian kings invited German settlers 300 years later with the permission of the German Emperor. This released them from any fealty to Sigismund and thus to Vlad. The Saxons are free subjects of the kings of Hungary, owing nothing to any intermediate nobles. They model their relationship on the growing cities of Western Europe, which are subject only to their kings.

Most of the people live in crowded apartment blocks. The Saxons are wealthy enough to afford better, but this is an age that does not put too great a value on privacy. To live alone is to be lonely and possibly an outcast. People prefer the company of their fellows. Saxons bathe more frequently than Romanians - often once per week - and do so in neighborhood common baths.

Vlad, of course, has a powerful card to play on his side of 23

cr afts and so metimes mo ney-changi ng . But th e Saxons have di scarded o ld Germa n -Christian proh ib it io ns o n banki ng for p rofit . and so there is lit tl e cult ura l leeway for Jewish businessm en her e.

Outsid e th e cities, some Saxons do manage farms. These are instantl y recogni zabl e by their well- kep t appear anc e. Rural Saxon s live in large , well-made "long houses. " combining the functions of barn and hom e. With the Wall achians holding off the Turkish menace . th ese people have never known the pillage and rap e that attends war. Thu s. th ey can affo rd sep ar at e farm st eads clos e t o th eir fields . not needing to clu st er to gether in villages for protection.

Forei gn trad er s co me h er e rarel y. d espite th e region 's min er al wealt h. While Tr an sylvanian go ld hel ps power th e eco no m ic revo lution sweep ing Europe. the Saxons hold a monopol y over t he bu sin ess. T hey lo ok t o th eir Ge rma n cousins as bu siness pa rt ners. and most o f this t rad e crosses th e Hungarian plain in car avans as far as the cap ita l o f Obuda or. until recent Turki sh attacks. to Belgr ad e. From th ere. river craft co m m unica te wit h th e heartland o f th e H ol y Roman Em pi re via t he Da nube. T ho ug h Saxon- m ine d go ld hel ps fina nce the It ali an R en ai ssan ce. few It alians communi cat e di rectl y wit h Tra nsy lvan ia. obtaining the go ld in G erman y in st ead .

Livin g nearby. o fte n raising hors es if th e ground p ermits, are th e people known as the Szekely (cheh-klee) . They sp eak a language closely related to Magyar ( H ungarian) and consider th em sel ves far supe rior to th e beknighted Rom anian peasant. Szekely ofte n emp loy Romanian s as laborer s but do not in te rma rry wit h t hem or interact socially. Like th eir Saxon neighbors . th ey refu se t o learn th e Romanian tongue. The landed gentry are the model of Sz ekely succ ess , and th ey have formed a symbiotic bond with the Saxon cities. Szekely farms feed th e towns. and Szekely cavalry are pl edg ed to ride to th eir defen se in time o f need . They consider th em sel ves a warrior people. th e proud descendants of th e Hungarian kni ghts wh o drove out th e barbari ans from this corner o f Europe and brought Christianity and civili zation . Szekel y nobles are landowners. and most commoners own their own land as well. Those who do not but work with horses maintain th e resp ect of th eir peers for thi s is a very honorable profession . However. to becom e a simple farmhand is far ben eath Szekely di gnity. a st at io n best left t o th e pitiabl e Romani an s. As with th e Turks and Saxon s. so will the Szekel y help in spire high fanta sy writers 500 years later. The Szekely strongly support th e Saxon stand on Tran sylvania's direct relati onship to th e Kin g of Hungary becau se th ey do not wan t a stro ng local rul er to interfere with th em . As long as th e Saxon s pour gold into th e royal coffe rs . th e Szekely will escape without payin g ta xes t o th e kin g. Vlad himself appears to have given no thought to the Sz ekely status and has mad e no claims of lordship over th em .

Ottoman Turks Originall y a Ce nt ral Asian p eopl e. th e Turks surged into so u t hern Europe less than 70 years ago . They qui ckl y smas hed th e Christ ian ki ng do m of Serbia. slaug hte ring th e Serbian kn ights on Kosovo Polje, th e Field o f th e Blackbirds. Five years ago , S ulta n M ehmet II . n ow called th e C on quero r (" Fat ikh" ), led hi s t ro ops in th e conqu est of Cons ta nti no p le. capi tal o f th e Eastern Rom an Em p ire. Part o f th e Turk ish ge ni us fo r conquest in cl ud es using su bjec t Chris tia n peoples to do most of t he fight ing fo r th em aga ins t t he ir fellow C hr is tia ns . Wallachi an s have se rved in th e Turki sh ra nks for years, th ough not as commonly as Serbs and Bulgars.

For th eir part. th e Saxons pay well for Sz ekely p roduce and fr eely allo w th ese lordlings en t ry to th eir t own s t o enjoy th e fruit s o f urban living whe n th ey feel th e need . Szekely are Roman C at holic but otherwise have little in common wit h the G erman-sp eaking Saxons. Yet th e two peoples have found common ground in th eir cul rural arroga~ce and interlocking ne eds and, thus. ge t alon g well to gether. In t ermarriage is rare. but ot herwise th er e are so cial bonds. In a turn unusu al in Euro pea n Soci et y. th e rural aristo cracy of t he Szekely resp ect s the Saxon urban m erchants as their eq ua l. Th e differ enc e in lan guage and culture has . in this instance, prevented th e contempt usually gen erated wh en a soci et y sp lits betw een city and co unt ry.

Afte r a dramati c fin al battle (see LAST DAYS OF CONSTANTINOPLE) . th e Turks took Cons ta nti nople and ma de it their cap ital. Wa llachian co nscr ipt in fant ryme n se n t by V lad's rival V lad islav II November se rved in th e tren ch lin es ou tsi de th e Byzant ine cap ita l, and Vl ad probably did as

There are very few Jews in Tr ans ylvani a. The Saxons have imported th eir Germa n p rejudices and fo rbid th em to own land. a sta n ce stro ng ly sup ported by their Szekely alli es. Jews live in small ghe ttoe s within the cities. concent rat ing on fine

24

well. The fall of the last Roman o u t pos t sho cked th e Christian wo rld, and m an y C hrist ians see this as the her ald of the Last Da ys.

are all hard en ed p ro fes sio na ls, vete rans of seve ral campaigns. W hil e th e jani ssar ies are th e Sultan 's slaves, the sipa his are given cho ice farmland to suppo rt them . Ther e are also hu ge numbers o f irregular fo ot sold iers call ed na bs and light cava lry called Yoru ks and akin ji. These bashi-bazouks , or "crazy heads ," d raw no pa y beyond wha t the S ulta n allo ts th em fr om the campaign's cap t ures. But they are fir ed by Islamic crusad in g passion and are eage r for battle. Most are Turkish, but t he re are a ha ndfu l o f Ara bs an d Euro pea n con vert s amo ng th em.

Mehmet began a number of program s to remake Cons tantino ple, forcibl y importing peasants to repopulat e th e lon g-deserted quarters of th e cit y and building new palaces and adm inistrative centers. But the war to expa n d the em p ire continu es. Turks pa y no tax es; th e Sultan funds hi s go vernm ent through constant conquest. M an y indi vidual Tu rks have become ri ch through booty seiz ed in the Sultan 's wars, and as a result these war s are very popular. Though the Sultan is an absolute rul er, there is st ill en o rmo us popular pressure for continued war. Since th e fall o f Consta nti nople in 145 3, t he Sultan has been fightin g the Hungari an crusad ers led by Janos Hunyadi . After heavy fighting , M ehmet and his troops conquered most o f Serbia in 14 54 and 1455 . In 145 6 Hunyadi 's m en fou ght o ff a Turkish assa ult o n Belgr ad e, the great fortress on the Danube. Ten s of thousands of Turks perished , but Hunyadi and the fanatic C at ho lic preacher St. John Ca p ist ra no di ed as well in the p lag ue t hat foll owed. Mehmet himself plunged into th e fi ghtin g, p er sonall y lopping th e head off a Serbian knight, but su ffe red a serious arro w wound to the thi gh and led no campa ign the next year as he still could not s it on a ho rse.

M ehmet has also call ed a number of his feudal vassals to hi s sid e: C hr ist ian p rin ces with their kni ght s and infantry. There are Se rbs and Bulgari an s in large number s. These men also dr aw no pay but app ear out of th eir obligation to th eir prince, who in turn has sworn lo yalty t o Mehmet . This oath takes preced en ce over any na t io nal or reli giou s ti es; to break such a bond is unthinkable. At least witho ut eno ugh of an incentive. Behind thi s array come hu ge supply trains , slave s and impressed Chri stian s dri vin g herds of cattle and sheep. Wagon s carry hu ge stockp iles o f fo od p lus ar rows, siege eq uip me nt, and all the other implem ents of war. The Turkish en gineering corps is highl y skilled and also march es alon g to deal wit h ene my fortres ses and to bridge rivers .

The People

Over the n ext few yea rs, the Sultan's ar m ies co nq ue red th e last Byzantine outpost s in Greece and th e Greek Empire of Tr ebi zond in eas te rn An at o lia. M ehmet found con stan t success in these wars. Serbs and Bulgari an s foug ht under th e Sultan's horsetail bann er, but he did n ot sum m on Wallachian troops. In 146 I , he turn ed his attenti on to Wallachia.

About fift y years ago, a few car avans of wagons and mules crossed th e D anube into Wallachia. Like th e Vlachs descending from th e mountains, they entered the vacuum left by th e Mongol raids, but th ese people had no interest in settling th ere. Trading with t he loc als, they wandered fairl y aiml essl y across the landscape.

In most area s conqu er ed by Tu rk ish arms, se t tl ers hav e followed in the wake o f the ad vanc ing armi es . In more recent years, Mehmet has disc ouraged thi s practice sinc e he is tr ying to build up th e pop ulat io n o f hi s new capital. Just as Serbia is to be converted to a Turkish cli ent sta te, so do es the Sultan pl an t o keep Wall achia under its own voivode - but a cooperati ve one o f his choosing.

Thes e nom ads call them sel ves the Rom , from their word for "m an" or "people." The similarity t o "Romani a" is o n ly coincidental. Th ei r o rig in is unkno wn , but many call them "Gy p sies ," a co rr up t io n of "Egyp t ian. " The Rom wande red from India throu gh th e Middl e East but left little to no traces of th eir pa ssage. Roma are eas ily di stingui sh ed from th e loc al population by th eir dark hair and eyes and swarthy skin. Their yo ung m en and wom en are ofte n extremel y att ract ive, parti ally du e to th eir exotic look s. They di strust outsid ers , interacting wit h th em as little as po ssibl e. Rom a do not interm arr y

No civili ans officially acco mpa ny the Turki sh arm y.on the m arch, though th ere are a number of camp followers . The troops include M ehrnets personal guard, the janissaries , plus t en s o f th ousands of sipahi armo red cavalry. These

25

with o thers. Wall ach ian s have alrea dy developed a s t ro ng disdain for t he gyps ies, who have become the favo rite scapegoat for all unsolved pet ty cr imes.

Plows and hou sehold tools also o fte n come from th e caravans. Roma fr equ ently ha ve hor se-handl in g ski lls and can eas ily find seas o nal wo rk o n Wallach ia's ho rse farms . Some consider th em horse th ieves, th o ugh , and hes ita te to em p loy them .

S te reotypes of the Roma co m mon to the 2 I st Ce nt ury already exist in th e 15th. There are fortun e-tell er s in every carava n, m ost o f them totally fra ud ulent. A handful, however, have an undeni abl e in sight into future even ts. These few rarely display the ir ta lent for o uts ide rs, b ut ret ain t his knowledge to help the ir own clan.

The gyps ies orga n ize th em selves in clan s head ed by a patriarch. It is a furi ousl y mal e-dominated so ciety, and wo me n hav e a very limited soc iet al rol e. Ea ch clan travels in a car avan , a wago n train th at usually features bri ghtly-col o red hor se-drawn vehicles. The carava ns m ove in random fas hio n, tryin g not to stay in anyo ne pla ce for long. Rem aining too lon g in o ne pl ace can b rin g resentment from th e local inhabitants, an d Roma culture puts gr eat em ph as is o n constant m ovem ent. Rel at ed clans try to m eet in ga t heri ngs o nce per yea r, so that young men and women can m eet and cho ose mat es, info rm ati on and goo ds can be trad ed , and as an excuse fo r eating, d rinking and dancing.

Ano t her commo n charge claim s that gyps ies stea l an d eat dogs, o ne that will sti ll be heard 50 0 yea rs later. Thi s is n ot entirely un founded. Gyps ies adore do g lard . They rend do gs for their fat, sprea d ing t he res ult o n br ead or eat ing it plain as a treat. Whi le so me of the dogs are pu rch ased fo r the p ot , others are stolen and cooked by pass ing carava ns. Roma are typ ically accused o f bein g petty thieves, wh ich is not always false. Wi th their co n te mp t for civil authority, they do not shy away from minor crimes. Am ong their clan s all property is held in commo n, and so th ey can rati on alize stealing from a Wallach ian as a benefit to th e ent ire gypsy people. Rom a are also accused of kid napping ch ildre n to raise as t he ir ow n, which is patently un true. The gypsies have a hi gh rega rd for t he ir ow n bloodlines, co n te mp t for other people, and wo uld no t dil ut e t he ir race by intermingling it with other s.

There is no "King of th e Gy ps ies," though t he Rom a en joy spreading the myth of on e. The clans are independent, setting their ow n co urses and polic ies. Tr adition is a powerful bond wit h t he m, but t hey answe r t o no o ne o u ts ide thei r clan . D espite their undo ub te d usefulness in W all ach ian soc iety, th e Roma have had a very hard t im e since V lad se ize d p ower. They do n ot ackn owledge the voiv ode as their sove re ign, proclaiming them sel ves a sep ara te people unbounded by the feud al sys te m o r by any n ati on al b order s. Thi s s ta n d infur iat es VIad, who not o n ly im pales the Roma whe n he finds the m bu t has committed atroc ities far wo rse. T hey also

Their wo men are called profligat e and wanto n. Thi s arises from the fact that gypsy women da nce wit h vigo r, and do so in front of men for pay. And so me do take the nex t step, performi ng in p rivate fo r pay. But they are no m or e a race o f pro stitutes t ha n any othe r Euro pea n p eopl e. H owever, wit hin th eir encampme nts t hey do a goo d job of creating an atmosphere where ru les don 't apply, an d pleas ure can be had for those with hard cash.

d o not t ypi call y engage in barter, unless t hey are o b ta in ing horses o r gra in for their ow n use. D em andi ng pa ym ent in cash , they often have more coin in their car avan th an most villages will see in a lifetime. Thu s, so me see k to attack the Roma in hopes o f stealing their t reasure (a t reasure grea tly exaggerate d in t he re- te lling). D esp it e t his, the gypsy caravans d o not flee Wall ach ia. T hey will not be run o ut by a m ere t yr ant o r his ign o rant subje cts.

No one is really su re of the religi ous bac kgro und of the Roma. Few if any co nve rted to Islam d uring their so jo urn in Mos lem lands, yet they did not bring any Indian reli gious p ract ices wit h th em to Euro pe. They overwhelmingly id entify th em selves as Roman Ca t ho lic, th ough th ey have few priests of the ir ow n an d the ch urc h does little to minister to them . While Roma resist be ing co nsc ripted into arm ies, somet hi ng that will cont inue fo r hund reds of years, th ey are not a pacifi st peo ple. They will figh t, and will h ire o ut as m erc en ar ies, but on ly if they can fight alongs ide th eir own people - preferably t he me n o f th eir o wn clan . They fight o n foot with swo rd, shield, and short bow but often do not carr y weapons so as not to alarm the peoples among who m th ey wander. O ver t he years, governments have for ced th em t o di sarm, so t ha t no w anyo ne wishing to hire th em as so ld iers will also have t o provide weapo ns. Metal-working is ano t her Roma spe cialty, and this is o ne that stands them well in Wallachia, where few villages have blacksmiths. In wartime, the Wa llachian boyars find the ms elves force d t o turn to gypsy sm iths to sha rpen and overha ul th eir weapons .

26

Part Three: Characters

Class Skills: Ap pra ise, Balan ce, Bluff, C limb, C raft,

This section introduces two new Prestige C lasses and two NPC C lasses to flesh o ut th e Wallachi an setting. It also features so me new Feats. All of th e mat eri al in thi s Part of th e book is designated Open G ame C ontent.

rVeapon and A rmor Proficiency: Boyar s are proficie nt wit h all Sim ple and M artial Weap on s, an d th ey may emp loy Ligh t and M ed ium Armo rs and S hiel d s.

Di p lomacy, H andl e An ima l, Intimidat e, Ride, Se nse Mo tive

Restrictions: A Boyar mu st fir st have a castle befor e at ta in ing

Prestige Classes

th e position. Whethe r thi s cas tle is one he or she purchased, bui lt , or stole do esn 't really matter. What' s important is t he base of ope rat ions from which to claim lord shi p over a fief and to dr aw foll owers and so ldie rs. W it hout a cas tle, t he character isn't a land owner, and th ose who don 't ownla nd have no legi t im at e claim to ru le. Thus, before a charac te r can ta ke thi s class, he or she mu st get a cas tle. T his is often accomplished by stag ing a coup, slaughter ing th e current lord and his so ldiers, and th en taking th e castle (and the lord's title) for th e characte r. U nt il th en , non e of th e ben efit s o f thi s class are availab le.

Boyar The middlin g nobility hol d t he ir sta t us by p ro viding military se rvice to th eir sove re ign. At least t ha t's how it works in t heo ry. In practice, th ey use their ste el weap on s, ho rses, and armo r to exto rt money and goods fr om th e p easantry. T hese kni ghts are actually ar me d bandi ts prey ing on the weak. While V lad hold s th e t itl e of Prince of Wallachia and us es th e trappings o f West ern European ro yalt y, in t ruth hi s po sition is clo ser t o th at o f Ru ssian p rin ces n ow uniting under th e iron ru le of M uscov y. T he princ e has much more in common wit h th e head s o f 2 I st Ce n tu ry orga n ize d crime fami lies t han that o f an hered it ary, di st ant monarch ruling by di vin e righ t.

Class Features: In addit io n t o bonus Feat s, Boyars benefit from t he follow ing Class Features, wh ich th ey ga in at a rat e indicat ed on Tabl e 3- 1.

Income (Ex): One o f the advantages o f bein g a landown in g

While it is eas ier for n obles to become Boyars, it is n ot impo ssible for lesser so ld ier s. Those with t he mi ght, th e skill, and th e willpower have been kn own to wrest a fief away fr om its cur rent mast er, supplan t ing hi m completel y. In sho rt, a Boyar is less a noble and more a warlo rd.

n obl e is th e in come th at thi s gene rates. Peasants wo rk th e land and are taxed on th e food they grow, the goods th ey make, and very ra rely cas h. Every month , the Boyar 's tax co llectors ge ne rat e an income co m mens urate wit h t he characte r's In co me Level as indi cat ed below:

Requirements: Cas tle (see bel ow) , C ha risma 1 3 +, Int im idat e Sk ill: 8 R an ks

• Levell: 1,0 0 0 go ld

Hit Die: dI O

• Level 2 : 3,000 go ld

Skill Points per Level: 2

+

• Level]: 5,000 go ld

In t Modi fier

Table 3--1: Boyar Class Features Level

Attack

Fort.

Rrf.

Will

Class Features

I

+1

+2

+0

+2

In come I

2

+2

+ 3

+0

+ 3

Bonus Feat

3

+ 3

+ 3

+1

+3

Ov ertaxin g I

4

+4

+4

+1

+4

Incom e 2

5

+ 5

+4

+ 1

+4

Bon us Feat

+ 6/+1

+5

+2

+ 5

Overtaxing 2

7

+ 7/+ 2

+5

+2

+ 5

Inc om e 3

8

+ 8/+ 3

+6

+2

+6

Bonu s Feat

9

+ 9/+4

+6

+ 3

+ 6

O verta xin g 3

10

+ 10/+5

+7

+ 3

+7

Bonus Feat

6

'\

27

Thi s mon ey is available as cas h or as irs eq uivalen cy in foo ds ru ffs or equ ip me nt, and it 's key to maintaining on e's po siri on since ir pays for th e soldiers and the upk eep necessary co ma intain th e Boyar 's operation. As the character gai ns in levels, his or her fiefd om in crease s. His or her pow er and m ajesty ena ble the Boyar t o com ma nd others as vassa ls and co co nq uer those who resi st .

can , o r th eyll seek help from one of rhe ch ar acter "s rivals . The former is easy eno ug h CO pur down (rho ugh it does rake rime and exp enses) . The latter can be very dangerous. The peasanrry usually agre es to serve rh e new lord if he or she can conquer the current on e. Since this is a prime o p po r t un ity to expand rh eir holdings , m o st lords ag ree if rhe y have rh e resources to bring co bear.

Overtaxing (Ex) : Sometimes. an op erarion is simply roo expe ns ive co be fund ed by th e Boyar 's regular income. In such cases , a tried and true so lu t ion is co overtax th e peas ants. This is a t ric ky t acti c that must be us ed sp aringly becau se ir can backfire. You can' t ger blood from a turnip, as rh ey say, and if you rr y roo man y rim es, the turnip gers angry.

Hussar These hardy fighrers represenr th e elite so ldi ers in Vlad 's army. They are much more reliable than th e co n scr ipts he drafrs for hi s campaign s and more lo yal rhan rh e mercenaries he bu ys and the soldiers committed by his boyars. They come in two classes: the Calaras i or Black Hussars , and rhe Rosiori or Red Hussars. Borh are formidable on th e field of barrie bur each is a little differenr.

Once every three m onth s, th e charact er can sen d our a ga ng of enfo rcers co wring more resourc es our of th e peasantry. This mi ssion yields fu nds in addiri on co rh e usual monthly income commen surat e wirh rhe level of Overraxing as indicated bel ow:

The Black Hussars act primaril y as scours. They come from the lower 'n o b il iry and are us ed as advance un irs to br ing inrelligence back and on th e forward lines of barrie. Red Hussars are common by birth an d ace as Vl ad's p ersonal bodygu ard. Borh groups are skilled horsemen , repres enring the elite of Wallachian cavalr y.

• Levell: 2, 0 0 0 go ld • Level

2:

5,000 go ld

• Level]: 7, 0 0 0 gold It 's important co realize that Overraxing lirerally rakes food our o f t he m ouths of th e peasants who gro w it . This practice taxes th e people co th e level o f ext reme p overr y. Som e will sta rve since ther e sim ply wo n' t be eno ug h co go around.

Requirements: Base Arrack Bonus: + 3, Mounted Combar Fear , Handle Animal Skill: 4 Ranks , Ride Skill: 8 Ranks , Black Hussars: N ob ility (see below), Red Hussars : C om mo n (see below)

N aru rall y, th at create s resentment in the unfortunates who are pe rsec u te d solely for reason of their bein g common. A Boyar who O vertaxes three rim es in a year can expe cr a revo ir. Eirher th e peasa nt ry will rake up arms as b est rh ey

Skill Points per Level: Black Hussars : 4 + In t Modifier, Red H ussars: 2 + In t Modifier

Hit D ie: Black Hussars: dIO, Red Hussars: dI2

Class Skills: Anima l Empathy, Balance, Crafr ( Red onl y), Handle Animal, Inrimidare, In tu it Direction ( Black o nly), Ride, Spot

Table 3--2: Hussar Class Features Attack

Fort.

Ref.

Will

Class Features

+1

+2

+2

+0

Ride-by Arrack Fear

2

+2

+ 3

+ 3

+0

Courser 's Fury I

3

+3

+3

+ 3

+1

Spirited Charge Fear

4

+4

+4

+4

+1

Summon Mount

5

+5

+4

+4

+1

Trample Fear

6

+ 6/ + 1

+ 5

+ 5

+2

Co urser's Fury 2

7

+ 7/+ 2

+5

+ 5

+2

Behead Fear

8

+8/+3

+6

+6

+2

Equine Sp eed

9

+9/+4

+6

+6

+3

Graceful Fall

10

+ 10/ +5

+7

+7

+ 3

Co urser's Fury 3

Level

28

Jteapon and Armor Proficiency: Hussars are proficient wit h

Hit Die: d4

lances. sci mit ars , small wooden shields , and light armor.

Skill Points at tst Level: (2

Restrictions: Character s ma y only choose to become Black

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2

H u ssars if t hey are from th e n obility. The charact er must be a Boyar or Aristocrat to tak e this Prestige Class. Only common characters ma y become Red Hussars . The character cannot be a Boyar or Aristocrat if taking this Prest ige Cla ss .

+

In t Modifi er) x 4

+

Int M odifier

Class Skills : Alchemy. Animal Empathy. Concent ra t io n. Craft. G ather Information, Handle Animal. H eal. Knowled ge (Arcana) . Know ledg e (N at ur e) . Profes sion (Apot hecary) , Sea rch . Spellcraft, Spot. U se Magic Device , Wilderness Lor e

Class Features: Hussars gai n th e followi ng C lass Features at

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: H erbali st s have no weapon

a ra te show n on Tab le 3 -2 .

o r armor p ro ficien cies.

Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample, and Behead:

Starting Gold : SdIO go ld

H u ssars gain th ese Feats for fr ee at the indicated levels.

Class Features: Herbalists gain Class Features at a rat e indicated

Courser's Fury: Hussars are skill ed with their mounts and

on Table 3- 3. Sp ecific descriptions are list ed bel ow.

can accom m odat e th em in battle. For each level th e character has in this ability. his or her mount can mak e an addit ional attack. Both t he horse and its rider suffer a -2 to their respec t ive attack ro lls . b ut t he an imal otherwise fig hts as t hough it were a separat e combatant without caus ing any in t errupti on to t he rider's actions .

character can sea l mi nor cuts and abrasi on s. This ability wor ks exactly like the Divine Spell of the same name. The H erbalist can use th is ability a n umb er of times p er da y equ al to hi s or her class level.

Summon Mount: Hussars with this abili ty have become

Brew Poultice (Sp): This is the princ ipal ability of th e

grea tl y attuned with their mounts. The character can whi stle or otherwise call for his or her hors e. and. if it is within 100 fee t . it will respond and come to him or her.

H erb alist. Employing th e ski ll to brew eli xir s that the villagers can use (typ ically to harm each o the r) is how thi s individual st ays in business.

Equine Sp eed: The character is no w so much in touch with

Poultices are divided into three basic classes: Minor. Moderate. and Major. Th e more pow erful and effective a po t io n is, t he high er it is classified . Tab le 3- 3 designates how q uickly t he br ewing of these elixirs ma y be learn ed. Each t ime t he chart ind icates th at t he character has earne d a n ew Brew Poultice ab ility. he or she sel ects on e of th e ap propriate level. The individual poultices and th eir abilit ies are listed below.

Cure Minor Wounds (Sp) : By applying rubs and herb s, th e

h is or her ho rse t hat he or she can move almost as one with it. W h ile moun t ed . the Hussar and the mo unt gain a + 2 Sy nergy Bonus t o In iti ati ve.

Graceful Fall: T he Hussar 's sense of balanc e is so good that he or she n ow automatically succeeds at a Riding check to lan d softly if his or her mount is dropped in battle. Additionally. th e character ma y ignore the fir st I d6 points of damage from a standard fall.

There are four Minor Poultices. Each is sim ple to concoct and is h ired frequentl y.

NPC Classes

• Blessing: W h ile often p urchas ed for their own use, Wa llachian s do so metimes b uy th is as a gift for other s. The p er son who co ns umes it benefi ts as t houg h the Divine Spell. Bless. had been cas t upon him or her.

T he fo llow ing character classes are best left to NPC's . T hey ar e interesting charac ters in and of them selves, but generally make poor advent ur ers. G M 's may use th em to fill out th eir Wa llac hia n campa igns .

• Cure Light Wounds: This poultice works exactly like th e spell of the same name. It is. in ess enc e, a Potion o f C ure Light Wounds . Caster Level is the H erb ali st 's clas s level.

Herbalist Wallachians have no knowledge of medicine and stubbornly refuse to acknowledg e that ther e is such a science. Instead. t hey rely on village H erbalis t s. who use their knowledge of plant s to produce po t io ns and po ult ices . Most of these are health-relat ed ; others are used to repel evil be ings. pro mote sexua l p ro wess or t o har m n eighbors. Wallach ian s are not a fri endly p eo pl e. and ofte n call on both Lautar (see below) and H erb ali st s to infl ict m isfo rt u ne on t heir fellow villagers.

• Cu rse: While requested a lot. thi s is a tricky p otion to use. It must be imbibed by th e intended target to have th e des ired effect. Thus. one usua lly b uys the poultice and th en has t o t r ick t he inte nded vict im into consuming it. It o t he rwise works the same as the D ivin e Sp ell. Bestow Curse. • Prowess: Like the Laurar So ng of Power of t he sam e name (see below) . t his p oulti ce grants men gr eat er sexu al prowess. Those who can't complete th e act now can. Those wh o could have twic e their fo rm er st am ina. The target must ap ply th e poultice to his bo dy. The effect s last for four hours.

H er balist s are simi lar to witches and wizards in that t hey em ploy alchemy and other strange sciences to achi eve st range ends. H owever. th e H erbalist is not a spellcaster, H e or she is a master brewer who co ncocts elixirs to be cons ume d . Very few of this class's spe ll-like abi lities can be use d at a di stance.

T he Moderate Poultices are a little more powerful. Man y of these are also freq uent req uest s. An H erbalist who can brew at least

29

Table 3'"'3: Herbalist Class Features Attack

Fort.

Rrf.

Will

Class Features

+0

+0

+0

+2

Cure Minor Wounds, Brew Minor Poultice

+1

+0

+0

+3

Brew Minor Poultice

+1

+ 1

+1

+3

+2

+1

+1

+4

Brew Minor Pou ltice

+3

+1

+ 1

+4

Brew Moderate Poultice

+3

"' +2

+2

+5

+4

+2

+2

+5

Brew Minor Poultice

+4

+2

+2

+6

Brew Moderate Poultice

+5

+3

+3

+6

+5

+3

+3

+7

Brew Moderate Poultice

+6/ +1

+ 3

+ 3

+7

Brew Major Poultice

+ 6/ + 1

+4

+4

+8

+7/+2

+4

+4

+8

Brew Moderate Poultice

+7/+2

+4

+4

+9

Brew Moderate Poultice

+8/ +3

+5

+5

+9

+8/+3

+5

+5

+/ 10

+9/+4

+5

+5

+ 10

+9/+4

+6

+6

+1

+ 10/+5

+6

+6

+ II

+ 10/+5

+6

+6

+ 12

1-...;-

Brew Moderate Poultice

---" .

Brew Major Poultice

Herbalist if it was consumed as a potion. It is 15 + the Caster Level of the Herbalist if rubbed in as a paste. Succ ess indicates the poultice was not effective. A failure caus es the target character to fall hopelessly in love wit h th e user. The effect is permanent.

three of these can keep himself or herself in busin ess indefinitel y. • Cure Moderate Wounds: As the Di vine Spell of th e same name. Cas ter Level is th e H erb alist 's class level. • Lov e Potion: Another popular choice , thi s poultice enab les th e user to force someo ne to fall in love with him or her. It 's a littl e tricki er than employing th e Lautars Allur e So ng of Power (see belo w), though. A key ingredient to th e po ultice is a lock or st rand of hair belonging to th e character who wishes to use th e poultice. Second, it must be con sumed by th e target. There are two ways to accomplish thi s. The firs t is by brewing the concoction into a potion. The second is to brew it as a past e and rub it into th e skin of the targ et directl y over his or her heart. This is con sid erabl y harder to accomp lish obviously, but it do es make th e Saving Throw to resis t t he po ult ice's effects much tougher.

• Protection from Evil: This poultice works like th e sp ell of th e sam e nam e. The character who wishes to use it ing ests it and benefits from -its effects for 24 hours. • Remove Disease: A very benefic ial elixir, this poultice cures dis eases in about 8 hours ' time. H erbalists with thi s ability are highly sought. The poultic e works like th e Di vine Spell of the same name. • Repel Minor Undead: This sp ecialblend of herbs protects th e person who uses it from the undead. By sp read ing th e pou ltice over th e bod y, th e character emits a scent that und ead monsters of 5 Hit Dice or less will not approach . Such creatures will not come within 10 feet of th e character. The scent of

/

Once applied or cons umed, th e target gets a Will Save to resist th e effec ts. The D C is 10 + th e Cast er Level of the 30

the po ultice sometimes has a similar effect on th e living.

Lautar

Finall y, M ajor Poulti ces have truly profound effects . There are only two of th ese, though th e GM could easily create more.

A Lautar, lit erally "s inge r," is a Romanian village sto ryteller who remembers great deeds , lin eage, and ot her imp ortant informat ion. He or she ent ertain s at public occasions and is a crucial element at weddings and funera ls. At these , the Lautar composes specia l songs for the event, commemorating the lives of the deceased or giving special wishes to th e newlyweds.

• Cure Serious Wounds: This poultice works exactly like t he D ivine Spe ll of the same name. Caster level is equal to t he H erbalist 's class level. • R epel Majo r Undead: As Repel Minor Undead except that undead of 6 to 10 Hit Dic e are affected. Thos e of higher Hit Dice get a Will Save at DC 5 + the Caster Level of the H erbalist who created th e poultice.

The Lautar is also called upon to protect th e village from evil and driv e away dark forc es, including th e und ead. Romanian villages also often have herbali st s, who use th e power of plants towa rd very similar end s. Lautar oft en also become herbalist s themselves. Both men and women are Lautar, in roughly equ al proportions - one of th e few segment s of Wallachian society in which wom en hold an equal place.

An H erbalist can brew a number of Minor Poultices equal to his or her class level per day. T he number of Moderate Poultices per day is equ al to half the character's class level, rounding up. Herbalists can br ew on e Major Poultice per five class levels th ey have.

Lautar rarely use spells in th e tr aditional sense , as th eir

Table 3"4: Lautar Class Features Attack

Fort.

Ref.

Will

Class Features

+0

+0

+0

+2

Pro tection fro m Evil I/Day/3 Levels

2

+ 1

+0

+0

+3

Turn/Rebuke Undead

3

+ 1

+1

+1

+3

4

+2

+ 1

+ 1

+4

So ng of Power

5

So ng of Power

Level

+3

+1

+1

+4

6

+3

+2

+2

+5

7

+4

+2

+2

+5

Song of Power

8

+4

+2

+2

+6

Song of Power

9

+5

+3

+3

+6

10

+5

+ 3

+ 3

+7

So ng of Power

II

+ 6/+1

+3

+3

+7

Create Standard T.1lisman

12

+ 6/ + 1

+4

+4

+8

13

+ 7/+ 2

+4

+4

+8

Song of Power

14

+7/ +2

+4

+4

+9

Create Reliab le Talisman

+9

15

+ 8/+ 3

+5

+5

16

+ 8/+ 3

+5

+5

+ 10

17

+ 9/+ 4

+5

+5

+ 10

18

+9/+4

+6

+6

+II

19

+ 10/+ 5

+6

+6

+ II

Craft Magic Arms and Armor Feat

20

+ 10/ +5

+6

+6

+ 12

So ng of Power

3I

Song of Power - Create Dep endabl e Talisman

modifi er rai sing (o r low ering) the D C of th e Lautars song atte mp t. Thus, a character with a C harism a of 16 would raise the D C to 2 3 (base D C of 2 0 + C ha risma Modifier o f + 3). This so ng can be rever sed t o make a p erson fall out o f love wit h ano t he r.

pow er lies in th eir songs. Singing a Song of Power (see below) can invok e results in many ways similar to spe lls, but they rarely are see n immediately. A S on g o f Power takes some tim e to have an effect. Though sim ilar in so m e ways t o the bard o f fantasy genre s, Lautar do not carry o r use weapo ns, nor do they o fte n leave th eir home village excep t to learn the craft fr om a master.

• Bring the Rain: A fr eq uent request of farmers, this so ng ena bles the Laurar to cau se a ge n tle rain to fall fr om th e sky wi t hi n 24 hours o f success ful completi on. The rain falls harmlessl y, soa king the gro u nd but not cau sing runoff. floods o r other negati ve co nse q ue nces o f heavy rains. The rainfall lasts for 2d I 0 hours.

Hit Die: d4 Skill Points at ist Level: (2

+

Int M odifier) x 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2

+

Int M odifi er

Class Skills: Alche my, Animal Empathy, Conce nt rat io n ,

the Laurar has, he o r she ma y cast the Di vin e Spell , Protecti on from Evil, as though t he charac te r were a Cleric eq ua l to hi s o r her C lass Level.

• Call the Storm: This is a much more forc eful ver sio n of Bring th e Rain . Two hours afte r sin ging this song, a violent sto rm front m o ves in , pounding a 50 sq uare mil e area with to rrent ial rain and other ill effe cts. Thi s storm is considered a Thunderstorm with S evere Winds for gam e purposes . Ther e is a 30% chance that the wind s will be Windstorm fo rce. Th ere is an additional 30% chance that the storm will also pr oduce hail. For every C las s Level the Lautar ha s, he or sh e can alte r th e chance for st ro nge r winds or hail 2% in eit he r directi on. Thus, a 5th Level Laurar could alt er the chance for hail from 30% to 40% or to 2 0 %. This reflects the expe rienced ch ar act er havin g g rea te r control ove r the storm he or she sum mo ne d. The sto rm last s for I d I 0 hours. Hail and heavy ra ins can cau se seve re dam age t o cro ps and fields . Thi s t yp e of so ng is usu ally hired t o be used aga ins t a whole village .

Turn/Rebllke Undead (Sp): Upon reaching 2nd Level, the ch ar act er ga ins th e ability to Turn o r Rebuke U ndea d . The Lau tar mu st choose whe t he r he o r she will Turn o r Rebuke, and this decisi on cannot be altered lat er.

• Call the Herd: After sing ing thi s so ng, t he Laurar o r, more rarely, ano t he r sub jec t o f this so ng, can spea k wit h any an ima l as thou gh havin g cas t the Di vin e Spell, Speak with An ima ls. The effec t lasts o ne hou r per level o f the Lautar

Song of Power (Sp): This is the ability for which th e Lautar

th at sang the so ng.

are best kn own , and it is the reason they are m ost often sought o ut by o t he rs. Singing a Song o f Pow er in vokes sp ell-like results. Those who hear it can o fte n d et ect its power, but th e words rarely giv e away ju st what the song is intended t o accomplish . Another Lautar of th e sam e level can easily interpret th e so ng, however.

• Calm Animal: This is an ext rem ely effect ive song that calms a panicked, enrage d, o r sick an im al. The animal must be able to hear the song, m eaning th e Lautar must be brought t o th e site o f the disturbance. H ow ever, once succes s fully cast, th e song soothes the beast into a docile state, regardless o f what is go in g on around it. Even rabid dogs can be calme d t o likeable pets under th e influ enc e of this song. Th e effect lasts for 2d6 rounds, afte r which , if the st im ulu s that cause d the pani c o r rage rem ain s, the an ima l revert s to that sta te. Otherwise, it rem ains calm.

C ra ft, G ather Information, H andle Animal, H eal, Kno wled ge (Arcana) , Knowled ge ( Local History) , Knowl ed ge ( Religio n) , Knowl edg e ( U n dead) , Perform , Sp ellcra ft, Use Magic D evice

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Lautar are not proficient in th e us e of an y arms or armor.

Starting Gold: 5d I 0 gold Class Features: Lautar receive the foll owing C lass Features at a rat e design at ed o n Tabl e 3-4.

Protection from Evil (Sp): Once p er day for every three levels

Singing a Son g of Power is an inv olv ed pr ocess . Doing so requi res th e ch ar acter to sing for I d4 ro unds, during which he or she cann ot be interrupted. Once comp leted, th e charact er makes a Perform Skill ch eck at D C 20. The ch ar act er ma y add hi s o r her Laut ar level to the di e ro ll. If s uccess ful, the so ng takes effect. If not , it fail s.

• Prowess: A p opular but somewh at em barrass ing req ues t, th is so ng ben efits m en who canno t sexually climax. Upo n heari ng t his so ng , t hey find that they can . Th ose who were already able can now compl et e the act wit h t wic e th eir usu al s ta mina. Ther e is, unfortunat ely, no so ng t o ben efit wo me n. The Wall achi an s do n ot beli eve that wo me n achieve any satisfac tio n fr om the sex act, and therefore see no n eed to aid t he m in cl imax ing.

There are eight genera l So ngs of Power. Each time th e character ga ins t his C lass Feature, he o r she selects a new so ng . A Lautar can sing any so ng he o r she kn ows.

• Allure: Thi s is by far o ne o f the mo st popular Songs o f Power (at least in t erms of those who see k th e services of a Laurar). The subject falls hopelessly in lo ve with the person design at ed in th e song. Thus , th e Laura r can use the so ng for his or her own ends, but mor e ofte n thi s is a hired service. The target charact er 's Charisma M odifi er acts as an additional

• The Well Runs Dry: Thi s is a particularl y cruel curse that cau ses a nursing mother t o sto p lactating. Note that thi s so ng is tantamount to murder since the Wallachians on ly br east-feed their infant s. Thus, a child whose mother 32

cannot provide milk will starve to deat h. Sadly, some poor families with too many mouths to feed already will invite this curse upo n themselves so as to retroactively prevent the addit ion of another ch ild to the family.

Prerequisites: Heal Skill: 8 Ranks Benefit: The character can attempt an amputation with a relative deg ree of success. This requires a Heal Skill check at DC 25. If successful, t he lim b is successfully removed and t he wou nd cau terized to prevent fur ther infection. If it fails , the pa tient bleeds to death.

Create Talisman (Sp): Sometimes a Lautar is not always arou nd and handy when you need one. For such times, customers often purchase Talismans. These minor magical devices are designed to replicate the effects of a Song of Power. T hey are small t ri n ket s into whi ch a Lautar may place any So ng of Power he or she knows. When activated, the effects of the song are invoked.

Normal: Characters attempting an amputation without benefit of t his Feat suffer a -4 Penalty to the Skill check. Those who do no t have the H eal Skill doubl e that penalty to -8. For more information on when amputation is necessary, see "Grievous Bodily Harm" in Part 4.

The problem is, Songs of Power are difficult to transfer, and that h as t he u nfortu nate side effect of making th e devices somewhat unreliable. A Talisman has 25 charges whe n it is created. To use a charge, though, the wielder must make a Reliability Roll. H e or she rolls a percentile die (d%) and then checks the result against the Talis ma n's general reliability. If t he ro ll excee ds t ha t number, th e Talisma n works like it is designed. If it is equal or lower, it fails to o perate.

Behead [General] Prerequisites: Power Attack, Wea po n Foc us with a Slashing Weapon, Base At tack Bonus of + 4

Benefit: Characte rs with t h is Feat are extremely dangerous opponents in a figh t for t hey are ski lled at decapitating their foes with a sing le stroke of th eir weapons. Whenever t he character rolls a potential cri tical hit, he or she rolls again as usual to de termine if the strike is indeed critical. If it is, roll a t h ird time. If the third result would also have resulted in a hi t, the target of the strike is beheaded and dies instantly. T h is Fea t is only u sabl e wit h a weapon that does Slash ing Da mage, and it only works on creatures the same size or smaller than th e character. Larger opponents and those that are im mune to cr it ical hits cannot be beheaded nor can creatures wit ho ut a head .

A Standard Talisman fails to operate 30% of the time. A Reliable Talisman only has a 15% chance for failure . De pendable Talismans only fail 7% of the time. Creating a Talisman requires eig ht hours of the Lautars time, during which he or she can take no strenuous action. The character can pause to eat or rest, bu t otherwise cannot engage in exertions. The raw materials are n ot expensive, but they are a little rare. Per fec t wood, unf1awed jewels, or fin ely po lished m etal are required to accept the Song of Power, but they are not the exceptional quali ty of materials typically required for the creation of magic items. This may be one of the reasons they fai l so easily.

Firearms Proficiency [General] The character is experienced in t he use of an arquebuse.

Benefit: T he charac ter can make normal attack rolls with hand-held firearms. T his Feat does not exte nd to large weapons suc h as cannon, which require the Gunnery Feat.

Tal ismans are diffic ult t o rec harge. Doing so causes t he ite m to regress one level in quality. Thus, a Dependable Talisman becomes a Reliable one. A Reliable Tal isman beco m es Standard, and Standard Talismans simply can no t be recharged. W hile it's possible th at th is is du e to th e cru de ness of t he raw mat erials, it 's mo re likely t ha t Lautar wis h t o keep their customers coming back for more services.

Normal: A character who uses a firearm without being proficient suffers a -4 pe na lty on at tack rolls.

Gunnery [General] The character is trai ned in the use of field cannon for sieges.

Prerequisite: Firearms Proficiency

New Feats

Benefit: The character can make nor ma l attack rolls with

Listed below are some new Feats for th e Wallach ian sett ing. Several of t hem are reprinted fro m Avalanche Press's BLACK FLAGS: PIRACY IN THE CARIBBEAN.

cannon. Additionally, t he character is educate d in the proper cleaning, maintenance, and repair of such weaponry.

Normal: A character without the Gunnery Feat suffers a -6

Amputate [General]

p en alt y on all attack ro lls with such weapons. One without the Fi rearms Proficie ncy Fea t suffers a -8 penalty. Note t ha t a character can serve on a gunnery crew without this Feat with no penalty. So long as the character is not in charge of the aiming or the firi ng of the weapon, the penalty fo r untrain ed use of th is Feat does n ot apply.

This is t he bru t al bu t ofte n necessary t ask o f rem oving a shattered or severely injured limb either beca use it is ruined or to prevent the onset of gangrene. Amputation is a t ricky business since it does harm to the patient. Anyo ne can do it, but p erfo rming the operation in suc h a way as t o ena ble t he victim to survive req u ires some ski ll. C haracters with this Feat have some practice at it , thereby granting t hem a better chance of success. 33

Even the anc ient Egyptians had tal es of blood-sucking undead creatures .

Part Four: Monsters and O ther Horrors

A person can become a strigo i after death if he or she us ed ma gic, was born a bastard , or di es exco m m un icate d from th e Eastern Orthodox Church . An Eastern Orthodox beli ever who becomes an apostate (co nvert s to ano t he r faith ) is alm ost certainly damned to a st r igo i's fat e. The Earth reject s the undead , and on e can t ell a potential st rigo i in hi s o r her grave if their body do es not decay. Of co urse, lack o f d ecay is als o see n as a pre-requisite fo r sa int hood in traditi on al Orthodo x beli ef: the very good and th e very bad do not rot. Many beli eve it vital to cross o ne's sel f when initiating sex - both partners but espe cially th e wo m an - so that an y child that results from the union will be spa red becoming stri goi . Even the m ost hardened Wallachian prostitute o r the most carefree young boyar will make the sign of the cross under such circumsta nces .

This secti on introduces some n ew monster s from Romanian myth. H ere, yo u' ll find the vampire as the Romanians saw it, not t he H oll ywood ver sions. There are also rul es for the horrific nature o f g unpowde r combat. All o f the mat erial in this portion of t he book is desi gn at ed Open Game Content.

Vampires and Other Undead Romani an folklore contains many referenc es to the undead, or m o roi. M o roi walk the Earth after dark and are always evil, but th ey do not all drink blood. A good person will not become mor oi after d eath, but one who is evil is not always co nde m ne d to th e horrors of undeath. M o roi all fear th e light and thus roam only at night. They can sta nd sh ad ows during the day, but cannot bear the direct rays of th e sun. This will not cause them to catch fire or explode as in so me film versions, but it will make them wri t he in pain. To rch es and firelight will also repel moroi.

Strigoi have no fear of religious iconography. They can be buried in consecrated ground and can en ter churches without harm. In fact , if a strigoi call s out names of villagers from the bell tower of its parish church o n a moonless ni ght, those villagers will instantly fall o ver dead and become strigoi themselv es. Thus, not o nly is a ch urc h no obstacl e to strigoi , hol y buildings mu st be pr otected from them lest they mak e use of the building as a base for ma ss murder.

M ost animals hat e all undead , the st rigo i (see below) most o f ali. H or ses canno t bear the touch of the undead, thus m o ro i can no t ride. D ogs also hate and fear moroi and will bark furi ou sl y at th eir approach . Peasants o fte n tak e a lar ge bl ack dog, pa int wh ite circles on it s head to resemble eyes, and ti e it near t heir homes. Thi s seems to rep el th e fearsom e crea tures of th e n ight.

Like Western vampires, strigo i feed o n bl ood; ho wever, their fo od o f choice is the milk o f nursing m other s. Strigo i stea l

W hile dogs are t he ene my of the undead , cat s are evil creatures in leagu e wit h t he moroi. Cats are often found in th eir company and will even. bet ray their own er s whe n ass is t ing a strigoi. Wa llac hians as a ru le do not lik e cats , fearing such treachery.

Moroi Game Information M oroi are a spec ial Romanian class of undead monsters. Like standard und ead , th ey have a Hit Di e t yp e of d I 2 , no C o nst it ut io n sco re, are immun e to the effects of poison, sleep , par alysi s, stu nn ing, di seas e, death effect s, necromant ic effects, mind-influencing effects, critical hits, subdual damage, ab ili ty damage, ab ility drain , and en ergy drain. Unlike regular undead crea tu res, though , moroi cannot be simply killed. Eac h mu st be di spatched in so me spe cial fashion , which is de ra iled alo ng wit h th e cr eature's descripti on. Other attacks will harm it , bu t all m oroi ha ve Fast H ealing that repairs the dam age do ne by any at tac k that doesn 't spe cifically kill t h e fi en d . Fast H ealing wo rks eve n past d eath fo r th es e crea tures . They simp ly heal dam age until th ey are able to get up and mo ve aga in.

Strigoi S t rigo i are the orig ina l Romanian versio n of the classic vam p ires o f lit erature and film. Drinking th e blood of other crea t u res to stea l th eir vit ality is a common th em e in human legend, and vam p ire legends gr eatly pre-date th e Romanians.

34

Hit Dice: Increase to d I 2 .

into the bedrooms of such women by night to suckle at their breasts; a number o f early woodcuts of vam p ires show them at ta che d n ot t o the vict im's neck but to h er breast. They will also feed o n t he milk an d bl ood of farm an ima ls if they can no t find human vict ims; a wo ma n or an ima l will los e the ab ility to give milk o nce suckled by a st rigo i. Thi s damns the mother 's infant t o death by sta rvat io n, as wet- n u rsing is rar e in W allachia an d cow 's or go at 's milk cannot be safely given to bab ies in thi s age before Louis Pasteur.

Speed: Sam e as the base crea ture. AC: N atural armor impro ves to + 6. Attacks: The creature reta ins all of its attacks from its previous life. In addition, it gain s t wo Cla w Attack s and o ne Bit e Attack as indicated by the tabl e bel ow:

Women sto p producing milk for many sound , sci entifically p ro vabl e reas on s ( t h e poor di et o f Wallachian s bein g a m ajor factor) , but , wit h littl e kn o wled ge of such things , th e Wall achi an s in stead see k an o t her-wo rl dly exp lanat io n. Blaming strigo i also helps co ver o ne o f the dirtier little secrets o f pre-industri al soc iet ies: un wanted babi es are an eno r mo us burden t o a famil y alre ady on th e brink of s ta rv a t io n , and m an y choose to allow them to di e. Claiming that an undead cre ature stol e th eir moth er' s milk is a conv eni ent excuse to exp lain away a conscious choice to den y them suste nance.

Size

Bite

Claw

Small

1d2

ld

Medium

1d3

1d4

Large

1d4

1d6

If the cr eature already had C law o r Bit e attack s it uses wh icheve r number is m o re favorabl e - the new strigoi number o r it s previous o ne.

Special Attacks: Strigoi have any Sp ecial Attacks they had in life. They als o gain all o f the abilities listed below. Unless otherwise noted, the Saving Throw against these abiliti es has a DC of 10 + half the strigoi 's Hit Dic e + its Charisma Bonus.

A st rigo i is kill ed fo r go od by a sta ke driven through its heart, o ut of it s bod y, and into the gro und. Fir is the pr eferr ed wood fo r strigoi-ki lling. They can also be killed by burning; either t he entire creature o r just it s heart. C u tt ing a st rigo i's head off will render it ins en sible, but it must then eit her be staked to th e eart h or have its heart burned to be destroyed for good. Theoretically, it would be pos sibl e for a strigoi 's severed head to be re-attach ed to the rest of its corpse, but th e legends mak e no mention o f anyo ne attempting such an in sane act.

Blood Drain (Ex) : If th e st rigo i succeed s o n a Bit e Attack , it

Strigo i can find red emption: if they rem ain undet ected fo r seve n yea rs, they can regain their human form . The recovered st r igo i can no t bear to rem ain in it s home country and must live in ano t he r land whe re an other lan gu age is sp o ken. The rebo rn human cannot stan d to hear the so u nds of his or her m other tongue but can other wise live out the rest of his or her lifespan . An y children of suc h a person will themselves become strigoi afte r their deaths.

Cat's Grace (Sp): Once p er day, st rigo i can cast the Ca r's

can make a Grapple C he ck t o attempt to dr ain bl ood from the target. If the Grapple C hec k succeeds, it su ck s bl ood from th e vict im, inflicting I d4 points of permanent C o n st itu t io n D ama ge for every round that the hold is m aintained . The strigoi ma y convert thi s Constitution t o Hit Points at a rate of I d6 hit points per point of Constitution so drained . The st rigo i's Hit Points cannot exceed it s ma ximum total in this fashion . Grace spell.

Command Cats (Su): C at s are evil creatu res in leagu e wit h the moroi . Th'e y will ser ve these creatures willingly. Three times per day, strigoi can sum m o n a number of cat s to come to the their aid eq ual to I d4 + I per level of the strigoi . Strigoi sp eak the language of their felin e servants an d can command th em to p erform any task th ey like . Additionally, strigoi ma y ask for the ass is tance of any cat they enco un te r. If the fiend su cceeds at a C harism a C hec k, the cat will cooper at e. All cat s are favorably di sposed to wards t he strigoi for purpo ses o f modifier s t o this roll.

There is no evide nce that Wallachians or their ene m ies beli eve Vl ad the Impaler to be a vam p ire. However, he was ofte n sa id to "t h irs t fo r bl ood," th ough this appear s to hav e been m eant m et apho ri call y. In at least o nce in cident, Vlad is kn o wn to ha ve se t tle d down to eat his lunch am id many fr esh co rpse s. When an officer asked how he could sta nd t o eat in su ch surro und ing s, the prince dipped a p iece of bread in the blood of a nearb y corpse, ate it , and replied that he found it enhanc ed hi s meal.

Create Spawn (Su): This fear some ability is the reason these cre atures are most reviled . They can murder who le village s simply by speaki n g the names of their residents . To C reate Spawn, a strigoi must asc end to the bell tower of a church on a moonl ess night. From this site, the beast n eed only sp eak the name of a church parishioner. That unfortunat e must m ake a Fortitude Save or imm ed iately fall ove r dead and ri se as a st rigo i under the command o f the o ne who sle w it. Thi s command lasts until the newly created strigo i exceeds it s sire in level or the o ne that create d it is dest ro yed.

Strigoi Game Information " S trigo i" is a t emplat e that can be added to any Humanoid o r M onstrous Human oid crea tu re ( referred t o hereafter as the "base crea tu re" ). The cr eature's typ e changes to Undead. It uses all of the base crea tu re's statistics and abilit ies excep t as n oted her e.

Domination (Su): By means o f this abilit y, the st rigo i can 35

strip the will from an y person upon who m it looks. The

Skills: Strigoi receive a + 8 Racial Bonus to the following

creature mak es a gaze attack excep t that employing this ability requires a Standard Action and tho se sim ply looking at the

Skills: Balance, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Search, and Spot.

st rigo i are unaffected. The target of the attack must make a Will Save o r fall under the sp ell of the st r igo i as though the fiend had cast Dominate Person . The range of this abili t y is 30 feet.

Feats: Strigoi get the following Feats for free if the base creature does not already have them: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, and Lightning Reflexes.

Milk Drain (Ex): Like Blood Drain, if the strigoi succeeds

Climate/Terrain: Strigoi can be found anywhere.

on a Bite At tac k, it ma y m ake a Grapple Check to drain the milk from the breast of a nursing mother. Success on the

Organization: Solitary, pair, gang ( 3- 5) or troop (1-2 strigoi, 3- 5 obru, and 4-7 vu kod lak).

Grapple C he ck allows the st rigo i to drain Id3 points of t emporary Const it ut io n for every round that it can maintain the hold. The creat ure can convert this Constitution to Hit Points at a rat e of I d8 per point of Constitution drained. The strigoi 's Hit Points cannot exceed its ma ximum total in this manner.

Challenge Rating: Base Creature's CR + 4 . Treasure: As the base creature. Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil. Advancement: By character type.

Summon Vukodlak (Sp): The vile vukodlak are frequent allies

Strigoi Weaknesses: One of the few good things that can be

of st rigo i. Three times p er da y, st rigo i ma y summon Id6 of these dr ead birds to ser ve and assist them.

said of strigoi is that they do have some natural weaknesses . These can be used to preserve one 's self in the fac e of these dread creatures .

Special Qualities: In addition to an y Special Qualities they

Dependence on Blood or Milk: Strigoi must feed regularly to

ma y have had in life, st rigo i ga in the Undead Subtype and the follo wing abilit ies listed below.

preserve themselves. They must drink blood at lea st once ever y three nights or suffer horrible hunger pangs. A starving strigoi takes 2d6 points of damage ever y night that it does not feed. Human breast milk is a more powerful sustainer. A strigoi need only feed once a week if it can suckle at the breast of a nursing mother.

Damage Reduction (Su) : The forc es of darkness have made the body of a st ri goi very tough. It has Damage Reduction ofl0/+r.

Darkvision (Su) : 60 feet in range. Fast Healing (Su): Strigoi are ext rem ely difficult to kill, and

Animal blood and milk suffices to sustain strigoi, but it is not as potent as human blood or milk. Strigoi drinking the blood of beasts must feed every night. Those drinking animal milk must feed ever y three da ys. Keep in mind that, once a strigoi drinks the milk of a nursing mother, she loses the ability to produce milk. Not only do an y offspring starve to death, the strigoi must find a new sourc e of food .

their bodies reco ver rapidly from wounds . They heal 5 Hit Points p er round under nearl y an y circumstances. Even if th ey are reduced to fewer than 0 hit points , strigoi continue to heal. Fire dam age is unaffected by Fast H ealing.

Resistance (Ex): Further enhan cing their invulnerability, st rigo i are res is tant to damage from C o ld and Electricity. The rating for these Resi stances is 20.

Repelling Strigoi: Like other moroi, strigoi hate fire. An y

Turn Resistance (Su): Like all moroi, st rigo i do not naturally fear

strongly presented torch holds them at bay. The strigoi must make a Will Save at a DC equal to 10 + the Charisma Modifier of the character that presents the torch. Likewise, while cats are their allies , dogs hate them and will bark furiously at any strigoi. The fiend must make a Will Save at DC 12 to

th e clerg y. O win g to their ab ility to us e a church for their fell purposes, st rigo i hav e a Turn Resi stance of + 5.

Moroi Subtype: Immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, di sea se, death effects, n ecromantic effects, mind-inf1uencing effects, crit ical hits, subd ual damage, ability damage, ability dr ain , an d en ergy drain . C an only be kill ed by certain means (see "Killing Strigoi" below). Ca n be repelled by fire and barking dogs .

approach a dog or someone protected by one. \

Sunlight Allergy: Strigoi hate the sun as much as other moroi,

Saving Throws: Strigoi S ave the same as the creature they were in life.

Abilities: U po n becoming st rigo i, increase the base creature's Ability sco res as foll ow s: Strength +4, Dext ~rity + 6, W isd om +2 , an d C harism a +4. Strigoi get no bonus for Intelli genc e. They are.as smart o r as dumb as they wer e in life. Becau se they are Undead, strigoi do not have a C o ns t itu t io n score.

but,_unlike traditional vampires , they cannot be destroyed by it. Strigoi exp osed to direct sun ligh t suffer I d6 points of damage per round and suffer from b eing Staggered. They return to normal one round aft er escaping the sun. Strigoi can move about during the day with no penalties so long as they stay indoors or in the shadows.

Tied to the Grave: Strigoi are tied to the graves in which they a1t buried and must return there every night. Those that do not suffer Id12 points of damage per Hit Die each night that they do not return. They are also wracked with p ain that

36

wo uld kick in, allowing it to event ually come bac k to life.

leaves them Staggered until they can find their way home. S t rigoi canno t be p erman ently destroyed in this m anner, but those that are reduced to less than 0 h it points m ay find them selves t rap p ed , unable to get ho m e unti l a source of no uri shment wanders by.

Beh ead in g is a fine first step . After the strigoi has been "ki lle d" it m ay be sa fel y burned or staked . Behe ading a sleep ing strigo i requi res no at ta ck ro ll. It can simply be d one. D ecap itat in g a waking strigoi requires the Behead

To circumve n t thi s problem , man y strigoi build coffins fo r them sel ves in wh ich they store the d irt of their graves. So long as they are slee p ing completely o n the soi l o f the grave in whi ch th ey wer e buri ed , they can turn the co ffin into a so rt o f m obile home. The st rigoi st ill must return to the co ffi n (wherever it is) t o avo id th e effe cts o f n ot sleep ing in thei r g raves every day.

Fea t o n page 3 3.

Killing Strigoi: T he worst aspec t of these fou l crea tures is t hat they are virt ua lly im mortal. There a few me ans by which they can be destroyed , tho ugh .

'---

Wooden Stake through the H eart: The classic m ean s of killing a vam p ire appe ars to have o rigina te d wit h the strigo i. H ow ever, the Romani an monster is not so eas ily di spatched as the traditional W estern o ne . The stake mu st pe ne t ra te the heart, exit the body, and be dri ven into the gro und . Only t he n is d eath ass ure d . Fi r wood see ms t o be m ore effect ive than o t her varieties an d gra nts a + 1 Circu msta nce Bonu s t o at tack and dam age roll s. Completing this gr isly ritual is no t eas y. Hitting th e heart impo ses a -4 C irc ums ta nce Pen alty to the attac k ro ll unless the stri goi is un con scious, F lat- Foote d , held, o r o t he rwise impaired so that it can 't defend it self very well. To dr ive the sta ke into the heart an d out into the gro un d req uires that 12 p oints o f dam age be done to the crea t ure afte r the heart is h it in it ially. D am age from a woode n sta ke is 1d 4. Afte r the fi rst h it , the sta ke is imbedde d in t he crea t ure , and it o nly need b e hi t agai n wit h a sta nda rd attack rol l. The -4 pe na lt y is not im po sed . On it s actio n , the strigo i can atte mp t to pull the sta ke out. T his req u ires a S t reng t h chec k at a D C eq ua l to 10 + the amo un t o f dam age done thus far. If it succeeds, sta king must sta rt ove r again fr om scrat ch . A sleep ing st rigoi that is st aked always wakes up immediately up on the fir st bl ow bein g del ivered .

Obru Wher e th e strigo i feed s o n breas t mi lk or blood, the obru ga ins nouri shmen t fro m dung. Th is di sgusting creat ur e of the ni gh t reeks of ro tting excrem ent, and enjoy s t erri fying t he livin g.

Fire: S trigoi are vu lnera ble to fire. It is the o nly form of attac k t hat is not subject to t he effects of their Fast H ealin g. A strigoi that is burned to death is destroyed forever. Interestingly, the sa me effect m ay be ach ieved simply by burning the cr eature's heart. H ow o ne mi ght get the heart o u t o f the body is a go od questi on , but, if it co uld be done, burning the h eart alo ne will suffice to destroy the creature. A st rigo i's h eart ha s o ne quarter the number o f hit points the m onster it self has.

Obru are muc h rarer than strigoi. O nly th e mo st vile and evil m en and wo me n beco m e obru aft er t heir deaths an d t he n o nly if t he ir corpse is in co n tac t wit h large amou n ts of dung. Cr im inals are ofte n flun g onto dung piles afte r executio n, an d excepti on ally despi sed people are also tossed on these heap s. If t hey were p arti cul arly evil, and espec ially if t heir evil was of t he petty, ban al variety, they m ay walk the eart h as o bru . D isbar red attorneys, t rivia- obsessed acco un ta n t s, fai led free-l ance writers and sp it eful game reviewer s are co m monly fou nd among the dung-eating undead.

Decapitation: Beh eading a st rigo i doesn 't perman ently kill th e beast , t hou gh it is t he next bes t t hing. D ecap it at ed strigoi fall to the gro un d as t hough they had been ki lle d. They are in sen sat e and, for all prac t ical purposes, d ead . If so meo ne were to reattach t he head , however, th e creatu re's Fast H ealing

Lat er times wo uld use d un g in the fields and even see it as a

37

valuable resource. Wallachians make little us e of ani mal waste, ins tea d shovel ing it into large, reekin g pil es at the edge of th eir villages where th ey also hurl th eir hou sehold garbage. A powerful stenc h rises fro m th ese heaps, and large flies buzz abou t feast ing on th e ban quet laid befo re th em. Most hovels have the ir own outho use, though th e desp erat ely poor lack even thi s amen ity and in st ead sq uat at th e edge o f th e village dung heap.

Obru Game Information Size: M ed ium U ndead Hit Dice: 3d12 Initiative: + 5 ( +

I Dex, + 4 Imp ro ved Init iati ve)

Speed: 30 feet AC: 18 ( +

I D ex, + 7 Na t ura l)

Attacks: Slam + 3 mel ee ( l d 6 + 2 and D isease) o r D ung

Ob ru hat e th e livin g, and wish to sp read th eir misery. Unlike str igo i, th ey are not ti ed to th eir grave - had th ey been buri ed, t hey would not have becom e obru. Neit her are th ey tied to th e dung heap fro m wh ich th ey sprang. T hey may wander the Earth as t hey choose. H owever, t hey m ust eat dung nightly or suffer intolerable hun ger pa ngs . To sp read their misery, th ey hurl d ung at th e hom es of t he living and will chase livin g peo ple in an at te mp t to rub dung onto th em . They are rarely known t o kill th e livin g, preferring to indulge in th e perr y spite that th ey en joyed during th eir mi sb egorr en lives.

+2 ran ged (see bel ow)

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/ 5 feet Special Attacks: Di sease, H u rl Dung, Stench Special Qualities: D amage Reduct ion

101 + I , Fast H ealing 5, Fir e Resistan ce 5, Turn Res ista nce + 2, Moroi Subtype

Saves : Fort + I, Ref + 2, Wi ll + 5 Abilities: S t r 14 , D ex 13, Co n -, In t I I , Wis 14 , Cha 17

..

Skills: Hide +5 , Intuit D irect ion + 7, List en + 4 , M ove Sil ently + 6, Search + 9, Spo t + 5, Wi lde rness Lor e + 9

Killin g an o bru is d ifficult at bes t. Simply running one thro ugh with a swor d or o ther weapon will cause t he creature immense pain but will not kill it. Wi th th eir black hearts themselves tu rn ed to dung, run ning a sta ke t h rou gh th e hea rt or bu rn ing th e heart, two tra d itional Rom ani an folk remed ies to kill vampi res, will have no effect.

Feats: Improved Ini ti ati ve Climate/Terrain: Any

Organization: So litary, Gang (2 -4) , or Pack ( 5- 12) Challenge Rating: 4 Treasure: None.

The obr u will d ie if it is cut into p ieces with th e chunks bu ried separat ely and it s mouth stu ffed with garlic. Hacking it into pieces is sufficien t by it self unl ess so meo ne is in san e eno ugh to re-assem ble th e par t s, whi ch will grow back together given eno ug h t ime. Burni ng the bod y will also suffice, though the entire corpse must be co ns umed. As an obru is a so dden, repulsive mess under its ski n, this would require a substantial blaze.

Alignment: Always CE Advancement: 5-6 H D (M ed ium) Combat: Obru arrac k without provocat ion any livin g t hi ng t hey can. Like o t her mo ro i, they are afra id of dogs and will ret reat from t hem , but otherwise they arrempt to inflict th eir pain on any creature they meet. They begin by hurlin g d ung (see below ) at t hei r opponents until they close th e di st an ce and arrack with th eir Slam Arra ck. They have no compunct ion about killing t hose t hey are arr empting t o humiliat e. So great is th eir mi sery and fur y, th ey will continue arra cking anyo ne who fights back.

An obru deni ed dung will slowly waste away, th ough this process can appare n tly ta ke years and no record s exist of anyo ne arre mpti ng to dispos e of suc h a creature by starvin g it. T he lon ger th ey go without, the greate r becom es th eir desire to feast on feces. Their need to co ns ume dung will becom e frenzied, and they will ultimat ely endure any risk to feed.

Disease (Ex): Oppon en t s hit by th e obru's Slam At tac k or Hurl DungaBility (see below) may become infected with Filth Fever fro m the refuse. T he character must make a successful Fortit ude Save at D C 12. The incu bat ion t ime of the disease is I d 3 days if t he Save is failed. D am age is I d 3 Temporary D ext erity Dam age and I d 3 Tempo ra ry Consti t ution D ama ge. Recovery foll ows th e st anda rd rul es fo r di sease.

As with strigo i, t he obru legen d has its origin in reali ty. Wallachia is a land of horse-breeding nobl es, boyars who value the ir livesto ck far mo re than they do their ser fs. When foo d is lackin g, the ho rses have first call on grain sup plies even whi le peopl e are dyin g aro und th em .

Hurl Dung (Ex): This di sgu st in g ability involves th e o br u

H orses do not full y digest all of th eir feed. In evit abl y, some grai ns pass t hro ug h th e horse mor e o r less intact wit hin th eir hu sks. The desperat ely hungr y would fall on fresh horse dung t o pick out t he grai ns wit hin and eat th em . This led to stories of especially damned so uls actua lly eati ng the waste, and it remains in the lexicon as an ins ult. H owever, like many such invect ives, it is one ultimatel y based in class pre judice rat her t han d iet ary cho ice.

act ually throwing dung at it s oppo nen ts. T.1rgets o f thi s ability mu st make a Reflex Save at DC 13. Failure indica tes the charac te r has fallen prey to his or her nat ura l insti ncts to dod ge thi s arrac k. The cha racter mu st spe nd the rou nd as t houg h he or she were making a Full-Arrack Action but does not get t o actually at tack. The character does get a + 2 bonus to AC as th ou gh he or she were Fighting Defensively.

38

Th e ob ru makes a ran ged attack ro ll afte r t he cha rac te r's Refl ex Sav ing T hro w, ad di ng in any bonus es as.a result of t he roll. If th e attack hits, the Dung does n o dam age, but t he charac te r must m ake a Fo rtitude Sav ing Thro w to avoi d falling vict im to t he o br u's D isease ability. D u ng has a ran ge in crem en t o f t wo feet.

All animals hat e an d fear th e moroi (wit h th e exception of cat s) and will flee o r pani c in their p resence. Thus, whi le other an ima ls do not repel ob ru the way dogs do, th ey can aler t th eir master s to t he p resence o f t he dread creatures by p anicking at t he ir approach.

Stench (Ex) : Covered as they are in dung and refuse, o bru

Damage Reduction (Ex) : The soft, spongy nature o f their

does harm them . Obru exposed t o direct su nligh t suffer I d 6 points of damage per round and suffer fro m bein g Staggered . T hey recover on e round after esca pi ng th e sun's rays. Obru can mov e abo ut during the daytime so lon g as they stay indoor s or keep to the sha dows.

innard s co m b ined wit h their toug h skin m ake it d ifficult to

Killing Obru . Unlike o t her mo roi , o bru cannot be killed by

h u rt ob r u. Consequently, t hey have a DR o f 10/+ 1.

burning th eir hearts o r stak ing t hem to t he earth. An obru mu st be hacked to pi eces. The pa rts m ust be buried separately wit h garl ic stuffed in th e mouth. If thi s isn't done, the creature can heal if t he parts are reassembled. O bru can also be burned t o death, but th e en t ire corps e mu st be co ns umed.

Sunlight Allergy: Obru are not destro yed by su nlight, but it

st ink unimaginably. Those wit hin 10 feet of th em , must mak e a Fortitude Sav e at D C 15 or become Nauseated , su ffering a - 2 C irc ums ta nce Pena lty to all dice ro lls for Id 6+4 minutes.

Fast Healing (Su): O bru are di fficul t to kill. They recove r 5

h it po ints of dam age per ro und under any circumstance~ even if th ey have been reduc ed to less than 0 Hit Points. The o n ly way t o sto p this is to destroy them p ermanently. Fi re damage is un affect ed by th e o bru' s Fast H ealing ability.

Fire Resistance (Ex): D espite the fact that fire is o ne of the ways to perma ne n tly destroy them , o bru's wet, spo ngy innards m ake them pa rt ially resista nt to suc h dam age. As a result, they have Fire Resist an ce 5.

Moroi Subtype: Immune to poison , sleep, para lysis, st unning, di sease, d eath effects, necromanti c effec t s, mind- influen cin g effects, critical hit svsubdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, and ene rgy drain . Ca n o nly be kill ed via sp eci al m eans (see "Killing Obru" below) . Can be repelled by fire and barking do gs.

Turn Resistance (Su): So much do they hate the livin g,abru are not eas ily pers uaded to leave t hem alon e. Tr eat an obru as th ough it were two levels h igher fo r p ur poses of Turning or Rebuking it.

Skills: Because they must con st antly sea rc h fo r so urces of nou ri shment, o bru ge t a +4 Racial Bonus to all Sea rc h and Wilderness Lore che cks.

Obru Weaknesses: D espite th e terror th ey can inflict on th e living, Obru do have cert ain weaknesses th at can be exploited.

Vukodlak

Dung-Eating: Obru must consum e dung ni ghtly. If they do

In Romani an legend, the vukodlak is th e demon bi rd of the night. A large, horrible bl ack flyin g crea ture, t he vukodlak eat s the flesh o f human s and dr inks t heir blood. They fly o nly by n ight, usu ally si ng ly or in pa irs , although in bad times who le flocks o f these terrible creatu res are known to s w~rm over unlucky villages.

no t , t hey su ffer from ho rribl e hunger pangs. For each ni ght t ha t passes that th e crea t ure do es not eat, it suffers I d6 poi nts o f dam age. It also is affl icted wit h a - 2 C irc ums t ance Pen alt y to all ro lls unt il suc h time as it d oes feed . The C irc ums ta nce Pen alti es are n ot cum ulat ive (t hat is, it can never s u ffe r from grea te r than -2 pen alt y for not feeding) .

Vukodlak and strigo i usually appea r together ; amo ng t he many powers of the stri goi is the abilit y t o call th e vukodlak to pla gu e th eir enem ies. Strigoi and vukodlak share an affin ity for evil and can communi cat e through a p rim it ive sort of emp at h ic tel ep athy. For th e mo st part, this co nsists of the stri goi tran smitting the t arget o f its hat red to th e vukcdlak. Obru canno t call vukodlak, however; t he dung-eaters are sh unne d by all o t he r undead .

Repelling Obru. Lik e o t he r moroi, obru hav e n o fear of rel ig io us iconogr aph y. They are terrifi ed by fir e an d by do gs, however. Anyo ne st ro ng ly presen ting a torch to th e obru for ces it to m ake a W ill Save at D C 10 + the C harisma Bonu s o f the cha rac ter hold ing th e to rch . Failure causes the o bru to flee. Similarly, a barking dog is cau se for fear. The fou l cr eatu re must m ake a Will Save at D C 12 to app ro ach any dog (o r so meo ne protect ed by a do g) .

39

~

Alignment: Always CE

The vukodlak is an undead creature, the shambling animated corpse of a large raven. Ravens become vukodlak by feasting on the remains of an evil human who would have otherwise become a strigoi. While strigoi are usually somewhat shrunken compared to their pre-death existence, vukodlak are much larger than the ravens they once were.

Advancement: 3-6 HD (Small) Vukodlak are giant undead ravens that range in size from that of a child to nearly as large as a small adult human. They feast on living flesh and enjoy terrifying both animals and human beings alike. They are only marginally smarter than other animals, but they share an empathic link with strigoi and willingly serve those foul creatures.

Vukodlak will attack living humans, but farm animals are their primary target. They enjoy killing for its own sake, and will gladly carry out whatever assaults a strigoi asks of them. Like strigoi, they cannot bear the light but are not destroyed by it. They are killed by burning; a stake through the heart is thought to kill them as well. As this is more difficult to determine than with an undead human, those who wish to eliminate moroi always burn the corpse of a downed vukodlak to make sure. As with strigoi, decapitation effectively ends the vukodlak's reign of terror but resuscitation remains theoretically possible.

Vukodlak are created when a normal raven eats the flesh of a dead human who would otherwise have become strigoi. This transforms the unfortunate creature into a moroi, making it a servant of evil. While it does not actively seek out others of its kind, the vukodlak will flock with others it encounters, and it will respond to a summons from a strigoi.

Combat: The only good thing that can be said about vukodlak is that they don't have any of the Special Attacks common to other moroi. The demon-bird prefers to use its Flyby Attack to zip past opponents in combat pecking at them with its sharp beak (Bite Attack). They have been known (usually when ordered to do so by strigoi) to blind an opponent by flying into his or her face and then pecking savagely at the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Vampires turning into bats is a much later invention, though , not without some basis in Romanian legend. The devil walks the Earth by night, sometimes in the shape of an animal, especially a raven. Like strigoi, bats rest by day and prowl by night. However, European bats only eat fruit and insects; the vampire bat is a creature of the New World, unknown in Vlad's time. Strigoi are often accompanied by vukodlak, though, thus creating the connection between the vampire and the evil flying creature.

Damage Reduction (Su): Vukodlaks' evil protects them from standard attacks. They have Damage Reduction 5/+ 1, making them more difficult to harm.

Romanian lore is not the only tradition to feature the vukodlak. Serbian legends also include a creature by the same name, but, among the Serbs, a vukodlak is a werewolf rather than an undead raven. .

Fast Healing (Ex): Vukodlak heal 5 points of damage per

Vukodlak

Moroi Subtype: Immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning,

round. Like other moroi, this ability continues to operate even if they are reduced to less than hit points. Fire damage is unaffected by Fast Healing.

°

Speed: 15 feet; Fly 40 feet (Poor)

disease, death effects, necromantic effects, mind-influencing effects, critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain. Can only be killed via special means (see "Killing Vukodlak" below). Can be repelled by fire and barking dogs.

AC: 14 (+ 1 Size, + 1 Dex, +2 Natural)

Vukodlak VVeaknesses: Like other moroi, vukodlak do have certain

Attacks: Bite +2 melee (ld4)

supernatural weaknesses that make it possible to hold them at bay.

Size: Small Undead

Hit Dice:

2d12

Initiative: + 1 ( Dex,)

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet

Repelling Vukodlak: Because they are moroi, vukodlak fear fire

Special Attacks: None.

and barking dogs. A strongly presented torch causes the undead biro to flee if it fails a Will Save at DC 10 + the Charisma Bonus of the wielder. Likewise, vukodlak must make a Will Save at DC 12 to approach a dog or any creature protected by one.

Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 5/+1, Fast Healing 5, Moroi Subtype

-,

Saves: Fort +0, Ref + 1, Will +4 Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con -, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 14

Sunlight Allergy: Vukodlak can tolerate direct sunlight no bet-

Skills: Intuit Direction +4, Search + 5, Spot + 5

ter than other moroi. If exposed to the direct rays of the sun, the creature suffers 1d~ points of damage and is Staggered. It recovers one round after escaping. Vukodlak that keep to theshadows or indoors can move about during the daytime.

Feats: Flyby Attack Climate/Terrain: Any Temperate Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Murder (6 -13)

Killing Vukodlak: Destroying these creatures is not easy. Like

Challenge Rating: 2

all moroi, they do not just die. They must be vanquished by one of the means listed below.

Treasure: None 40

Wooden Stake through the Heart: Like st rigoi, sta king the vile

Arquebuse

cr eatures to the eart h d isp at ch es them . This is m uch harder to d o, though , si nce the t arget is sma lle r and vuko dlak can fly. The C ir cu ms ta nce Pen alt y for the attac k ro ll for a stake atte mp t is -6 ow ing to the creat ure's ab ili ty to fli t aro und o u t of the way. Fu rthe r, if the vu kodlak is no t Grappled and pinned to the ground, it tak es to t he air im media tely following a successful sta ke at te mp t that d id not kill it . G ra ppled vuk odlak ma y automa t ically infli ct their Bit e D am age on the person holding them as a Fr ee Act io n in addi t io n t o attempting t o escape . Fortunatel y, the st aki ng cha racte r need o n ly do 8 p oints o f damage to p in the vile bird to the earth and d estroy it.

Firing an arq ue buse wit h any hop e o f accuracy requires the cha racter to have the Fi rearms Pro ficiency Feat. Without it , the character suffers a -4 Un traine d Pen alt y to the attack ro ll. When shoo ti ng t he weapo n, t he character must fir st che ck its cha nce fo r a misfire. Th is is extremely da ng erous given the poor q ua lity of the fir earms of t he age . The pla yer rolls I d I O. If the result is a " I" o r a "2, " t he gun mi sfi res and deals it s normal dam age t o the wielder. It esse ntially blo ws up in his or~her face. The arque buse is useless th ereafter. Assu mi ng t he weapon doesn 't mi sfi re, the ch aracter subtracts 3 from his or her no rm al attack rol l. This is a refl ecti on of the gun's Accuracy R at ing. Because it's a clumsy weapon, it 's m or e difficult to hi t with it . If the shot lands, the weapon in flicts I d I 0 points of damage, twice t hat if it 's a Critical Hit. Arq ue b uses requi re 8 ro unds to reloa d.

Imm olation: Vukodlak are dest ro yed by fi re. Like strigoi the en t ire co rps e o r the heart must be co ns ume d. G iven that it 's difficult to ge t the crea ture's heart o ut o f it s body, most p eople se t tle for ju st burnin g the wh ol e bird.

Siege Cannon

Decapitation: Vuk odlak cannot be killed by beh eading, but it does render them in sensat e. Fr om there, it 's a sho rt step t o sta ki ng or immol ati on. Anyo ne fo olhardy eno ug h t o reattach the head before this is done will cause the foul crea ture 's Fast H ealing to ki ck in an d begin revivi ng it.

Despit e th ei r primitiven ess, the can no n of the d ay are d eva statin g weapons . M ost fo rtresses were built to wit hstand the o ns laug ht of cat ap ults and o t her m ed ieval siege engines . Meta l and stone sho t hurled with the velocity created by a gu npow de r explosion is qu ite capab le of beating t hem into dust.

Gunpowder Weapons

That sa id, emplo ying canno n is not easy. A character m ust ha ve the G unne ry Feat to be able t o do so accurately. Without it , th e p en alty to hi t is -6. If that ch aract er also do es not have the Firearms Feat, th e pen alt y is -8. Also, because firing the weap on req u ires the cha rac ter t o estimate a balli stic cu rve, the g unne r adds hi s or her W isdo m Bonus to the attack ro ll in stead of the usu al D exterity Bon us for range d attacks.

Gunpo wder weapons have been in use in Europe fo r over a century no w, but they have yet to become the refined devices they will be in the 19th an d 20th Ce n turies. At this time they are rather crude in struments. They can be as deadl y as their modern cousins however. Ther e are t wo basic typ es of fir earms o n the field o f battle o f the 145 0 's: the arque buse and s iege cannon . The former is a clumsy, handheld gun that is t he pre curso r to the musket. Ca n no n are much larger an d heavier. T hey are no t yet the so p his ti cate d arti llery that will help define lat er ages. Like the arq ue buse, they are somewh at clumsy an d difficult to fir e accurately.

Like an arq uebuse, a cannon has a chance to misfire. In this case , tho ugh , t he results are more deadl y. When a cannon misfires, a breech bur st occ u rs . This is typ ically the result of poor p acking by the gun crew or a swoll en cannonball being unable t o exit the muzzl e. When this occ urs, everyon e wit h in

41

equal to one quarter of his or her full total of Hit Points (on e quarter of the character 's actual Hit Points , not the current total) as a result of fir earms combat or wh en ever the character suffers a Critical Hit from a firearm , he or sh e ma y have sustained Grievous Bodily Harm. The character must make a Reflex Sav e at DC 20. If it is successful, the injury is na sty but not necessarily grievous. The character must make a Fortitude Sa ve at DC 15 on e da y later to avoid the onset of gangrene in the wound but otherwise need not worry further. If the Reflex Save fails, however, the character has su sta ine d a devastating wound that threatens hi s or her life . Roll I d8 and consult " Table 4-2: Grievous Wound Location" to determine where the damage occurred . The affected body part is either completely ruined or has serio us wounds such as deep gashes, a compound fracture , third degree burns , et c. A character that su stains Grievous Bodily Harm must succeed at a Will Save at DC 20 to continue acting. Otherwi se, he or she simply falls down scr eaming or passes out from the pain. Moreo ver, the harmed limb must be amputated to save the character 's life. If it is not, gangrene sets in within 24 hours. Fi fte en th Century m edicine has no answer for this deadly in fect ion , meaning that if the character do esn't bl eed to death from the wound, the gangren e will get him or her. Am pu tat io n isn't a gr eat opt ion, though . Failed amputation at te m p ts can kill the character outright. The rules for amputating a limb can be found in the description for the Amputate Feat in Part 3. The character sustains an additional Id8 point s of damage from che surgery and takes Permanent De xt erity Damage as well. Amputees los e one point of Dexterity if a hand or foot is lost. If the limb is a leg or arm, the Dexterity Damage is 2 points.

10 feet of th e weapon suffers 6d4 points of damage. A br eech burst occurs wh en ever the firing character rolls a natural result of.." I " o n the attack roll. A cann onb all th at hits it s target does damage under th e foll o win g circu m sta n ces. It always d eals 3d4 points of dam ag e to any character within 10 feet o f the sho t unless it hit s the gro und, in which case the damage is halved. This dam age co mes principally from flying sp lin te rs o f wood and roc k that sha t te r the human body. If the result is a critical hi t , creatures in th e blast radius tak e doubl e damage and the struc t ure at wh ich it is fi r~d has it s integrity reduced by two per cent. However man y Hit Points th e fortific ati on has, it lo ses t wo p er cent of them . Shots that are n ot Critical Hits, bounce off harmlessl y, but they shake loose en o ugh debris to inflict dam age on an y characters n earby.

Gangrene Gangren e is a serious infection for which the age has no an swer. It results from bacteria growing in traumatic wounds and causes the flesh to die and rot . Becaus e 15th C entury sci enc e doesn't yet grasp disinfecting an d an t ib io ti cs are almost 500 years away, gangrene is almost always fatal. Once it sets in , amputation of the affected limb before the di sease sp reads to th e rest of the body is the only way kn own to save the afflicted p erson.

Grievous Bodily Harm M ed ical sc ien ce has not caught up with th e destructivy power of fi rearms , cannon, and th e devastating collateral dama ge that they cause. Thos e unfortunates wh o are hit by small arms fi re or who are in the vicin ity of a cannonball whe n it st rikes it s target usually don't survive. Th~se that do generally bear horrible scars from the incident or los e limb s / t o the terrible fur y of battle in the ag e of black powd er. To simulat e the more lethal nature of gunp owder combat, we present rul es fo r G ri evous Bodily H arm. This is the seriou s

Cl~acters get gangrene from Grievous Bodily Harm and wounds that might have caused such damage. A character that survives sustaining Grievous Bodily Harm will contract gangrene within 24 hours of recei ving the wound if the affected body part is not amputated . C ha ract ers who take en ou gh damage in a single blow to sustain Grievous Bodily Harm but who mak e the Refle x Save to avo id it must still make a Fortitude Save at DC 15 the da y after taking the damage. If they fail, they co nt ract gangren e too.

injury cause d by m etal projectiles a ~ d other nasty objects rip p ing into a pe rs o n. Wh enev er a character takes damage

Characters infected suffer from swollen skin and bli stering that inflict s I d4 points of Temporary D ext erity Damage for 42

t wo days. As the skin becomes more infected, it also begins to sme ll foul. These are telltale sign s of the di sease, an d any cha racte r can make an Intelligence check at D C 15 to recogni ze what is happening.

reports that she will be exte nd ing her stay th ere. S he does not know whe n she will retu rn. T hi s see ms odd for the abru p t an d abrasive m erch an t princess, who never lingers over a deal. M or eover, women who become intimately involved with th e-Blood Prince of Wall achi a usu ally turn up d ead in so me ho rrible fas h io n. V lad enjoys women physica lly but is kn own to have no o t her use for t hem. H ence, Marcell o is naturally co nce rne d.

On the third day, the ski n rot begins to kill the characte r. H e o r she takes I d6 points of Perm anent Con stitution D amage every day until the di sease is fatal o r until th e affec te d limb is am p u ta te d. C hara cte rs wh o had only been afflict ed in th e hand o r foot now see the dis ease automati cally spread to th eir arm or leg. When the vict im is reduced to a Cons t it u t io n score o f 6 o r less, th e di sease ha s sp read t o th e t orso and is ir rever sible. Pr io r to t he di sease becoming fat al, the p ati ent can be saved by am p ut at ing the affected limb.

Some weeks previously, th e m on signor dispatched an ope rative t o W allachia to learn the fat e o f the m erchant princess. The Fran ciscan Brother C harles, an English friar noted for his lin guistic skills, has not been heard fro m since. Th is troubl es M arc ello furth er becaus e Cha rles is a reliabl e informant who would ha~ found a m ean s to sen d so me wor d. At last

Part Five: Son of the Dragon

report, sent by an Orthodox pries t, C ha rles had entered Targo vist e, capital of Wall ach ia. Whet her he met the pri nce is not kn o wn , bur, had the m onsign o r known t he n what he has learned since, he would never have sent the fri ar alo ne.

Thi s last part o f the book co nt ains a n adve n tu re featurin g Vl ad himsel f. It is a sequel t o the Avalan ch e Pre ss produc t s LAST DAYS OF C ONSTANTINOPLE and GR EENLAND SAGA. However, yo u d o not need eithe r of those books to pla y th e sce na rio herein. " So n o f th e Dragon" is written for cha racters of Sth through 10th Level.

Chapter

1:

Vl ad has not been prince fo r long, but alrea dy the Roman Ca t ho lic Church con sid er s him an o bs ta cle. The Byzant ine Em peror Cons ta n t ine XI accep te d t he lordship of Pope Nich ol as V befor e th e city's fall, yet V lad, supposed ly an Orthodox Chri stian, refuses to ackn o wled ge pap al supremacy.

A Papal Summons

The story begins in Varna, a small and very dirty port on the weste rn sh ore o f the Black Sea, north o f Consta n t ino ple. M an y o f the buildings are st ill devastat ed from the battle that ra ged here almost 15 yea rs ago . Papal spym aste r, Monsignor M arc ello di San Dima s, long-time patron of the adve n t ure rs, has su m mo n ed them t o the loc al "fac to ry" o f the H ouse o f S ph inx, o ne o f the m ost p owerful o f the It ali an trading houses. In contrast to the d ecr epit stat e o f most o f Varn a' s buildings, this trading post is clean and well-kept, surrounded by a thick stone wall. The lone gate is gua rde d by a pa ir o f Sphinx ret ainer s. All of th e ad venturer s ha ve had dealings wit h the m onsign o r before and kn ow that it is futil e to reject s uch a sum m o ns. Though a mi ssion from the mast er is alwa ys extremely d an gerous, the C hurc h rewards its servan ts well. In side, the pa rty will quickl y be u shered to the monsignor, who has taken over a large m eeting hall. M arcello is clearl y troubled by something. It is highl y unusual for him to ri sk hi s aug us t p er sonage in a Turki sh-ruled city like Varna . H e has a vita l mi ssion fo r the party, he relat es, hi s m ood so m be r. If the ch ar acters wen t to Greenland , they will of co urse recall their patron and the monsignor 's crony, Elisabe t h of Padova, owner of the House of Sphinx. If not , Marcell o fill s th em in o n who sh e is. Some months earlier, agains t the m onsignor 's wishes, sh e journeyed up th e Danube Ri ver to W all achia, a con stant war z o ne. The House of Sphinx has n ever been kn own to sh y away from wartime profiteering. There have been m essage s s ince, and they portend trouble. Elisabe th has m et wit h Vl ad Tep es, the dread Irnpaler, and

43

and tens of th ousands o f dead. H owever, disease sp read to the H ungarian troops hold ing th e city and killed th eir com man der, Janos H unyadi, an d Marcello's co lleague, John of Capistrano. O n ly Vla d now offers serious resistance to Turkish advances .

Akinjis (6th Level Warriors) Turkish Horsemen

Capistrano, a rock of Catholic Faith , continually rallied the troops and prevented Belgrade's surrender. So me are already calling the victory a miracle and asking for the agent's canonization as a saint. Someday he'll receive it, but he'll be remembered onl y for the birds that visit th e town bearing his name rather than his heroi sm in battle. As the siege ground on , his messages grew stranger. Unholy monsters walked the land , he claimed, mons ters tha t came out of Wa llachia and fed on the dead and dying of both sides. Chief among t hem was V lad Dracula, by all accounts not even h uman. T he Turks mi ght be the age nts of Satan, Capistrano claimed, but V lad was his very in carn at ion .

Size: Medium Humanoid

Hit Dice: Hit Points:

5d8+24 43

Initiative: +4 ( D ex) Speed: 30 feet AC: 18 ( + 3 Studded Leather, + I Small Woode n S hiel d, + 4 Dex )

Marcello does n ot kn ow what to make of this. It 's p ossib le t hat Cap istra no may have crac ked under th e st rain of ba t tle at the en d o r been ravin g fr o m t he fever th at t ook hi s life, but it was very unlike hi m t o make suc h wild sta te me nts , an d Marcello canno t easi ly di smiss t he m.

Attacks: D Sci mitar + 81 + 3 melee "

( I d 6 + 2)

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/ 5 feet Special Attacks: None. Sp ecial Qualities: None.

The missio n th e mon sign or has in mi nd is a dan gerous one. The party mus t ride to V lad 's capital of Targoviste and determine the accuracy of Capistrano 's repo rts. Is Dracula simply a deranged and bloodthirsty human, or is he something worse? Regardless of the answer, th ey must free Elisabeth of Padova from Vlad's grip and find Brother Charles. If Vlad is human, they should then return to Catholic lands with this in fo rmat ion and the two missing persons - north through H ungary, northwest up the D anube Rive r and thence to Italy, or back to Varna. The monsignor will await them at Varna for six weeks and then take ship for Venice. The Sp h inx agen ts will forward messages sho uld the party ret urn after he has depart ed.

Saves: Fortitude +8, Reflex + 6 , W ill +2

Abilities: Str 14, D ex 18 , Con 16 , In t 10, Wis II , Cha 14

Skills: Climb +4, H and le Animal +4, Intimidate + 6, Ride +8

Feats: Mounted Combat, Trample, Ride-by Attack

Alignment: Neutral Good The akinjis are mounted on Light Warhorses which have 25 H it Points , an AC of 14, an d ca attack wit h two hooves at + 4 melee for I d4 + points of da mage or bi te at -I melee fo r Id 3 + po ints of damage. These horses can attack wit no penalty, but the rid er cannot the n also attac wit hou t making a Ri de Ski ll check DC 10 .

If the Im paler is so me evil hellspawn. the cha rac ters are to eliminate h im . Info rm ing th e Ch urch comes fir st , but evil m ust not be allowe d to walk t he Earth. An d the C h urc h's best th ink ers are agree d that evil bein gs only ga in in power th e longer t hey are allowed to roam freely. The charact ers are charged wit h making sure th at word gets to th e mon sign o r of t heir discovery so t hat , if t he y fail, he may se nd ano t he r exped it ion to fin ish t he ir work. Rewards for success are substantial. Elisabeth of Padova is one of th e riches t people in Europe. H er safe return will reap hu ge payments in gold. The Church will also quietly reward her servants, and Marcello will be pleased. T h is last is important. No one wishes to displease th e pope's sp ym aster. In all , th e characters can exp ect to be paid 10,000 gold ducat s if they return successfu lly, p erhaps more if Elisabeth is especially grateful.

Vl ad 's murderous, impaling ways are not nearl y as annoying to th e C hurc h as th e fact th at he cro sse s himself back wards. Assassinating Dracula will not solve th e C hu rch's problem. Vl ad has his us es, and an y of hi s possible successors have to o man y ti es to th e Turks. As lon g as he resi st s the Su ltan, he keep s Turki sh armies out of Roman C at ho lic lands . Mere months ago, Marcello will relate, hi s agents made sure the Turks would fail to take the key fortress of Belgrade. Marcello 's men set up a clever am bush that resulted in a Turkish rout

At this point, you' ll need to make t he key dec is io n that will sh ape the rest of the adventure: is V lad m erely hu man , a powerful and nasty hu ma n to be sure , or is he strigo i, a Romanian vampire? T his will no t affect many of th e encounters before t he cl im ax, for the evil un d ead can s ti ll serve a 44

human ruler. It d oes have a bearin g o n the o u tco me, though . Eli sab eth 's di sappearanc e and th e q ues t io n o f V lad h im self are the cen t ra l m ysteri es dri vin g t he adve nture. T he end ing yo u chose will shape ho w it p lays o ut.

t he ch an ce inc reases by o ne. T hus, in t he firs t ho u r, the pa rty enco unters a patro l if t he G M ro lls a "I" on I d6. In t he second ho ur, an encou n ter occ urs on a ro ll of" I" or "2 ." In the third ho ur, a Tur kish patrol rides up on a "I ," "2 ," or "3," an d so fo rth. O n ce an encounter occurs, reset the chance to I in 6. Patrol s are only encounte red during daylight hours. After dark, the pa rty will n ot be mo lested.

T hi s adve nture in clu des m on st ers bo th real and imagine d. So me o f these beasts are superna t ura l in nat ur e, and so me o f them are ju st repre he ns ible human bein gs. Pl ay up t he fact th at Vlad may indeed be a vampi re. As th e adventu re progresses, it will become o bvio us that he is a m onster. The q ues t io n is, is t he re an otherw orldly exp lana t io n for it? Thi s adve n t ure is defin itely one o f ho rr or. Keep yo ur p layers g uessi ng abo u t fro m whe re t he next scare is co m ing .

If the charac ters mo ve off t he ro ad, t he cha nce to encoun ter aki njis is one in six every four hours. Th us, every four ho urs, ro ll a d 6. If the res ult is a " I," a p at rol is encountered. Otherwise, nothing happens. Once again, after dark t he Turks are not to be fo und.

Chapter

Among the Turks

2:

The Road to Wallachia

Any Turkish pa t ro ls encou nte red are watching fo r Wallach ian ra ide rs and will see an armed pa rty ridi ng t hr o u gh their t errito ry in th is light. They will atte mpt to cap t ure the pa rty if at all p ossible but will issu e a cha llenge befor e attacki ng. This ch all en ge will t ake t he form of a rath er ar roga nt dem and to know the party 's bus iness in Tu rk ish lands.

Whether provided by the H ouse of S ph inx or papal go ld no o ne will give a clea r answe r sho uld the pl ayer cha ra cte rs bother to ask - ho rs es an d o the r eq u ip me nt have been assembled in th e trading po st fo r the p arty 's use. These are fine animals an d good-q ua lity weapo ns. Allo w eac h ch ar act er a saddle horse and a pack ho rse and a pick of a sword, pol earm , crossbow or arq ue buse in add it io n t o any eq u ipment they alrea dy possess. T here is also fo od an d other munda ne needs o f a jo urney th ro ugh the Balkan s.

Sho uld th e characte rs decide to tal k with any Turks t hey enco unte r, t he officer will suggest that the party ride to t heir hea dq ua rters to speak wit h his commander. If their busin ess is lawful, he will ass ure th em , no harm will come to them , and t hey ma y learn use ful informati on .

The bo red Turkish so ldie rs g uarding Varna's ga tes have lon g been in the pa y o f Elisa be t h 's men and give t he characte rs n o t rouble. Outsid e the p ort town , M ar cell o will warn the pa rty, a large number of Turkish cavalry patrols swarm over the countryside. The roads are closely guarde d. It 's not known if the S ulta n will cam pa ign again in Euro pe thi s year (he was wo un de d at Belg rad e) , but the Turks certa inly co ns ide r Vl ad an ac tive ene my. Th ey are alert t o W all achian rai ds an d co ns ta n tly m ake their ow n fo rays ove r the D anube. The m onsign or 's fina l ad mo n ition will be t hat the party has not been cha rge d wit h figh ting the Tu rk s and need s to ge t in to W all achia as quickl y as possible.

H owever, if the p arty fights a patrol and any of the Tu rk s escape, there will be a ch an ce that the next o ne simply at t acks without warning. T h is is a 20 percen t ch an ce on the same day as t he in iti al battle, and it ri ses by 20 pe rcent wit h each pass ing day (so that on t he fo urth day after a skirmish, any Turk ish pa trol will s imp ly assault the party without warn ing ). Each patrol is composed of six riders and is a Challenge Rating 8 Encounter. If any o f th e p arty are t aken prisone r by a Turkish patrol, or if they willing ly accompan y them t o t he ir superio rs, th ey will en d up at a well- ordered cam p ju st so ut h of Tutrakan . There are sign s that abo u t 5 00 aki njis opera te from here, th ou gh no m o re th an half are present at an y on e t ime. An unus ual n um ber of dogs are running abo ut, and many te nts have a dog t ied o u ts ide .

Th e broad, slimy-g reen Danube Ri ver separat es Wallachia from Turkish-ruled Bulg ari a. The road from Varn a to Targov iste follo ws the so ut he rn bank o f the river. It crosses at a ferr y in Tutrakan, a sma ll village o n the Bulgari an side wit h a co rrespond ing W allach ian village o n the oppos ite bank. At the ga tes o f Varna, the handful of Tur kish so ldiers o n gua rd will m erely give the p art y a lazy wave as they leave.

T he co m ma nde r he re is a janissary officer named Osman Kar ab egh , a tall , dark-haired professional so ldier. Osman is polite and well-ed uca te d and will ask t he party if t hey have the S ultan's permission t o tread o n his lands. They, of course, do not, an d, unless they are properly di sguised , O sman will ass um e that t hey don 't. If th ey try t o co nvince him that th ey do, he will dem and to see papers to th at effect, which th e party does not have. Disguised characters will need to make a Diplomacy Skill check at DC 25. They may add their Disguise Skill Ranks to the roll as an additional Circumstance Bonus .

If the party t akes t he roa d to Tutrakan , they are almos t assured o f running into multi pl e Tu rki sh p atrols. These are led by an officer and are compo sed of a varyin g number of light cavalr ym en kn own as akinji s. All are expe rien ced fight ers wit h seve ral years o f combat behind them . Akinji s serve wit ho ut pay, however. They m ay be ame na ble to brib ery, if th e party spea ks wit h them , o r they m ay atte mpt to rob the adventurers. Akinj is tr avel light, but th ese pat rols have a un iform od d ity: t hey always have at least o ne dog wi th them .

Lying will ange r O sm an , and he will have t he party thrown into ti ger cages kept for this p urpose. These are narrow pits, four feet sq uare and abo ut te n feet deep, with woo den gratings

Alo ng t he ro ad to Tu trakan, the cha n ce to enco un ter a p at rol is I d6 p er hour. Each hour that passes wit ho ut an enco u nter,

45

ove r th e top. Escaping from a ti ger cage is difficult. The woo de n gra t ing s on top are the on ly way ou t . The gratings have a Hardness of5 and 10 Hit Points. Smashing through them is a noisy process that will alert the guards, bringing one running in Idj rounds. A character who has not escaped by the time the guard arrives will receive the butt of a spear to the headfor Id6 points of damage. Those that do escape will have to fight. New waves of guards come every third round in groups offive.

Black Hussars (4th Level Aristocrat/ 2nd Level Hussar) Wallachian Cavalry Size: Hit Dice : Hit Points: Initiative: Speed: AC:

On th e o t he r hand, reveal in g th e party 's mi ssion to O sm an , or at least its bro ad o u tl ines, will eng ender so me sym pa t hy. If th ey can con vinc e him th ey ar e t elling the truth, he will allow th em t o go on their way. The Turks will qu esti on each cha racte r, atte m p t ing t o learn if any are Wallach ian raid ers o r mercenaries either in Vlad 's serv ice or on th eir way to join him . T he Turks p ut great st ock in so lem n religi ous o aths and may requ est th ese. Charact ers who have com e to th e camp willing ly, need only an swer questions an d swear an oath. Those who were captured must also succeed at a Diplomacy Skill check at DC 15.

Medi um Humano id 3d8 + 2 dro + 14 46 + 3 ( D ex) 30 feet 17 ( + 3 Studded Leather, + I Small Wooden Shield, + 3 D ex)

O sm an Kar abegh has reason to hat e Vl ad and th e Wallachi ans ; d espite hi s learnin g, he uses the Turki sh ep it he t for th em , "s h it -asses." H e is p erforming a th ankless duty on th e borders o f th e Em p ire an d takes hi s jo b serio us ly, alt ho ug h he is not above pr ofit in g fro m it. The Wallachi an s have cap t ure d seve ral dozen o f hi s sco u ts an d im pa led th em , so met imes on th e n orthern ban k of th e D anube to taunt th e pat roll in g hor sem en . O sman wo uld enjo y returning th e favo r.

Attacks: H eavy Lanc e + 5 mel ee ( I d 8 + 2 [x 2 whe n moun ted ]) , Scim itar + 5 melee (I d 6 + 2)

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet, 10 fee t wit h lanc e

Special Attacks: Co urse r 's Fury Special Qualities: None. Saves: Forti tu de + 5, Refl ex + 7 ,

If he is sa t isfied th at th e party has no love for V lad and may intend harm to the prince, he will offer wha t advi ce he can . O sm an beli eves Vl ad to be so me male form o f stringes, a cr eatu re he learned o f in Cons ta nt inople. The G reeks fear this mon st er, a wan t on wo ma n who afte r her death appe ars t o un su sp ecting would-be lovers an d saps th eir life for ce from th em . The Turkish officer has no mo re knowled ge, but will o ffer th e party one of hi s hunting dogs if th ey have non e. The Wallachians seem to think th at do gs keep evil away.

Wi ll + 4

Abilities: Str 14, Dex 17 , Con 13, Int I I , Wi s 10, Cha 1 3

Skills: An ima l Em pa t hy +4, Balance + 8 , Handle Anim al + 8, Intimidate +4, Intuit Direct ion +6, Ride + 10

What ever is going on acros s th e river, he will assure th e party, it is bad. The soldier s can feel it. O sman will sen d a squa d o f akin jis to escort th e party t o th e ferry to make sure th ey act ually cross into Wallachi a.

Feats: ' C leave, Mounted C om bat , Power Attac k, Ride-b y At tac k

Alignment: Ne utral

Chapter 3: Over the R iver

Courser's Fury (Ex) : T he Hussars are mounted

Even t ua lly, th e party will cross t he D anube into Wallach ia. T he eas ies t p lace to d o so is at th e fer ry, a flat -b o t tomed barge powered by a dozen oarsme n. T hese men are Bulgari an peasants, who lod ge on t he southern ban k. A sq ua d of Turkish so ld iers occup ies a ra ms hack le ho use near the ferry landing bu t will only ask th e most curso ry qu est ions as long as th e part y is not ob viously carrying booty from a raid . If th e cha rac ters are under escort, th e guards will exchang e bri ef gree t ings wit h th e akinjis and return to th eir leisu re.

on Light Warhorses . These creatures have 27 H it Points, + I In iti at ive, a Sp eed of 60 feet , AC o f 13, and can attack with 2 hoo ves at +2 melee, dealing Id4 + I po ints of da mage . O nc e per round, the ri der may choose to have hi s mount make an ext ra attack at -2 to it s at tac k ro ll and the rid er' s.

Cross ing rates are fixed , and th e sma ll ga rr iso n is charged with en forc ing th e Sultan's decree on thi s issu e: o ne ducat per rid er with up to six pack horses. The Turks and Wallachians 46

use their own river boats to carry raiders across the river, and this is certainly an option for the party. The river is far too wide to swim. Most riverbank villages have one or two boars large enough to transport horses, though this is a far chancier proposition than using the purpose-built ferry.

flolger (jth Level Fighter) -, German Mercenary

It is very late afternoon by the time the ferry docks on the Wallachian side. There are several stone piers, though only one is in use . The ferrymen will hustle the party off their boat and leave quickly.

Size: Hit Dice: Hit Points: Initiative: Speed: AC:

At the crossing stands the small collection of rude huts known as Tirgu Ayertes. A single, very young Wallachian hussar stands guard. He will mount his horse and ride off quickly if the party is composed of more than two people. If for some reason there are but one or two adventurers, he will challenge them in a cracking voice and demand to know if they are Turks . Any answer at all will cause him to order the party to obey the prince's laws, and the teen will then ride off.

Medium Humanoid 4dIO + 25 47 +4 ( D ex) 30 feet 19 (+4 Chain Shirt, + I Small Wooden Shield, +4 Dex)

Attacks: Heavy Lance + 8 melee (Id8+ 3 [x 2 when mounted]), Scimitar + 8 melee ( I d 6 + 3)

There are no other people evident on the lone mud street leading through the town, and all is in a state of disrepair. A cat lolling on the dockside eyes the party before scampering away.

Face/Reach:

If the characters elect to invest igate this place, the largest building in the village - about 40 feet by 20 feet and wooden with a thatched roof - is an inn. Should they try another building, most will be abandoned. Let them check out one or two of these before encountering an angry old woman. She will tell them to try the inn and then have nothing more to do with the strangers.

5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet, 10 feet with lance

Special Attacks: None. Special Qualities: None. Saves: Fortitude +7, Reflex + 5, Will + I

Abilities: Str 16, Dex 18, Con 16, Int II, Wis 10, Cha 12

The nameless inn ( t here are fittings where a sign once hung, but it is nowhere to be seen) appears rather battered and is badly maintained with stained whitewash on its wooden walls. A split-rail fence surrounds it, but the rails have tumbled down in several places and chickens and sheep wander aimlessly in and out of its yard. Outside the door, a large black dog is tied to a frayed rope; someone has painted an extra set of white eyes on its forehead. The building smells of garlic, and there is a garlic clove stuck on a peg on the door.

Skills: Animal Empathy +4, Handle Animal + 8, Ride +8

Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-b Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample

Alignment: Neutral

Inside, innkeeper Ion Vladimirescu is terrified to see visitors. A fat man in his late 50's, he cowers behind a counter where he once served alcohol to his customers. A few rough wooden tables are present in the main hall. A cat lounges under one of them, giving the party the eye. The inn is unusual in Tirgu Averres, as it has a large fireplace in this hall.

Not wanting to fuel his enemy's war machine, the Impaler has forbidden the sale of grain and horses to the Turks. Wallach ian traders dare not risk the ultimate punishment for flouting the prince's order, but the Turks prize Wallachia's fine horses. Their trading partners then claim, if asked, that Turkish raiders stole the animals. According to Ion, the

The innkeeper will cautiously come out and ask the characters their names. Any intelligible words will satisfy him, and he will visibly relax, introduce himself, offer refreshment, and answer questions as best he can. Tirgu Ayertes once handled a good amount of trade thanks to the ferry, with horses and grain heading south to Byzantium's markets. Those days are long past, and many of the buildings have collapsed. A few stubborn holdouts try to make a living farming. Ion sees a couple of travelers per week - Turkish traders coming north for the most part.

Turks leave Tirgu Ayertes alone. Someday trade will resume across the Danube, and they apparently do not want to cause too much destruction. Other beings terrorize the village terrible creatures as though out of myth. At this point, four Black Hussars led by a German mercenary will enter through a back door. The teen that spotted the

47

part y before will point th em out to the leader. His commander, whose na me is H ol ger, will th ank h im sarc astically (sin ce th ere is no one else present) , and th en t ell Ion to stop sprea ding fooli sh lies. Holger will put so me qu estions to the party. H e will want th em to swear th ey are not se rvants of the Su ltan and asks wha t bu siness th ey have in Wallachia.

have th e party remain. The hussars sle ep in a large hous e about a mil e up the road from Tirgu Ayerres , once the estate of a would-be bo yar. Months ago th e villag ers gave up asking th em for pr otection. The hus sar s sim ply don't believe them. The inn's rooms are furnish ed with bedsteads and straw-filled mattress es. They do not have th eir own hearths, but th e weat her is not cold. Ion will attempt to charge the party one ducat per n ight per room but will back d own quickly if th e part y objects to payin g for th e privil ege of guarding th e tavern .

Just about any answe r will sati sfy him. H ol ger will exp lain that he has strict orders from Prince V lad. His men are to rep el any Tur ks o r gypsies, or any trad ers act ing on behalf of the Turks. In iti at ive is a dangerous thing in Vlad 's army, and these t ro op ers have n o desire to sh ow any. So lon g as the pa rty does no t attack th em , they will n ot fight. At least until they are or dered ot he rwise. If it does come to blows with them, this is a Challenge Rating 9 Encounter.

Night Soil Stalkers Holgers scolding ma y fright en Ion, but Mariya do esn't mind t elling th e party wha t is wro ng with her village. The so urce of th e t error is the dung- eating vampire of the southern Balkans known as th e ob ru. For months the foul beings have plagued the villag e - ever since Vlad took the throne. The obru have killed several village rs an d smeared others with dung. There seem to be two of the evil creatures, which appear lat e at night accompani ed by a horrible smell and awaken people by screeching bizarr e and semi-coherent insults at th em . They st eal a few it em s of no p articular importance - small bits of clothing or farm implem ents - and van ish into th e ni ght. Those who pursue them have been attacked and sometimes killed, though more th an onc e the obru have been content to forc e th eir vic t im s to eat dung. The thievery ap pears intended to lure vict ims into th e ni ght.

Ion's wife, M ariya, emerges from th e kitch en if th ere is no fight. S he appea rs middle-aged , th ough she is pr obably only in her early 30's. Once beautiful, th e years of work have left th eir mark . H ol ger will order win e, she will dem and payment first , and finally give him a jug and several cup s. It is apparently an old arg ume nt. Sh ould th e part y tell Holger th ey plan to kill Vl ad, th e soldiers will st ir an d advise th at such an atte mp t would be foolish . T hey will no t be parti cul arl y offen ded, th ough . If th e party says th ey wan t to meet V lad, the troopers will advise against th is as well but voluntee r th at th ey believe th e princ e is at hi s palace in Targovis te. Following th eir or ders, th ey will encour age t he party to ride to Targovist e and enlist as merc en aries in V lad 's army. T hey will glad ly p ro vid e d irections .

If a hu ssar is in the village - seve ral have had liaisons wit h local wo me n - th e obru n ever appea r. M ari ya will admit th at sh e on ce thought th em in leagu e wit h on e another but co ns ide rs the soldiers too stupid to keep up the charade this long. Unmarried couples making love in haylofts or fields , peopl e in their beds, small children , and old p eople have all been at ta cked , but the soldiers are never harmed.

T hey have little ot her informati on to give th e char act ers ; no ne has ever act ually met Vlad, th ou gh H ol ger will claim to have seen hi m durin g a muster. Dracul a is imposing - a powerfu l man an d an excelle n t hor sem an . This last will draw mutters o f approval from th e hu ssars . If asked about the tales of evil crea tures, the soldiers will claim t o have seen none. The villagers beli eve in monst ers , th ey will note with sco rn, but th e hus sar s appear to truly beli eve that Turkish ra iders are th e cau se o f their fear.

While some humiliated victims claim to have faced hordes of obru, Mariya is sur e there are only two, which Ion confirms. Ion is not willing to pay to ask th e party to remove these foul creatu res, nor is any of his neighbors. In typical Wallachian fashion , no one wants to be pla yed for a fool by coughing up gold t o benefit anyone else. They will not even be particularly gr at eful if the party slays or d rives o ff th e monsters.

The so ld iers will t ry to subtly su ggest th e party sho uld bu y th em wine, t ho ug h th ey are not very subtle men . They will also want to play di ce with the st range rs, pull in g out th e carved sheep kn uckles that soldiers have tossed for thousan ds of years. They have little to o ffer in th e way of stakes. Assumi ng there has bee n no fight, after a wh ile th ey will eit her dri nk th eir wine o r give up an d leave.

Wherever the characters bed do wn for th e night, it is dark and mo onless . Bring on th e obru on this first night; the cat s on th e dockside and in th e inn have alerted th em. A cat or two may appea r first to scout th e location. If th e party occupies roo ms in th e inn, Ion's do g will bark furiou sly to herald th e approa ch of th e evil bein gs as will any dog th e ch ar act ers have with th em . If th ey sp end th e night elsewhere, an y nearby do gs will give their warn ing. Any hor ses will react very nervously.

If the party fights th e so ld iers, th ey will flee as soon as two or more have been killed or in cap acit at ed. The Hussar s will sca tte r, each using h is know ledge o f the back pa t hs to seek rein force ments. Seve ral collec t io ns o f hu ssars will then be t railing t he part y with in a few days. Increase the number of Hussars to six in these parties and the Challenge Rating to 10.

A powerful st ink preced es th e obr u. As soon as characters get within 10 feet of the monsters, they must Save against the obru's Stench ability. The two obru ap pea r at seve ral of the huts and

After th e so ldiers leave, th e part y can cont inue their questioning of Ion. W ith n ight havin g fall en , th e innkeepe r is eage r to

let out pi ercing shrieks , throwing dung into the homes, and smashing any breakable it ems within reach . They sh y away

48

from an y light but dart through do orways to break it em s if they see an opportunity. They quickly move to attack the party when they spot them, employing their Dlmg-Hurling ability first before closing in.

Koprostes and Robert CJth Level Obru) Undead Epicures

If the obru are obvi ou sly lo sing the fight, they will try t o flee. Should they m an age to strike down one of the party, they will keep attac king him or her until the vic t im is o bvio us ly

Size: Medium Undead Hit Dice : 3dI2 Hit Points:"- 29 ( Kop rost es} ,

d ead , and even then stop to smear d ung o n t he co rpse. If they run away, the sma lle r, sk inn ier obru will turn to defend hi s plump co mpa t rio t wit h suicidal valo r; t he fat one is content to let hi s co m pa n io n suffer if it aids h is escape.

17 (William)

Should th e pa rty ca p t ure eit he r o br u, it will give th e n am e it o nce bore. The fat o ne is Koprostes, o nce a Byzantin e Greek eun uc h. If any of the characters was at Constantinople during the

Initiative: + 5 ( + I Dex, + 4 Im p ro ved In it iat ive)

Speed: 30 feet AC: 18 ( + I Dex , + 7 Natural) Attacks: Slam + 3 m elee (I d 6 + 2

siege, they will recogni~ him on a successful Wisdom check at DC 20. Its co m pa n io n calls itsel f by vario us nam es: Rob ert , William , an d D avid am o ng th em . In death, as he did in life, he spread s his lies under m an y label s. Both obru will taunt th e ad venturer s and atte mp t to flin g du ng at them . Wringing informat ion from them is di ffi cult. The undead ca rry th e sa me t rai t s as they d id whe n alive, and both of these obru were pathol ogic al liars before th ei r d eaths.

and D isease) or Dung + 2 ranged (see below)

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet Special Attacks: Disease, H url Dung, Stench Special Qualities: Da mage Red uction 10/+ I , Fast H ealin g 5, Fire R esistanc e 5, Turn Resistanc e + 2, Moroi S ubtype

Obru can st ill feel pain, and these creatu res had not a fl icker o f moral co urage between them before becoming undead. They will m ake so me confessi on s under eno ug h pressure. V lad is awa re o f the pa rty's ent ry into Wall ach ia, and he has o rde red t he ob ru to stop them . U n de r extre me d uress, the o bru explai n that ca ts sp otted the p arty an d eit her raven s or vukodlak b rought the news to Vlad, who then alerted the obru by the same m ethod. The o b ru will let slip that they already kn ow th at th e party is working for th e Pope's spymaster and ridicul e pa pal wea kness for se nd ing suc h a p it iful gro u p in to W all achi a. Any character may make a Wisdom check at DC /2 to infer that this means has interrogated Brother Charles or Elisabeth. Koprostes p ortrays himself as an intimat e o f V lad, who reli es o n him fo r ad vice in all things. An ything the undead eu n uc h says sh o uld contain eno ug h in consisten cies to allow the party t o fi gure o u t ho w gross ly he exaggera tes an d lies.

Saves: Fort + I , Ref + 2 , Will + 5 Abilities: Str 14, D ex 13 , Con -, In t I I , Wis 14 , Cha 17

Skills: Hide + 5, In tu it D irection + 7 , Lis ten + 4 , Move S ilentl y + 6, Search + 9, Spot + 5, Wilderness Lore +9

vu:

Feats: Im p ro ved Ini t iati ve Alignment: C hao t ic Evil Disease (Ex) : Any character hit by t he fiends' S lam Attack or D ung-H u rli ng abil it y, m ust make a Fo rt it ud e Save at DC 12 to avoid becoming infected with Filth Fever.The incubation time is Id3 days an d fail ure inflicts I d3 points of Tempo rary D ext erit y D am age and Id 3 points of Temporar C o ns t it ut io n D amage.

What t hi s interlude sho uld te ll the party is that V lad is eage r to sto p their inv estigati on and can reac t wit h what fo r this era is incredible speed. T he obru will admit that even st ro nger forces are o n their way to stop the p arty, though these cannot ar rive as quickly as the g rea t Koprostes. Defeating the obru is a Challenge Rating 6 Encounter. Wringing information out of them is Challenge Rating 3 .

Fast Healing (Su) : W hile t he y do hea l 5 poin ts of da mage per round, t h is abil ity does no work agai nst Fire Damage.

Chapter 4: The Second Village If the party d ecid es t o press o n to Targoviste, the m ain roa d heads alo ng t he north bank o f the D am bo va Riv er, a sma ll t ributar y o f the D anube. The co unt ryside is p leasant , and dotted wi t h sma ll villages. The ri ver valley nar ro ws as it

49

draws clo ser to Targovist e, and the hills begin the ri se. Bring the party to th e fir st village p ast Tirgu Ayertes as dusk begin s to fall. There is no one t o be found here . There is no tavern in thi s village, but t here are severa l aba ndo ne d huts if th e charact ers choose to spe nd th e ni ght here. The village chu rch even ap pe ars to be aba ndo ned. D ecayin g food in side th e homes indicates th at whatever occurred here happen ed no more than severa l da ys ago. T her e is no sign of burning or loot ing.

Koprostes and Robert (cont') Hurl Dung ( E x): Koprosres and his co mpani on love to sha re t he ir mi sery wit h others, and they acco mplish this mo st read ily by hurling dung. Targets mu st make a Refl ex Save at D C I 3. Failure indi cat es the character has fallen pr ey to his or her natural ins t in cts to dodge this attack. The characte r mu st spe nd th e ro un d as th ou gh he or she were makin g a Fu ll-Attac k Act io n bu t do es not ge t to actually attack. T he characte r does ge t a + 2 bo nus to AC as t ho ug h he or she were Fig h ti ng De fens ively.

C lose inspection will find a handful of corpses left un attended, inside buildings and out o f sight in ga rde ns. They 've been dead only a few da ys. Someon e has made an effo rt to dr ag th em our o f sight of casu al passers-by bu t not to bury them . Ther e are men , wome n, o ld people, and ch ildren , plu s a handful of barnyard animals an d even a couple of dogs. N o wo unds can be found on any of th e corpses.

Stench ( E x) : Ro oting in feces acq uires on e a cert ain measure o f renow n. Koprostes an d his compa nio n are no exception . Those within I 0 feet of th em mu st make a Fortitude Save at D C I 5 or become Na usea te d, su ffering a -2 C ircums tan ce Pen alty to all d ice ro lls for rd 6+4 m inutes.

In side th e church, the body of a priest lies sprawled over the altar. He clutches an icon in both hands as tho ugh he had been ho lding it in fro nt o f him. It is a small church with an alta r, rough ben ches , and a small office/ sleeping ar ea o ff to on e side. This last has been to ss ed abo ut, an d the lat e fath er' s bel ongings ar e strewn all over.

Moroi Subtype: Im mune to po iso n, sleep, p aralysis, stun ni ng, d isease, death effec ts, n ecro manti c effects, m ind- influencing effects, critical hit s, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, and energy dr ain . C an only be kill ed via spe cial mean s (see bel ow). Ca n be repelled by fire and barking dogs.

In sever al huts, there sprawls th e body o f a yo ung wom an with 'an infant. In every case, her clothing is disheveled and her br east s exp osed. Sh e wear s a terrifi ed exp ression. These are th e only victims wit h any evidence of t heir caus e o f deat h: usu ally a bro ken neck, but perhaps a stab wound for variety if th e party locat es severa l.

Dung-Eating: Koprost es and Rob ert mu st eat dung n igh tly or su ffer rd 6 po in ts o f dama ge and a-2 C irc u ms ta nce Penalty to all roll s un til th ey feed .

As darkness falls , the ch ar act ers are approach ed by a yo ung wo ma n, who appea rs very fri ghtened. Sh e begs th em for help and says her village has been wipe d out by strigo i, th e vicio us Rom ani an vam p ire. They cam e th e ni ght before sever al of th em accompani ed by th eir evil compani on s, th e vukodlak. They kill ed th e villag e priest , a Greek named Father Spiro s. One of th em se ize d th e parish birth registry, climbed into the church 's onion -topped be ll tower, and read ou t th e names. Those n am ed im med iately fell over d ead .

Repelling: Any char act er tha t presen ts a torch or other flame to Kop ro st es o r William for ces the di sgu st in g monst ers to make a Will Sa ve at DC I 0 + th e pr esentin g cha racte r's C ha risma Bonus. If fai led, th e fiends cannot app roach. Likewise, th e ob ru must mak e Will Save at DC I 2 to ap proach a barking dog . Sunlight Allergy: The foul obru suffer rd6 points of dam age and are Staggered for every ro und th ey are exposed to direct sunlight. The effects en d when th ey ge t out o f th e light. Koprost es an d his co mpa nio n canno t be killed in this fashion . They simply take dam age until th ey can heal.

Sh e gives her name as G enevieve, and sh e is th e village 's laurar. When the strigoi attacked, she was beaten severely but managed to get away and hide in the woods, using her Tu rn Undead ability to hold the monsters at bay . Sh e is a slightly bui lt wo ma n with long black hair and very wh ite skin who lo oks to be in her 30's. Quite beautiful, she wears a typical Rom anian pe asant woman's full-l en gth dr ess of brown-d yed homespun but with the sle eves cut sho rt and a deep necklin e. S he sp eaks in a breathy, qui et voice ; sh e is somewhat dazed, and has obvi ously bee n weeping. A black cat wit h wh it e markings rests in her arms, and she continually lean s over to whis pe r bab y-talk into it s ears.

Killing Koprostes:~The foul bra ggart an d his toadie com pan io n can only be destroyed by hacking th em int o pi eces and burying th e parts separately (preferably with ga rl ic stuffed in their mouths) or by burning th em . T he en t ire co rps e must be cons umed for th is to wo rk.

Any do g wit h the party will bark furi ously, an d th e cat will hiss back at it. G ene vieve will try to comfort her pet and explain th at dogs n ever like her sweet Schredney. Genevieve

50

Genevieve (;tb Level Lautar/Strigoi) Size : Hit Hit Points: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Face/Reach: Special Attacks:

Medium Undead D ice: 5d 12 46 + 10 ( + 4 Improved Initiati ve, +6 Dex) 30 feet 22 ( + 6 Natura l, +6 Dex) Bite +4 melee ( I d 3 + 2 and Blood D rain) , or Claw +4 melee ( I d4 + 2) 5 feet by 5 feet/ 5 feet Bloo d Drain, Car's Grace, Co mmand Cats, C reate Spawn, Domination, Milk Dr ain, Summon Vukodl ak, Rebuke Undead

Special Qualities: D amage Resistance 10/+ I , D arkvi sion 60', Fast H ealing 5 (Fire Damage Unaffect ed) , Cold and Electricity Resistance 20, Turn Resi st ance + 5, M oroi Subtype, Prot ecti on from Evil 2/Day, Songs of Power

Saves: Fortitude + I , Reflex + 7, Will + 6 Abilities: S tr 14, Dex 2 2, Co n -, Int 14 , Wis 15, Ch a 20 Skills: Alchemy +4, Animal Empathy +4, Balance +S , Co ncent ration + 6, Gather Information + 6, H eal +6 , Hide +6 , Intimidat e +S , Jump + S, Knowledge (U ndead) + 4 , List en + S, M ove Silently +S , Search + S, Sp ot +S, U se M agic Device + 6

Feats: Alertness, Combat Refl; ;es, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initi ati ve, Lightning Reflexes, Run

Alignment: Chaot ic Evil Blood Drain (Ex): If Gen evieve succeeds on a Bite at tack, she can attempt a Grappl e check. If successful, she may inflict I d4+ I points of Temporary Co nstit ution Damag e. Genevieve may con vert thi s Co ns ti t ut ion to Hit Points at a rate of I d6 Hit Points gained per on e poin t of Constitution Dam age inflicted. She may not exceed her norm al maximum number of Hit Points in thi s fashi on . Cha ract ers whose Co ns titu t ion sco res fall to 0 or less are kill ed.

Car's Grace (Sp): Once per day, Ge nevieve may cast th e Arcan e Spell, Car 's Grac e, gaining Id4+1 points of D ext erity for 6 hours.

Command Cats (Su): Gen evieve may summon Id4 + I cat s three tim es per day to do her bidding. Addit ionally, any cat she encounters may be bidden to serve her. Sh e need onl y succeed at a Ch arisma check to do so. H er pet cat , Schredn ey, is on perman ent ret ain er, requiring no die roll.

Create Spawn (? u) : If Ge nevieve climbs th e bell tower of any chu rch and utters th e name of a parish ion er, th at individual must make a Fortitude Save at DC I S or fall over dead immediately. The following night , th e unfort unate will rise as a strigoi under her command.

Domination (Su) : By makin g a Gaze Attack (a Stand ard Acti on , subjects are not affected just by looking at her) , Ge nevieve can st rip thei r will as th ou gh she had cast Dominate Person . The Saving Throw to negate t his ability is Will at D C IS .

Milk Drain (Ex): If Genevieve suckl es at the breast of a nursing mother, she can inflict I d3 points of Temporary Constitution Damage. Sh e can convert this damag e to Hit.Points at a rate of IdS Hit Points for every point of dama ge inflicted. Sh e cannot exceed her usu al total number of Hit Points in thi s fashion. Wom en and anim als vict imized in th is manner lose th e ability to lact at e.

51

Genevieve (cont.) Fast H ealing (Ex):

G en evieve heals 5 Hit Points per round unless the damage comes from Fire. Fire Damage is unaffected by her Fast H ealing.

Moroi Subtype: Immune

to poison , sleep , pa ra lys is, stunni ng, di sease, dea t h effects, n ecroman t ic effec ts, mi nd in fluenc ing effects, critical hits, subdual dam age, abi lity dam age, ab ility drain, and ene rgy drain . Ca n o nly be kill ed by certain mea ns (see below). Ca n be repelle d by fire an d barking dogs.

Dependence on Blood or Milk:

Ge nevieve must feed o n human bl ood o nce every three days, an im al bl ood nightly, hum an breast m ilk once a week , or ani ma l m ilk ever y three days. If she does no t , she suffers hunger p angs tha t inflict 2d6 points of damage per n igh t unt il she does feed .

Repelling: As a strigoi , G enevieve can

be repelled by fire if she fai ls to m ake a Wi ll Save at D C 10 + the Charisma Modifi er of the character presenting th e flame. She also must succeed at a Wi ll Save of DC 12 t o approac h a dog.

Sunlight Allergy:

G en evieve cannot tolerate di rect sun lig ht. S he takes I d6 points of dam age and is Stagger ed fo r every round she is exposed to it. She recove rs when she ge ts o ut o f the sun. S he can m o ve about dur in g t he day by covering up or keeping to t he sha dows.

Tied to the Grave: Ge nevieve

mu st have th e so il of her grave wit h her so that she can return to it o nce a da y. If she do es not, she suffers 7d I2 poi nts of damage and is Staggered until she can do so. Sh e canno t be killed thi s way, but she can become stranded if she falls to 0 Hit Points or less. Sh e keeps this dirt in a po uc h hidden in her d ress.

Killing Genevieve: To

kill the fien dish woman, characters m ust completel y burn her. G enevieve m ust take a full 46 points of Fire Damage to be completely destroyed . Sh e can also be vanquis he d si mply by compl et ely im molat ing her heart, which has II Hit Points.

Alternatively, a wooden st ake thro ug h her heart will dispatc h her. The stake must be d rive n th rou gh t he heart, o ut her back , and into the ground for this to be successful. H itting t he hea rt imp oses a -4 Ci rcums ta nce Penalty o n the attack ro ll. Once hit, this pena lty can be ign or ed unl ess she man ages t o p ull o ut the sta ke. The D C t o pull it o u t is 10+ the amount of dam age done. 12 poin ts of dam age must be done t o complet e the ritual. A wooden stake delivers I d4 points of dam age. Fi r wood gran ts a + I Circums t ance Bonus to attack and dama ge ro lls. Fi na lly, behead ing Genevieve will render her in sen sat e. S he can no t act wit ho ut her head . H owever, this does not kill her perm anentl y, If her head is reattached, her Fas t H ealing will kick in an d revive her. S he must be sta ked or burned to fini sh the job.

will beg the party to protect her and is quite a piti able figur e. H er lautar abiliti es could prove useful, sh e pleads , an d she has g reat kn ow ledge o f Wall achi an legends - including ways o f fighting monster s. She will sha re these but will not be who lly truthful. If any o f the adve n t u rers have kn owledge of Wallach ian legends, they m ay find th eir under standing of the subj ect at odds wit h what the [autar tells th em . Work this in with sub tle ty; if a kn ow-it -all pl ayer tries to correct yo u, use th e o ppo rtu n ity to string him or her along.

As strigoi, Ge nev ieve will not be able t o ride a hors e. This preve nts her fro m eas ily infiltrating the part y. However, riding is a part of the Wa llac hian ma n's wo rld , and she will claim that sh e does no t kno w how. S he has a wagon an d will plead that her in jur ies prevent her from d riving the wagon hersel f or hit~hing horses to it . A wago n will slow t he party 's advance, but Genevi eve will tearfu lly beg no t to be left beh in d . She does have other weapons at he r d isposal, th ough . She sings her Calm Animal Song of Power to quiet the characters' horses.

Genevieve is not the mo nster who did all of t h is, bu t she is V lad 's creature. If yo u are using th e ending where D rac u la is a vamp ire, it was he who ravaged th e village. A (m e misogynist, he turned the pitiful creature into a strigoi by sp eak ing her name from the bell tower of the ch ur ch. H e then left her here to interc ept th e ch aracters . If V lad is human , ever ything is th e sam e excep t that he did not mak e Genevieve. He simply keep s her in hi s se rvice.

Once she has infiltrated the party, she will sing her Allure Song of Power to make one of the charactersfall in love with her. She then uses her Domination ability to pick off the other characters one by one. Sh e'll hypnotize a character, lead hi m or he r off, an d d rin k his or her blood, counting on the character who lo ves her to defend her fro m any suspicion.

S he will do whatever is necessary to slo w the ch aract ers' jo urn ey to Targov iste. She ho pes t o elimi nate them all befo re

52

th ey can arr ive. If she is di scovered , she defends her self as bes t she can. Schredn ey leaps to her defen se, an d G enev ieve takes the o pport un ity to summon six vu kodlak to ass ist her. S he is a savage fighter but will flee if things look bad for her, summoning cats and more vukodlak to cover her escape. An y character in love with her will defend her unl ess it can be prov en she is a m onster. If so, the character can make a Will Save at DC 15 to snap out of the delusion . O th er wise, he fights by her side .

Targoviste Guards (tst Level Warriors) Size: Hit Dice: Hit Points: Initiative: Speed: AC:

So long as she is alive, Ge nev ieve will t rail t he party an d at te mp t t o harm them . Sh e sen ds a vu kod lak to Vl ad t o alert him of her failure to infiltrate th eir company, and th en shadows them all the way t o T:1tgovi ste. S he attacks them every ni ght with cats and vukodl ak by her side until th ey kill her. If th ey reach Targo viste, she returns to V lad 's side at Kron sr ad t . Defeating Cenevieve is a Challenge Rating 7 Encounter. If she is able to summon the vukodlak to fight by her side, the Encounter Level is 9.

Medium H um an oid dS

+2

10

+ 2 ( D ex)

30 feet 1 5 ( + 2 Leat her Armor, + I Sma ll Wooden Shield, + 2 Dex )

Attacks: Shorts pear +

I melee o r + I range d ( l d 6 + 2 ) , Lo ngswo rd + I m elee (I dS + I)

Chapter 5: Targoviste No m ore ruined villages will be en co unte red. If the party fo ug ht the hus sa rs in Tirgu Aye rres and any go t away, there are seve ral grou ps o f th e W all achi an t ro opers n ow in pu rsu it. The hu ssar s will o nly mov e by da y; t ho ug h they m ay lau gh at the village rs' fears, they kn ow better than to rid e by ni gh t. They fear Vlad far more than they fear the adv enturers and will attack unles s confronted by hopeless odds. In t ha t case , th ey 'll shadow the party and send for s t ill more t ro op s. Once the p arty n ears Targo viste, they will send riders t o alert the ga rriso n there.

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet

Special Attacks: None. Special Qualities: None. Saves; Fo rt itude +4 , Refl ex + 2, Will + I

Abilities: S tr 15, D ex 14 , Con 14, Int I 3, Wis 12 , Cha I I

Skills: C limb + 4 , H andl e Animal +4, Intimidat e +4, Ride +4

The Irnp alers capital is a sma ll walled cit y o n a low rise, built as a fortr ess more than a place to live . It has an unfinish ed look to it ; man y buildings are under construction. The people are uniformly subd ued and down cast , rarel y raising their head s to make eye co ntac t with pa ssing st rangers.

Feats: Alertness Alignment: Lawful Ne utral

G uards at the D ambo va G at e ( the on e facing so u t h, m o re than likel y th e approach route of the pa rt y) will inquire clo sely as to the ch ar acters' bu sin ess in the capital. There are a dozen m ercenar y men-at-arms here, overseen by three officers. U nde r the eye of the Irnpaler, these m en and all o the r Wallachian soldiers th e party enco unters are far more det erm ined in their duti es th an H ol ger 's drunken hu ssars. They will see m confused as to wha t to do wit h the new arrivals. The soldi ers will d em and custody of any firearms or other proj ectile weapons (bows or cros sbo ws), swo rds, pol earms, axes, an d o t he r large weapo ns. S m all per sonal weapo ns lik e dagger s o r kni ves will n ot be co n fiscate d.

If the par ty asks to see V lad , the officers will agree to have them escorte d to the pa lace as long as a plaus ible excuse is o ffered. Bein g car eer military m en , th ey are not after t ruth but rather coverage fo r their lower ext rem it ies. One o ffice r and a half-d ozen sol di ers will esco rt the heroes th ere. The palace fro nts o n Targoviste's m ain sq uare. In th e cen ter of t he sq uare is a pedestal abo ut fo ur feet ta ll wit h a large go lde n go blet res t ing o n it s flat top . A ti ny roo f keeps th e rain off the go blet. The palac e it self is under co nst ruc t io n, cove red in scaffo ld ing with worker s swarming over it. The escorts will hand ove r th e party to a guar d, who will direct th em into a waiti ng room. H ere, a page will wri te down t he characte rs' nam es and ask their business with V lad. H e will t ell them to wait.

The o fficers will t ry to soo the ang ry p rotests, p romising th at all weap ons will be returned if the adve n t urers ente r the prince 's se rvice or wh en they leave T:lrgovi ste. The soldier s will fight if the party resists. If the p art y s imp ly turn s around an d leaves , one of the o ff icers will sum mo n a dozen hu ssar s and ride o u t afte r them , to m ake sure they leave t he ar ea. The soldiers are 1/2 CR creatures each. Use as m an y as you need to o ffer yo ur pla yers a wo rt hy ch all en ge.

53

return on another day after sched uling an appointment. It is too late to sched ule an appointment today, he tells them. They must tak e lodgings so m ewhe re and see the her ald tomorrow. If the party accepts this, a squad of soldiers will attempt to arrest them outside the palace. Should the party submit or be d efeated , they will be thrown into cells in the basement of the palace. Use the stars for th e guards at the gat e.

Wooden benches ring the room, which is floored with an unfinished mosaic. It is very dusty, and a pair of masons is trying to pi ece together the artwork on the floor with little succes s. A number of supplicants are waiting on the benches, ranging from peasant to boyar. Periodically, a herald enters throu gh a pair of large wooden doors and calls out a n ame. That p er son o r group then follow s them into a large hall. If anyo ne tries the doors, they are barred from the other side.

Vlad and most of his army have ridden to Kronsr adt, t aking the hated Elisabeth with them. Thi s information can b e ext ract ed from Vincenz by compulsion; he is also a gr eed y blackguard without honor and will do most any t h ing fo r money. If for some reason the party kill s Vincen z, the her ald will come running at the accountant's womanl y screams . H e will fall to his knees and burble sincere thanks : all of th e palace servants passionately hate th e nit-picking Vincenz. Ransacking Vincenzs office will turn up sacks containing just over 5,000 gold ducats. The accountant has b een doing a little embezzling on the side.

No on e in the room will have any information about Vlad, C ha rles, o r Elisabe t h. The supp lican t s never return. Finally, afte r a wait of hours, the herald will call the party to follow. The larg e hall contains a throne, but it is empty. The herald will lead th em pa st the audience hall to a dusty office full of account books . Behind a desk covered in papers s it s Vincenz von Lan gweilig, sene schal (acco unt an t) to Vlad the Impaler. A cat per ch es on the largest stack of account books . Lan gweilig is an older man; near-sighted, shriveled, fairl y ugly, and immen sel y bitter. His expression always looks like he just sucked a do zen lemons. He is not on e of the walking dead ; he ju st looks like on e. Vincenz constantly mutters under hi s breath and glances at his led gers. He despises Vlad, but serves him loyally as he lacks the courage to venture o ut of T.1rgoviste. Though Vincenz pictures himself a great man of action, he has never had th e will to act out his fantasies, and, thus, he espe cially resents ad venturers .

The soldiers and servants in the palace are well aware of Vlad's location an d have not been given Vincenzs strict orders . A little gold applied there will easily reveal Vlad 's journey. The servants and soldiers are in awe of Elisabeth and seem to fear her as much as they do Vlad. They know nothing of an y Franciscan brother.

The accountant do es not want to yield up any information, but he will loudly complain about the changed situation in the palace. Vl ad h ead ed north several da ys ago wit h his new bu siness advi sor Elisabeth of Padova. Vincen z has a de ep di slike for Elisa be t h, resenting her for usurping his position at Vl ad' s righ t hand, and, if pressed on this point, he will lash out an gril y. H er calculat io ns are continually incorrect, he claims, and she gives Vlad fals e information. Everyone sho uld know thi s, he says, and the accountant will reel off lists of st aggeringly in consequential statistics. Not only does she sp read incorrect numbers , he states, her handwriting is very messy, and he is sure that she has shown no advancem ent in calli graphy for years. Pl ay th e acco untant as a st ifl ing bore, a dreadful gra y sort. Once he sta rts, Langweili g is almost impos sible to sh ut up aga in. However, he is the only character who suspects that Elisabe t h is not exactly who sh e claims. This nugget of in sight is bu ri ed so deepl y within the minutia of Vincen zs ramblin gs that Vlad has n ever acted on this suspicion. The dispute over statistics is actually the key to Elisab eth's plot: she has convinced Vlad th at th e Saxon merchants of Kronstadt are chea t ing him. They control Transylvania's rich gold mines, and pa y tribute to Wallachia 's rul er. Elisabeth aims to ha ve Vlad elimin at e the Saxons and give her the conc ession. Vinc en z, enmes he d in his world of detail, sees that her figures are false but can 't fathom an y plot beyond accounting errors. Vi ncenz wants the party t o go away but has orders to delay th em in Targo vist e as long as po ssible. H e will tell them to

54

Chapter 6: On the Trail of the Impaler With the news that Vlad has gone , the party will likely want to head up t he road to Kronstadt. This quickly enters the Carpat hian M ountains, windi ng bet ween t ree-covered peaks. The for est is dark and glo om y and st retches right down to th e edge of th e road. T he re are a few peasant hut s along th e way: woodcut te rs for t he most par t.

Constantin Codriescu " (2nd Level Aristocrat/ 3rd Level Boyar) Sugar Addict

Not far from Targov iste , a peasant woman has been impa led by t he side of th e road. Blonde and in her mid- 30's, she is vaguely pretty despite her hooked nose and appears to st ill be alive. As with th e str igoi victims, her blous e has been t orn to expose her breast s. A man is chained to th e foot of th e po le. His name is Art ur, and Vlad spo tted him along th e road. Seeing his frayed shirt and dirt y tro users , he or der ed Art urs wife Tamara punished fo r dressin g him so poo rly. The prince also demand ed to know wha t had becom e of th e children, as Tamar a's large breast s pro ved she was a nursin g mother. H e seemed oddly obsessed wit h this, and became enraged when she denied it. Tamara was lazy, Art ur admits , but never bo re any ch ildren. She spe nt more tim e lying in the sun t han working, but she did n' t deserve thi s. H e will beg th e par ty to kill th em both.

Size: Medi um Humanoid

Hit Dice: ''''Id S + 3dro + 3 Hit Points: 25 Initiative: Speed: AC :

+0 30 feet 19 ( + 4 Ch ain Shirt, + I Small Wooden Shield, +4 Dex)

Attacks: Longsword + 5 melee ( I dS + I) Face/Reach:

5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet

Special Attacks : None.

Further up th e road , th ere is mor e evidence of Vlad 's passing. A teenage boy, a large do g and six sheep are imp aled in a neat row. All are dead; th e dog has been shot by several arrows. A sign aro un d th e lad 's neck in forms anyone pass ing by t hat he allowed his ani mals to interfere with Vlad' s baggage tra in and suffered th e con sequ ences.

Special Qualities: None. Saves: Fortitude +4, Reflex + I, Wi ll + 6 Abilities:

Srr 12 , Dex I I , Con 9, Inr 10, W is II , Cha 13

Skills: Appra ise + 2 , Diplomac y +6 , H andl e Animal + 4 , In tim idate +4, R ide + S, Sense Motive +4

A day's rid e out of T.1rgoviste, a company of hu ssar s is camped on th e ro ad. They have orders to stop and qu esti on any rid ers coming from th e capita l, and are guarding a grisly trophy of Vlad 's. T hey are led by a boyar named Co ns tanti n Co dr iescu, who cont inually laps sugar from a pou ch he keeps at his belt (t his is a rare and expens ive it em in Wallachi a) . H e is jumpy and nervou s, alternating between pleasant courtesy and paran oid delu sion s by th e moment .

Feats: Mounted Combat, Trampl e Alignment: Lawful Ne utral Sugar Obsession: Co driesc u always carries a pouch full of sugar. If t his pou ch falls to th e grou nd during battle, he must use his next Action to retri eve it.

Vlad wan ts all tr avelers to see his handi work. Acco rding to Co driesc u, a papal emissary enco untere d th e pri nce on t he road, and ange red Vlad. At the cente r of t he clearin g, a large stake rises abo ut 20 feet into th e air. On it are impaled a large bro wn mul e and a rid er clothed in a Franc iscan cassoc k. Th e mul e app ears to be dead, but th e man moans so ftly and shakes his head feebly every minute or so. A hu ssar is impaled nearb y; clos e inspect ion will show th at a sword thrust under th e arm has kill ed him .

t hough his flesh appeared soft, he has "ridd en th e po le," as th e Wallachi ans call it , for two days already and still lives. The hu ssar allowed th e mul e to fall during the procedure and was pun ished; last night, someo ne snuck out and did him th e favor of stab bing him .

Vlad cons ide rs th e impaled mul e-and- rid er a wor k of art , and Codriescu will describe how th e prince him self hit on th e notion of fittin g th e stake wit h cros sbars to hold th e mul e in place and keep it s great weight from sliding down to the ground. The fr iar was th en impaled on a sepa rate, thinner sta ke th at Vlad's men fitted to th e top of th e larger mul e sta ke. Co dr iescu is amaze d at th e Franciscan's tou ghn ess;

T he other victim is Brother Ch arles. Seeing the advent urers , Charles will beg them to kill him and to tell the mon signor tha t he is sor ry he failed in his holy mission. The hussars

55

he lap s at his sugar, wh ich makes him even more excitable. If he can be offered a solut ion th at allows him to follow orders and avoid fighting, he will grasp it happily. If th ere is fighting, th e hu ssar s will not pursu e th e party - that would bring th em clo ser to Vlad. Us e th e stars for th e hussars from Ti rgu Aye rres for thi s group but replace Holger with Codriescu.

Elisabeth of Padova (16th Level Expert [Merchant]) Ruthless Merchant Princess

Beyond th e hu ssar camp, however th e party man ages t o get by th em , th ere is more evide nce o f Vl ad 's passa ge. M ost have pl acard s aro und th eir ne cks explain ing th eir crimes: failure to salu te th e prince p romptly, dri ving o n the wrong side of th e road , t oo much embro ide ry on th eir clothing. M en , wome n, and children are all represented . As wit h Tamara, the young wome n have had th eir blou ses ripped and tor n. There is even an impaled sq uirrel. M ost of the vict ims are still alive and beggin g for de ath.

Size: Medium H um an oid

Hit Dice: 15 d6 + 38 Hit Points: 94 Initiative: + 8 ( + 4 D ex, +4 Imp roved Ini ti ati ve)

Speed: 30 feet AC: 14 ( D ex) Attacks: D ag g er +1 6/+11/+6

The gri sly trail continues th rough the mountains and down th e opposite side for several days' ride. As they draw nearer t o th e encampment, th ey are attacked by vukodlak nigh tly, Six o f th e dr ead ravens attack the characters two nights out from th e camp. On th e night before they reach the Impaler, eight vukodlak ass ail th em . T hose are C hallenge R at ing 7 and 8

mel ee or ranged ( 1d4 + 1)

Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves:

5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet None. None.

Encounters respectively.

Fort itude + 9, Reflex + I I , Wi ll + I 3

Abilities: Str 12 , D ex 18, Con 14, Int 18 , Wis 16, C ha 20

Skills: App raise + 15 , Bluff + 22 , Diplomacy + 22 , Forgery + 12, Ga ther In formati on + 20, Inn uend o + 20, Intimidate + 2 5, Profession (M erchan t) + 30, Sen se M ot ive + 2 5, Sp eak Langu age (Italian, French, Eng lish, Greek, Lat in , Ge rman, N orwegian , Romani an)

Elisabeth oj Padova (cont.) N otes: ElIsabeth keeps several d person at all times. She conceals th:gger~ : ,n hher clothing, and all of th m WIt In er is a skilled k 'f. c: zhr are easy to deploy. She nr e-ng rer, and an h attempting to harm her k y c aracter , , or eep her from h goa 1 IS In for a very deadly ' e , surpnse. Sh e IS also accompanied b ' f h Y SIX 0 er pe d g,uar s nearly' everywhere she go es. She di~ona

Feats: Great Fortitude, Improv ed

:;~::; bO~ltlOn of such power in a man's wo~~~

In iti ati ve, Lead ership, Lightning Refl exes, Weapon Fin esse (D agger) , Weap on Foc us (D agger)

h elng smarr. She knows full well th t t ere are those who would l 'k a (part icularly among rival tra~ee ct::~;n~e)r deadd even among he r h ' an , at h peers, t ere is deep resentment er success SImply because sh e is a w oman. She th erefore tra vels in th retainers and keeps her k ,e cOhmpan~ of trusted ntves andy In case an 'd yone d ec r es to act on th ' d ' err esires to see her out of th e way. Mo l' VI d ' 'd ' reover, s re IS well aware th at a s Sl e IS not a safe lace fo alone a woman given hi s ~l k r anyone, let we - nown mIsogyn y.

Alignment: Neu tral

will not allow the friar t o be kill ed; th ey have no wish to join him should they disobey th eir pr ince. Codri escu is a coward at heart, b ut he fears Vlad more th an he fears th e adven t urers . Brib ing hi m is difficult but not impossible. T he boyar is no t very bright, and he easily becomes confuse d. T he mo re agi tated he becom es, th e more 56

Chapter 7: Camp of the Impaler Finall y, they come upon Dracul a's camp jus t o uts ide th e Saxon city of Kronstad t. A pa t ro l o f h u ssar s led by a D ani sh m er cen ar y will accost the adve n t urers o u ts ide the large fi eld Vl ad has app ro p ria te d for h is t ents. U se the sta rs for H ol ger and hi s m en . There appe ar to be abo ut 20,0 0 0 troop s present plus a large ar ray of camp foll o wer s. Ca ts see m to swar m over the ar ea. A close look will sho w a few sta kes wit h impal ed victims at the fringe o f th e camp. C h ristian , the m er cen ar y, assumes the ad ventu rer s are fell ow swords for

Sphinx Guards (6th Level Warriors) Size: M edium Human o id

Hit Dice: Hit Points:

5d8+ 14 40

Initiative: +

hi re and see ks t o gu ide them to enlis t. The pay is good, and the se rvice ca n be h ig hly am us ing. H e enjoys his wo rk.

I ( D ex)

Speed: 30 fee t AC: 18 ( + 5 C ha inmail,

If g ree te d wit h ho stilit y o r t old of the o bs ta cles , he and hi s m en will see m ge n uinely puzzl ed . They have no o rders to stop an yone. They do have o rders t o bring interesting people to Vl ad 's atten tio n. Those who anger th e prince suffer terribly, but he will reward those wh o am use him. Chri sti an will be glad t o bring the p arty to Vl ad and will offer so me brief advi ce: Dracul a does not lik e any ch all en ge to hi s p ow er ; the heroes sho uld agr ee t o wha teve r sym bo ls of subm iss ion he dem ands. An d th ey sho uld be even m o re ca reful o f the beautiful , bl ack-haired wo ma n who advises V lad: m ore than o ne m an wit h a rov ing ha~ o r even an eye no w ride s a p ol e.

+ I Small S teel S hiel d, + 2 D ex)

-Attacks: Arq ue buse +4 ranged (I d 10 )

Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves:

5 feet by 5 feet / 5 feet N o ne . No ne. Fo rt itude + 6 , Reflex + 3, Will + 2

Abilities: Str 16 , D ex 13 , Con 13 ,

C hrist ian will lead th e party deep into th e camp and introduce th em to another office r as new m ercenaries. They are the sort who will interest the princ e. Th e officer will depart for a few minutes and then return with a tent ass ig n me n t and order s that the party app ear at th e even ing banqu et to be held in the open air n ear Vlad 's te n t. If the adve n tu rers claim they are no t m er cenaries, the o ffice r will te ll them that pa y ra tes are set, and he ca nno t cha nge them . They n eed t o t ake up any complaints wit h the p rince. Vl ad will not be ava ilable durin g the day.

Int I I , Wi s I I , C ha 12

Skills: C limb +4, H andle Anim al +4, Intimidate +6, Jump +4, Ride +4

Feats: Alert ness, Blind-Fi ght, Firearm s Profici ency Lawful

eutra l

H ow ever, the charact er s do receive a sum mo ns from Elisabeth. They are esco rt ed t o her tent, which is guarded by s ix of her own p ersonal so ld iers - her entourage as sh e lik es to call th em . Elisabe t h is vexed to see the p arty and dem ands to kn o w wha t they are doing here. S he becomes even ang rier if th ey reveal thei r purpose. She t ell s them quite ste rn ly that she kn ows exactl y wha t she is do in g, is in full control of her faculti es, and is in no dan ger whatsoeve r. Sh e bids them return to Varn a and tell M arcello to leave her alo ne.

Sh e tells th e ch aract ers little of th is, t hough. She d oesn't need them thin kin g she's so ld them o ut, is under the in fl uen ce of V lad, o r is ju st plain mad. She o nly wants to assure t hem everyt hing is fin e and se nd them p acking.

The truth is Elisab eth do esn't care if Vl ad is a vamp ire o r a man. It doesn 't matter one inkling to her that he' s a monster, regardless . H e's a pliable fool , in her opinion , that she can manipulat e to increase her trading combine's power. Sh e need s to clo se th e deal tonight whe n Vlad hosts the Sa xons for dinner, an d she doesn 't wan t the party t o interfere. It is she who has been ins t ru ct ing V lad to waylay th em alo ng their way, pouring out lies and half-truths that they are o n a mi ssi on to kill him. S he's used this tactic to win m ore of hi s trust, an d if an y o f th e PC's was o n the G reenland mi ssi on,

The pa rty will have to decid e wha t t o d o next. They co uld take Eli sab eth at her word an d dep art t he ca m p. No o ne will stop them if they offe r even th e flim si est of stories suc h as that Vlad has sent them o n a mi ssi on . As lon g as it so unds vag uely pl au sible, no o ne will trouble them . O n the other hand, while they have det ermin ed t he fa tes of Elisa be t h and Brother Charles , t here is o ne key component t o their m ission they have not yet fu lfilled: is V lad huma n ? They co uld always lie to the m on signo r, tell ing him everyt hing is fin e. H owever, Dracula is definitely a m on ster. Any devou t

she cites hi s o r her p rio r se rvice to the papacy as p ro of of her claims.

57

cha rac te r sho uld want to know if hi s sa d ism ser ves th e Lord o r Lu cifer.

vu; the Impaler (2nd Level

Ass um ing t hey stay for dinner, th e party ge ts its fir st look at the d read Im paler at th e torch-lit banq uet. H e cuts an imp ressive f ig ure and clea rly dominat es all t hose aro un d him. Vl ad sits at a table on a ra ise d pl atform with Elisabet h at hi s side.

Aristocrat/qt]: Level Boyar)

Blood Prince of Wallacbia Size: Hit Dice: H it Points: Initiative:

Though he is said to be marr ied, his wife is no where to be seen. V lad is entertai n ing the leading citizens o f Kr on stadt as hi s guests of hon o r. These are fou r well- fed Saxon m er ch ants,

Medium Humanoid Id8 + 9dIO + 30

who are ta lka t ive an d fairl y arroga nt. They co ndesce nd t o all, includ ing the Prince o f W allachi a. There are a number o f Wa llac hian bo yar s in atte nda n ce as well, thou gh they are clearl y int imidat ed and say little. The Sax o ns do not spe ak Rom ani an , and Elisa be t h tran slat es for them . If any P C 's

91 + 7 ( + 4 Improved Initiative, + 3 Dex )

Speed: 30 feet AC: 13 ( + 3 Dex) Attacks: Greatsword + 1 1/+ 6

spea k both lan gu ages , th ey will noti ce that she is putting wo rds into th e mouths o f th e m er chants, making their state me n ts far more insulting to Vl ad than intended.

melee (2 d 6 + 3), Scimitar + 11/ +6 melee ( l d 6 + 3)

Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilit ies:

As th e m eal winds do wn , th e prince turns hi s attention to th e PC' s. H e's irritated by th e " in sults" o f the S axons and wishes to di stract himself wi t h m ore am us ing business. Casua lly, he as ks th e charact ers how much Monsign or Marcello is o ffe ring for his head . Elisabe t h glow ers at them scornfu lly. V lad is n ot o ffe nde d by wha teve r answe r they give . H e en joys play ing mind ga mes, and he's doin g so ri ght now. H e atte mp ts to m an ipul at e the m into ad m itting th at they are here to kill hi m. H e assu res them t hat he will ta ke no offense, and, if t hey do ad mi t it, he is true to h is wo rd . It doesn't ma tte r to h im anyway. H e has no intention o f lett ing tl m leave his camp alive. H e te lls t he cha ra cte rs that th e Ro man Catho lics need t o learn th at he is sta lwa rt in hi s Ortho dox Faith, and that he will rem ain a bulwark against t he Turks.

5 feet by 5 feet/5 fee t Rebuke Undead Income 3, Overtax 3 Fortitude + 8, Reflex + 6, Will + 10 Str 16 , Dex 16 , Con 15 , 13, Wis 12, Cha 18

[nt

Skills: Bluff + 6 , Diplomacy + 8 , Handle Animal + 4 , Intimidate + 12 , Listen + 8, Ride + 12 , Sense Motive + 12

Feats: Behead, Leadership , Improved Initiative, Mounted Combat, Sk ill Focus ( D iplo m acy) , Skill Foc us (S en se M o ti ve) , W eapo n Focus (G reat swo rd)

After t h is exchang e, Eli sab eth grows irritat ed and interj ec t s th at th er e is unfinished bu siness wit h the Saxon s. Vl ad sig hs, clearl y unhappy that he mu st deal with the boorish burgh er s, but h e rel ent s. H e sna ps hi s fin gers, and a se rvan t brin gs o ut a large p ol e. If th e cha rac te rs did not kill him ea rl ier in the ad venture, it is Kop ro stes who do es so. H e ta kes great pl easure in slo wly str ut t ing by the Sa xons an d t he charac te rs, watc hing eac h recoil at the sme ll of him. M uch to hi s deli ght , on e o f th e bu rgh er s vo m its from the ste nc h. H e cozies up t o V lad and atte m p ts to co uns el him on what he sho uld d o next , but t he prin ce sim ply slaps him away, a h umili at in g sig n t hat he is no t th e co n fida nte o f th e Irnpaler he claimed to be. As if to ad d ins ult to in jury, Genev ieve, if t he P C 's were unable to kill her, also appea rs and th en drapes her self ove r the vo ivo de aft er shooing th e fou l creature away.

Alignment: Lawful Evil Note that Vlad's Armor Class assumes he is o nly wearing his customary Turkish robes . This is how the PC 's will find him at the end of the ad venture. If encountered on the field of ba ttle, the prince fits himself out in a breastplate, thereby increasing his AC to 18 .

Rebuke Undead (Sp): Because he has the power to appoint his own bishops, V lad is a de facto Church official. Hence, he has th e ability to Rebuke Undead as though he were a 9th Level Cleric. It is by this means that he has controlled the undead creatures t hat p lague the adve nt urers.

V lad tel ls the Saxons that th ey have d ispleased him . H e is canc eling their mining m onop ol y and handin g it o ver to the H ou se o f Sph inx. Elisa be t h beam s at this pronouncem ent. Th e Saxons protest that h e cannot do this. For the first ti me, Vl ad becomes truly ang ry. H e rages at them that he 58

Vlad Tepes .. Dracula (2nd Level Aristocrat/5th Level Boyar/Strigoi) Son of the Devil Size : Hit Dice: Hit Points: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks:

Medi um Undead 7d12 61 + 10/ + 1 1* ( + 4 Im pr oved Inir iativ e, + 6/+7 * D ex) _ r'

3a feet 22/23 * ( + 6 Nat ural, + 6/+ 7 * D ex) Greatsword + 1 1/ +6 melee (2 d 6 + 5) , Bit e + 1 1/ + 6 mel ee ( l d 3 + 5 and Blood Drain) , or C law + 1 1/ +6 melee (Id4+ 5)

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet Special Attacks: Blood Drain , Cats Grace, C om man d C ats, Creat e Spawn, D ominati on , Milk Dra in, Summo n Vukodlak

Special Qualities: Da mage Resis ta nce 10/ + 1, Dark vision 60', Fast H ealin g 5 (Fire D amage U naffected) , Co ld and Electricity Resi st an ce 2 0 , Turn Resi stan ce + 5, Moro i Su btype , Incom e 2, O vert ax 1

Saves: Forti tu de + 5, Refl ex +1 0/ + 11*, Will + 6 Abilities: S tr 2 0, D ex 22/2 5*, Con -, Int 1 3, Wi s 15 , C ha 22 Skills: Balanc e +8, Bl~ff +8 , Diplomacy +9 , Handl e Animal +4, Hide + 8, Intimidat e + 16 , Jump + 8 , List en + l O, Move S ilently, + 8 , Sear ch +8 , pot + l a , Ri d e + 8, Se nse M ot ive + 10

Feats: Alertness , Behead, Com ba t Refl exes, D odge, Im p roved Ini ti ati ve, Leadershi p, Lightn in g Refl exes, M o unted Comba t, Skill Focu s ( D ip lomacy) , Skill Foc us (Sense M o t ive)

Alignment: C hao t ic Evil * - While th e PC's are fighting his minions, Vlad takes the opportunity to use his Cats Grace ability, adding 3 extra po int s of Dexteri ty. These impro ved numbers are reflect ed after th e slash on all sta rs marked with an asterisk (*) . T he n um be r before the slas h is hi s normal, unm odifi ed D ext erit y and th e stars dep en dent fro m it.

Blood Drain (Ex): If Vlad succeeds on a Bite attack, he can attemp t a G rapple check. If success ful, he may inflict Id4+ 1 p oints of Tem por ary Co ns ti tu t ion Dama ge. Dracula may conv ert thi s Co ns t itu t ion to Hit Points at a rate of I d 6 H it Poi nts ga ine d pe r one point of Constitution D amage inflicted . Vl ad ma y n ot excee d his n o rmal maximum number of Hit Points in this fashion. Ch aracters who se Constitution scores fall to a or less are kill ed.

Car's Grace (Sp) : O nce per day, th e blood prince may cast th e Arcan e S pell, Cats Grace, gain ing 1d4 + I points o f D exteri ty fo r 6 hou rs. Command Cats (Su): Dracul a may sum mo n Id4+ 1 cat s three times per day t o do hi s bidd ing . Add itionally, any cat he encou nte rs may be b id de n to serve him. H e need only su cceed at a C ha risma che ck to do so . Create Spawn (Su) : If Vlad climbs th e b ell tower of an y church and utters th e name o f a par ishi on er, that individual mu st make a Fort itu de Save at D C 19 or fall over dead immediately. The following night, th e unfortunate will rise as a strigo i under Vlads com ma nd.

Domination (Su) : By makin g a G aze Attack (a St and ard Act ion, subjects are not affecte d just by lookin g at him ) , V Iad can strip th eir will as thou gh he had cas t D ominat e Pers on . The Saving T h row t o negat e th is ab ili ty is W ill at DC 19 . Milk Drain (Ex) : If Vl ad suckles at th e brea st o f a nursing mother, he can inflict Id3 points of Temporary Cons t it u t ion Damage. H e can convert thi s damage to Hit Points at a rat e of 1d8 Hit Points for every point of dam age infli ct ed. Vl ad cann ot exceed hi s usual total number o f Hit Points in this fashion. Women and animals vict imized in th is manner lose t he ab ility to lactate.

59

Fast Healing (Ex): Dracula heals 5 Hit Poi n t s per round unl ess th e damage comes fro m Fire. Fire D am age is unaffected by his Fast H ealin g.

Moroi Subtype: Immun e to poison, sleep, pa ralysis, stun n ing, d isease, death effec ts , necroma n t ic effects, mindinfluencing effects, critical hits, su bdual dam age, ab ility dam age, abi lity dr ain, and energy d rain . Ca n only be kill ed by certai n means (see below) . Ca n be repe lled by fire and bark in g dogs.

Dependence on Blood or Milk: Vlad m us t feed on huma n blood once every t hr ee days, ani ma l blo od nig htly, human breast mil k once a week, o r animal m ilk every t hr ee days. If he does not, he su ffers hunger pan gs tha t in fl ict 2d6 po ints o f dam age pe r n ight unt il he does feed .

Repelling: As a st rigoi , V Iad can be repe lled by fir e if he fails to make a Will Save at D C 10 + th e C harisma Mod ifier o f the characte r p resen ting th e flam e. H e also mu st succeed at a Will Save o f D C 12 to approach a dog.

Sunlight Allergy: Dracu la canno t to lera te direct sunlight. H e takes I d6 points of dam age and is Stagger ed for every rou nd he is exposed to it. H e recove rs when he ge ts o ut of th e sun. H e can move abo ut durin g t he day by covering up or keep ing to th e shadows. Tied to the Grave: Vlad must have th e so il of his grave with him so that he can return to it on ce a da y. If he d oes not, he suffers 7d I 2 p oint s o f damage and is Staggered un til he can do so . He cannot be kill ed this way, but he can become st ran ded if he fall s to 0 Hit Points or less.

Killing Vlad: To kill Dracula , charact ers must compl etely burn him . Vlad must take a full 6 I points of Fire Da mage to be complet ely des troyed. H e can also be van qu ished sim p ly by completely im molat ing hi s heart. Vlad 's heart has 15 Hit Point s. Alternat ively, a woode n sta ke t hroug h hi s heart will di sp at ch him. The st ake m ust be dri ven th rou gh hi s heart , out his back, and in to th e gro und for this to be success ful. Hitting th e heart imposes a -4 C irc ums ta nce Pen alt y on the attack ro ll. Once hit, this penalty can be ign or ed unl ess Vlad mana ges to p ull o ut t he sta ke. The D C to pull it o ut is 10 + the amoun t of da mage do ne. 12 po ints o f dam age mu st be done to co mplete th e rit ual. A woo de n stake delivers I d4 points o f dam age. Fir woo d gra nts a + I C irc ums ta nce Bonus t o at tac k and damage roll s. Fina lly, beheading Vlad will ren der him insensa te. H e cannot act witho ut h is hea d. H owever, th is does not kill h im permanently. If his head is reattac hed, hi s Fast H ealin g will kick in and revive him. H e mu st be s ta ked or burned to finish t he jo b.

can do whatever he wants here. H e is th e sup reme rul er of Wallachi a. Si nce th ey have angered him furth er by defying hi s aut hority, he co m ma nds th em t o ch oose one of th eir n um ber to be im paled . If Kop rost es is p rese n t, he returns t o bootlicking mode, takin g up the po le and waving it menacingly at the terrifie d burghers.

Saxo ns. Koprostes attem p ts to hide hi s jealousy. Any interference by the P C's will cause Vlad to turn on t hem as well. H e is bu sy imposing his will on th e sheep-like bu rgh ers, and interruption is a furth er defi an ce of hi s s up rem acy. H e int ends t o kill th ese pap al age nts anyw ay, an d he will inst ruct hi s so ld iers t o do so if th ey in te rfere wit h him now.

The Saxo ns refuse to nam e someone , and this entages Vlad further. What he does n ext dep ends on wh ich end ing you are taking. If he is human, he snaps h is fingers agai n, and a guard quickl y moves fo rwa rd and beheads one of the m. If he is strigoi, he leaps upon the closest one with cat-like speed and savagel y rips the man's throat out with his fangs. H e drinks deep ly of the victim's blood. Either way, he t ells th e surviving three that they have one mi nute to choose o ne amongst them, or he will impale t hem all. If he is st rigoi and if Genev ieve is present , whe n he returns to h is sea t, she qui etly laps the blood off of his face an d cloth es. She does so in th e most suppl icat ing manner possible, and V lad appears not to notice as he gazes imperi ou sly at th e poor

Even t ually, th e Saxons choose o ne o f th eir number, and Vlad's men impale the poor foo l. Kop ro stes rubs dung on him after th e impalem ent. Drac ula th en asks Elisa be th what he should do with th e o the r two. "Spare th e mi ners," she 'll say wit h a mad gleam in her eye. "Le t th e lead er s d ie." Vlad will moti on one o f the officers over. " Let it be as t he lad y says," he will order. T he s urvivi ng b urg he rs are q u ickl y sna tc hed up and impaled as well desp ite th eir protests, an d sounds o f troop s qui ckly mou nting an d rid ing off towa rd Kron stad t are heard shortly th ereaft er. Fin ally, Vl ad turns t o th e part y. "Now," he says, "I n eed t o se nd a message to your monsi gn or. I beli eve I'll t ell him th at assa ss ins do not faze me an d th at he sho uld keep hi s 60

no se o u t of Wall achi a. I think I'll stuff th e message into th e mouths o f yo u r seve red heads . That sh o uld convince him, don't yo u think ?" With that , he or ders his guards to kill th e charac te rs.

Red Hussars (3rd Level Warrior/4th Level Hussar) The Impaler's Horsemen

At t h is p oint , yo ur P C's have so me to ugh ch oi ces to make. Obviously, th ey 'll need to fight for th eir lives agains t Vl ad 's Red Hussars, but th e goal of th eir fight sho uld be det erm ined both by th eir mi ssi on pa ra me te rs and yo ur cho ice of whe the r Vl ad is st rigo i or human . If he is human , killing him is st rictly agains t th eir mi ssi on directi ve. Dracula is st ill useful to th e Church, an d it wants him in place even if he is a sad is t ic madman . If he is a vamp ire, th en th eir o rders are to kill him , and th ey 'll have to t ry to do th at despite th e challenge of su rviving th e attack of hi s p ersonal guard. For more on this , see bel ow.

Size: Hit Dice: Hit Points: Initiative:

Me d ium H um an oi d 2dS + 4dI 2 + 29 75 + 2 ( D ex)

Speed: 30 fee t AC: 16 ( + 3 Studded Leath er, + I Sma ll Wood en Shield, +2 Dex)

Addi t io na lly, M arcello charged th em wit h res cuing Elis abeth. It should be obvious (though if it isn't give them a Wisdom check at DC 5 to figure it out) that she is not in need of rescue. Th e m er chant p rin cess is in control , and an y out sid e obse rver can see th at it is she who is pulling Vlad's st r ing s, not th e oth er way around. That said, th ey could try to carry her o ff. Sh e will not go quietl y and will have to be subdued to acco m plish thi s. If th ey man age t o pull it off, she will berate th em as sim ple to n s all th e way to Varna. Sh e had everyt hing under control, and if sh e see med unnecessarily cruel, sh e had to mak e s ure th at Vlad thought she was under hi s sp ell. Killing her as a traitor (o r an infidel if she's co nso rt ing wit h a vampire) is an ext rao rd ina rily bad id ea. Fir st , th e charact ers will be unlikely to get paid in this scenario, and, seco nd , she's a key agent for th e C hu rch. Marcello will be mo st di spleased .

Attacks: Arq uebuse +6 ranged ( l d I O) H eavy Lanc e

+ 101+ 5 melee ( l d S + 3 [x 2 when mounted )) , Scimit ar + 101+ 5 melee ( I d 6 + 3)

Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/ 5 feet, 10 feet with lan ce

Special Attacks: C ourser's Fur y Special Qualities: Summon M ount Saves: Fortitude + 10, Reflex + 7, Will +3

Abiliries: Str 16 , D ex 14 , Co n 16, Int 12 , Wi s 13, Cha I I

Skills: An ima l Empa thy + 7 ,

Ther e is en o ugh confusion with th e orders t o rid e on Kron stadr and th e murder of the burgher s that th e charact ers can escape if th at is th eir goa l. They 'll need to defeat th e Hussar s fir st, but th ey can o t he rwise mana ge slipping out. Kidnapping Elis abeth will require th e d efeat of her guards fir st , but it can also be done.

Balanc e + 7, Handle Animal + 7, Intimidate +8, Ride +S

Feats: Fir earms Profi cien cy, Mounted Co mbat, Power Attack, R ide-b y Attack, Spi ri ted Charge

Killing V lad is a near apocalyp ti c undertaking. To ge t to him , th ey will have to go fir st through hi s minions. Afte r the y ge t through the Hus sar s, of which there are four, an y supe rn at ural foes that Vl ad can bring to bear will assa ult them. Vl ad sum mons six vukodlak t o attack th e P C's. If G en evieve is still alive, sh e joins this fight, defending her lord with a savager y sh e has not displayed before. Koprost es to o will atte mp t to kill th e party, but he is a coward an d rem embers t oo well th e thrashing th ey gave him befor e. H e choo ses to st ay back and hurl dung at them , charging in only to finish o ff any weakened characters .

Alignment: Lawful Ne ut ral Courser's Fury (Ex): The Hussars, if th ey get to th eir steeds, have Light Warh orses. These creatures have 25 Hit Points , + I Initiative, a Speed of 60 feet, AC of 13 , and can attack with 2 hooves at + 2 melee, dealing 1d4+ I points of dam age. Once per round, th e rid er may choo se to have his mount make an ext ra attack at -2 to its attack roll and his. Summon Mount (Ex): The Hussars can call for their mounts, and th e beasts will come to th em if th ey are withi n 100 feet. The ride rs' ho rses are in range d uring th e fight with th e PC's at the climax of th e adventure.

Vl ad simply st ays back an d wat ches from a car eful distan ce. N one of th e cr eatures fighting th e party will allow a characte r to get near him until they ar e all dead . Vlad smiles at the charact er s if th ey d efeat his minion s. Then he gladly fights th em . If th ey kill him , th ey earn th e th ank s of th e boyars in 61

the camp. There is an im m edi at e stand down of all mi litary operations against the Saxons. Elisabeth is angry, bu t the re is lit tle she can do abo ut it no w. If V lad kill s them , he se nds the characters to Marcello wit h t he afo remen t io ne d m essage stuffed into th eir m ouths. B eating

vu: is a Challenge Rating 10 Encounter whether he is

human or undead. The six vukodlak are Challenge Rating 7. Adding Gen evieve mak es it CR 9. Adding in Koprostes doesn't change things much. H e's not very useful to the villains, but feel free to raise the encounter up anoth er level. Kidnapp ing Eli sabeth requires the characters to go through her guards. Defeating them is a Challenge Rating 8 Encounter and so is SJlbduing Elisabeth .

/

I

62