Vampires are cruel and deadly creatures in
of themselves, but there was one who was more powerful and cruel than any other vampire
lord. His name may send a shiver down even the most
faithful of warrior priests, for he would represent the most elusive fear that affects
all that live. Death, and the unnaturalness of those that
rise with no pulse, clammy skin, and unnatural eyes. His name, was Vlad Von Carstein. The herald of the first Vampire War, the one
who had damned the province of Sylvania to a cursed landscape, and the one who came so
close to becoming ruler of the Empire… Vlad von Carstein was the first Vampire Count
of Sylvania, and the founder of the Von Carstein bloodline. Neferata, mother of all vampires, created
an elixir that would make the humans of Nehekhara seemingly immortal, but instead turned them
into unnatural creatures of the night. The Vampires. Vlad von Carstein’s true name is Vashanesh. He was one of Neferata’s disciples, and
with work and loyalty impressed her so much that she granted him the last of her elixirs,
turning him into a vampire. It was in the city of Lahmia, also called
the Cursed City, where the vampires first appeared. Through a network of spies and clever manipulation,
the two vampires worked together to maintain the cities of Nehekhara distant from each
other, hindering any attempt at rallying against them. That worked, until Alcadizaar, one of the
great generals of Nehekhara, finally managed to unite the distant armies and bring war
to Lahmia with overwhelming numbers. When the city of Lahmia was put to the torch
by the armies of Nehekhara. Neferata and the remaining vampires, including
Vashanesh, had to flee. But they were soon encountered by the arch
necromancer himself, Nagash. The powerful necromancer offered the vampires
a special artifact. A simple, yet powerful ring that would bring
them back from the dead at supernatural speeds, but would forever bind them to Nagash’s
will and that of his most loyal servant; Arkhan the Black. Vashanesh was one of the vampires who accepted
his gift, willingly becoming Nagash’s servant. Nagash soon lead the vampires towards the
city of Khemri, battling legions of Nehekarans. Though Vashanesh and the rest of the vampires
who accepted Nagash’s gifts were eager to serve, it did not take long for them to realize
they were nothing but cannon fodder for Nagash, who threw them at his foes with little care
if they survived or not. Soon, they resented their service to Nagash,
but the ring forced them to obey. Vashanesh, however, was a clever man. He came up with an ingenious solution. The ring bound him to Nagash so long as he
was alive. So, at the height of a great battle, he allowed
himself to be cut down by Alcadizaar, who would eventually become the man to slay Nagash
with a cursed sword, granted to him by the Skaven´s shady Council of Thirteen. When Nagash was defeated, the Vampires were
freed from his control. The many bloodlines soon departed, making
their own paths in history. It took many years for Vashanesh to return
from the grave. Though Nagash was already dead, the ring still
bound him to Arkhan The Black. So Vashanesh would go to the Old World in
search of artifacts to enslave the ring to his will, rather than vice versa. He spent much time in Kislev, calling himself
Prince Vladimir, a minor noble of no great importance. Here, he studied the winds of magic, before
traveling to Sylvania. Prince Vladimir would wake from the grave
an undead army to deal with the Skaven that were threatening the province, and would once
again disappear… Nearly 700 years later, Prince Vladimir was
now Vlad von Carstein, and he had his eyes set upon more than just minor nobility. For centuries had Vlad von Carstein sought
after satisfying the natural desire for power that all vampires have. For centuries had he hid himself within the
many courts of nobles from inside the human nations of Kislev and the Empire. For centuries had he schemed and maneuvered
his way to the top. But no more. With one final display of his political genius
Vlad took over control of the province of Sylvania from the despotic count, Otto von
Drak, who upon his deathbed had left no heir but his daughter, Isabella Von Drak. Sizing this opportunity Vlad stormed into
their household, Castle Drakenhof, and presented himself to the dying count and his daughter,
citing his many noble antecedents. Soon after, he claimed the wide-eyed Isabella
as his bride, and their marriage ceremony took place in the same room where the dying
count rested. The relationship between the now Isabella
Von Carstein and Vlad Von Carstein soon grew into something more than just a marriage of
convenience and, when she got sick with an incurable disease, the same that had claimed
her father, Vlad had no choice but to turn his lover into a Vampire, thus saving her
life. Over the years more and more nobles were beginning
to be seen less often, their skin growing ever paler and their presence being felt late
into the dark nights of Sylvania. Accidents happened all the time with the nobles
from Sylvania but, strangely enough, only those who pledged their loyalty to Vlad survived
said accidents. Slowly but surely, priests of Sigmar and of
Morr began to withdraw from the province, either being cast out, chased away or assassinated… Meanwhile, the city of Mordheim, capital of
the Imperial province of Ostermark, was struck by a meteor of pure warpstone. Vlad seized the opportunity and sent over
his own dark minions to collect the raw magic stones. After killing the remaining living nobility
of Sylvania in an act of treachery, Vlad casted a powerful spell that he learned directly
from one of the Nine Books of Nagash. Fueled by the warpstone he collected from
the ruins of Mordheim, Vlad managed to bring the dead of the province back to life as a
huge horde of putrid slaves in his service. When it was all done, the invasion of the
Empire of Man would finally begin in the year 2010 of the Imperial Calendar. Stefan Fisher, a Templar Witch Hunter, was
one of the very few to escape the cursed Sylvania. As he fled the province, he was picked up
by a roaming band of vampires that sought to join the growing vampiric host of Vlad
Von Carstein, but was saved by a detachment from the army of Ottila III, Elector Countess
of Talabecland who was also sent to investigate the growing threat. All of this necromantic activity had not gone
unnoticed. They were all warned of the upcoming danger
by the witch hunter, who then joined the main army lead by General Hans Schliffen, to face
the growing undead force.. As the undead forces crossed the River Stir
they were met by the valiant and courageous men sent by Ottila at the Essen Ford. The undead horde blackened the horizons with
its numbers. The cursed army marched slowly, their formations
suffering catastrophic losses, with volleys of crossbow bolts and gunpowder fire tearing
holes in the incoming mass of bodies. But still, the necromantic powers commanded
by Vlad and his thralls was too much, resurrecting every single loss they suffered, marching
onwards without stopping. As the heavy imperial cavalry composed mostly
of knights struck the undead ranks Vlad sprung his trap, encircling the exposed imperial
infantry with the heavily armed Drakenhof Guard, personally leading a final charge of
Black Knights and wraiths, crushing the imperials. The war continued for another 40 years after
the events at the Essen Ford. Wherever Vlad and his army went, their dark
shapes put an aura of death and despair upon the empire. Countless times was he killed in battle, each
and every time again rising back to life in order to kill his murderer. At the Battle of Bluthof, Vlad found himself
impaled by lances, with the runefang from the Count of Ostland buried whole within his
heart, yet he reappeared three days later to execute prisoners in Bluthof. Whilst at the town of Bogenhafen, he lead
his undead army to victory after being decapitated by a canon only hours before. The undead rising as soon as they fell. The Grandmaster of the order of the White
Wolf himself, Jerek Kruger, had killed Vlad Von Carstein in battle, only to be turned
into a vampire by the count as a revenge only a year later. After multiple battles and encounters that
at first seemed victories but then turned to terrible losses, all hope seemed lost to
the Empire, as the undead army eventually began its slow march towards the great capital
of Altdorf. When the army of the dead finally arrived
at Altdorf, capital of the Empire, Vlad gave his ultimatum - open the gates and serve him
in life, or fight on and serve him in death. The city would not surrender. The Grand Theogonist Wilhelm III, high priest
of the Cult of Sigmar, isolated himself within the Great Temple of Sigmar for three days
of prayer. When he emerged once more, he claimed that
Sigmar had revealed the salvation of the Empire to him. Felix Mann, the greatest thief of his age
departed straight for Vlad Von Carstein’s encampment. His mission: to steal the magical ring from
Vlad’s finger. In the middle of the night, the thief managed
to slip past the undead encampment with stealth and treachery. Felix Mann succeeded on his mission and then
disappeared, never to be seen again. It is said that Mannfred Von Carstein was
the one that orchestrated this move in order to steal the power of the Vampire Count for
himself. When Vlad Von Carstein woke, he ordered an
immediate attack on the city. He was enraged. The Undead army advanced forwards under the
burning will of the Vampire Count, and great siege towers made of bone and held together
by dark magic lumbered forward to the city walls in a slow but inexorable advance. The walls of Altdorf were manned by swordsmen
and the gates had been reinforced. The capital of the Empire would hold back
the tide. Soon enough, the battle turned into a vicious
fight for survival. The number of undead warriors was proving
overwhelming for the defenders. The men of the Empire fought with all their
strength and valour against the horrors of the undead. The sight of fallen brothers in arms being reanimated
into half dead monsters was terrible for the living soldier’s morale. Time was vital and with each passing minute,
more men fell to the tide of death that the Vampire Count had brought upon the capital
of the Empire of Man. Vlad fought his way personally into the city,
slaughtering all in his path. At the centre of the vast struggle that engulfed
the city, the Grand Theogonist clashed with Vlad Von Carstein. Holy hammer against magical blade. After intense fighting, Vlad gained the upper
hand, Wilhelm became tired while the vampire count did not. Sensing that the end was near, Wilhelm charged
his foe headlong and flung himself and Vlad over the battlements. The two fell together on a wooden spike at
the wall's foot. Without the protection from his magical ring,
Vlad Von Carstein screamed and died. This time, his body stayed impaled in place
without moving. With the Count killed, the armies of undead
began to fall apart. The siege had to be lifted when the rest of
the vampire counts began to fight amongst themselves for control of the crumbling army. Vlad’s corpse was buried faced down in a
coffin. The horrors of what would later be called
the First Vampire War were over.
