Ages ago, in a land far beyond a vast forest, surrounded by majestic mountains and lush, verdant meadows, a land known as Gransylva, there lived a
king, young but wise for his age. He was a warrior of great prowess in both sword and magic, strong in his sense of justice yet fair and benevolent to his people. The king was betrothed to a
queen, a woman of unparalleled beauty and grace, who had come from a faraway land to marry the king at the behest of her family. Despite the nature of their matrimony, however, the king and queen were madly in love with each other. The young king valued his beloved bride far beyond that of silver and gold.
Sadly, their time together would not last...
A
vast army from the north swept across the realm like a plague, conquering kingdom after kingdom, trampling the ground beneath their armored masses and leaving nothing but death and destruction in their wake. It was not long before they had reached the gilded lands of Gransylva. The king, knowing well the threat this army brought to his homeland and his people, set off at once rallying his knights to arms.
Under a crimson banner, the king and his men fought back against the insurmountable army. Swords clashed and shields shattered. Bodies were left piled in the once green fields, now scarred by the flames of war. Rivers and streams ran red with dead men's blood.
Despite the bravery of his men to push forward, all hope was seemingly lost for the king. It would not be long before this army, this conquering mass of men and beasts, would be at the doorstep of his castle. He had thought of his beloved queen, ill imaginings of what these monsters would do to her if they got their hands upon her.
"No!" He vowed in anger.
"I will not let my kingdom fall to these monsters! I will not let them take my beloved bride!"Unfortunately, the king knew his power alone would not be enough to stop the invasion. And so...a deal was brokered.
Tales had spread throughout Gransylva of a certain individual who lived alone in a crumbling mausoleum, sequestered in an ancient cemetery. This person, more beast than man, was said to possess great and terrible power, but he would only bestow such power for a price. And so, on the eve of the final battle, the king ventured to the cemetery alone. Aided by the dim light of a flickering torch, he descended the stone steps, deeper into the darkness, until he was surrounded by nothing but pitch black.
Two crimson eyes gazed at him from beyond the veil of shadows, glowing like embers from the fires of Hell.
"You have come seeking that which I possess, correct?" Said a low, raspy voice. Before the king could draw his sword, the figure flew at him. Long, steely fingers ending in sharp nails wrapped around his neck as his fearful eyes beheld the
monster that seized him. His face was gaunt and pale, withered with old age, yet his eyes burned intensely. Long, stringy strands of snow-white hair spilled over his bony shoulders, an almost skeletal figure garbed in tattered black robes.
"Well, have you?" The creature hissed tightening his grip on the king.
"Or have you come seeking your death, boy? Which is it?" The king grimaced as he was drawn closer to the ancient being, his foul breath assaulting the young man's nostrils.
"I-I have come seeking your power!" The king managed to utter. The creature released him, dropping him to the ground.
"My kingdom is in peril. A force far greater than I sweeps through this land, consuming all in its path." The king resumed.
"I need your strength. Will you give it to me willingly? Or..." From his scabbard he drew his sword, staring down the beast defiantly.
"Must I take it from you?!""Ha!" The pale creature laughed. With a mere wave of his hand, the young king was thrown backward, smashing into the wall behind him. Again and again, he was tossed around the room, like a child's doll, nary a finger of the beast laid upon him. After a while, the creature finished toying with the king and sent him skittering across the ground, his laughter echoing throughout the mausoleum. The king staggered to his feet, both mesmerized and terrified by the beast's awesome power.
"Such power I can give you, O king." The beast mockingly replied.
"But you must give me something in return.""Then name your price!" Shouted the king.
"What is it you want from me? I will gladly offer it to save my kingdom!"The creature grinned ever so widely, revealing to the king long, sharp canines glinting like daggers in his mouth. In seconds, the beast was upon him, clutching him firmly and preventing his escape.
"Hold still." He snickered.
"This may hurt... a lot."The king recoiled in horror,
"God help me! What are you?!" Without another word, the beast plunged his fangs into the king's neck. Shockwaves of pain emanated through his body, causing him to scream into the dark. His heart pounded against his ribcage, threatening to burst from his chest. Thoughts of killing this horrific creature raced in his mind, alas, the king could not escape his terrible grasp. Even so, with the speed he moved, the king would not be able to reach his sword in time.
A moment or so passed before the creature had drunk his fill and released the young king, letting him crumble to the floor in a heap. The king grasped his neck, writhing in unspeakable agony. His body was numb, yet the two tiny holes in his neck pulsed with unrelenting torment. The creature left him soon after, disappearing into the darkness, his wicked laughter trailing behind. The king's vision faded. Slowly, he drifted away into unconsciousness. The last image in his mind, forever burned into his memory, was that of the horrible creature and his gleaming red eyes.
A few days passed before he was discovered by his men and taken back to the castle. The king awoke in his bed-chamber, lying in a cold, damp sweat. At first, he thought he just had a terrible dream, but as he felt his neck, a chilling realization filled his heart with dread.
He was indeed bitten, and what's more, something was changing inside of him. His once shimmering blue eyes had become crimson red...just like the beast who bestowed his "gift" upon him. His canines had grown long and pointed past his pale lips. He was much stronger than before, even faster. His magic had grown more powerful than he could ever imagine, literally feeling the energy surging through his veins. This power...it was unlike anything he had ever felt. Alas, it had come at a deadly cost.
The day had come. The king and his men set out on what would be their last stand against the invading forces. The queen, with tears in her eyes, begged her beloved king not to go. She knew only death would lay in store for her husband. The young king, however, took her into his arms, embracing her for dear life.
"Worry you not, my love." He whispered, tenderly kissing her soft, rosy lips.
"I will return to you victorious. I will drive these bastards from our land, and together, you and I shall live in peace...forever." As he looked at his wife though, something felt...off about him...an overwhelming urge to bite her frail neck. The feeling was gnawing at him so much, he had to pull himself away from her. As he donned his helm and mounted his horse, he could hear the desperate pleas of his bride echoing through the halls, her woeful sobs lodging a deep pain in his heart. Nevertheless, the king spurred his mighty steed onward, leading a battalion of his finest warriors into the jaws of death once again.
The battle was bloody and vicious. Screams filled the air as the armies clashed with one another, blood spilling and limbs flying. The king's
fury was unmatched. Like a storm, he descended upon whole groups of men decimating them, his eyes burning with madness, his blade and armor dyed with blood. With a wave of his sword, he sent entire ranks flying into the air. Hellfire flew from his fingertips, engulfing his enemies and burning them alive while swarms of bats harried the remaining forces. The king's men stood awestruck. The enemy was devastated by this unnatural force. So terrifying was this new power the king possessed.
Then...it happened...
In an act so horrific, so stomach churning to his knights, the king grabbed one of the men who was trying to escape, a young squire scared out of his wits, begging for his life.
With one hand, the king tore open the boy's chest, ripping out his still-beating heart. He crushed the quivering piece of meat in his hand, squeezing every last drop of blood into his gaping jaws.
The knights were disgusted, their faces ashen and frozen in horror.
Their frightened stares troubled the king.
"What is with you fools?!" He barked, spitting blood and bits of flesh.
"Don't you see we have won?! The enemy is no more! Gransylva is saved! I, your king, have slaughtered our foes and attained victory!""So you have, M'lord." Said one of the knights bitterly, glaring at the king as he drew his sword.
"But Gransylva will not serve under a goddamn vampire!" In an instant, all of his men turned on him, drawing their weapons and charging forth. The king stood taken aback. What did they call him, he thought. His bewilderment soon became anger as mercilessly he cut down every single knight that came at him. When he was finished, he stood over the bodies of his warriors, frightened and ashamed. Brave men who once followed him into the bloodiest of battles...now turned against him in fear of what he had become.
They were not the only ones either...
Soon after, the king raced back to the castle. He tore through the main hall and climbed the steps up to the castle keep, where the queen awaited his return. He threw open the doors, taking her by surprise.
"My king! You've come back to me!" She shouted elated, her elegant gown flowing as she turned to face him, her lovely porcelain face beaming ever so brightly, but then...her smile faded as her eyes fell upon her blood-soaked husband, eyes widening in dismay.
"My love, what is wrong with you?" The king's brow furrowed.
"It is I, your husband. I have returned, just as I had promised. Do you not recognize me, my darling?" Slowly, he approached her, but with every step he took forward, she backed away. He reached out to touch her.
She screamed reeling away,
"No! Stay away from me! What are you?!" "Lamica! Don't be foolish, woman!" Shouted the king.
"It's me, Matthias! Look at me!""No!" Cried the queen, frantically trying to escape him.
"You're not my husband! You're...oh God, I don't even know what you are!""Lamica, I beg you!" The king angrily sobbed. To both his and the queen's dread, his tears had become blood, red and viscous, flowing down his deathly pale cheeks.
"Do not forsake me! Please, come to me!" Once more he reached out to grab her.
The queen, panicking, shoved him away,
"No! Leave me alone!! NO!!" In an instant, her foot slipped out from under her. She stumbled backward...and fell out of the open window.
"LAMICA!!" King Matthias screamed. In a frenzy, he ran down the steps and out to the castle courtyard....where his beloved queen lay in a pool of her blood. The king collapsed to his knees beside her, his very heart torn into pieces. With trembling hands, he picked up her lifeless, broken body, cradling it in his arms as he wept.
"Why, Lamica? Why would you do this to me?" Matthias whimpered. By that time, a crowd of onlookers had gathered around him, mostly the commoners and servants of the castle. They looked upon their king with a mixture of sadness and revile.
"My God! The king, he's...he's a vampire!""We must purge ourselves of this unholy beast!""Someone hurry! Go get the priests!"
youtube.com/watch?v=7Jt0iW8JisAThe king...in that final moment, he was broken. All had turned against him, his knights, his queen, and now his loyal subjects. Slowly he rose to his feet and turned around, staring at the crowd with unbridled hatred.
"So...even you think I am a monster! Is that it?" Matthias snarled through his clenched fangs, his blood-red eyes flashing dangerously.
"I, your king, the one who sacrificed all to save this land, the one who gave everything...EVERYTHING to save you...and YOU have the GALL to call me a monster! Then so be it!" The skies above him turned dark as night in an instant, lightning flashing and thunder growling all around. The crowd stirred, frozen in fear of the vampire's unholy power.
"If a monster is what you think I am....then a monster I shall become! I have no more love to give you! All you shall receive in return...is DEATH!" Suddenly, the ground tore open beneath them, belching flames and thick black clouds of smoke. A horrible screeching filled the air as hundreds of
bat-winged demons spilled out the fiery chasm, descending upon the terrified crowd. The villagers fled, but it was too late as the monsters ripped them all to shreds.
Matthias looked on as the slaughter continued. Even as his loyal subjects were being butchered by these hell beasts, he showed no remorse.
"Kill them all!" He commanded.
"Men, women, children, the old and the young, they will all be subject to my wrath! Do not rest until your bellies are full with their flesh! Then, when you have turned this place into a graveyard, go out and kill even more! Kill in the name of your king!"And so it was, the legend of the Vampire King was born, a king who sacrificed everything to save his land...becoming the very darkness his people feared. Gone was his love, his compassion, his humanity, now replaced with bitterness and hate.
As the years waned on, the skies over Gransylva had darkened, choking out the light of the sun. The king's corruption seeped from beyond the walls of his castle, looming as an ominous shadow across the land. The once fertile soil had become barren. Lush, green forests had turned into withered masses of gnarled, dead trees. The once shimmering lakes and rivers have either dried up or frozen solid.
Those that remain in Gransylva, the "Dead Kingdom" as it is now called, live in fear of their Vampire King, a cruel beast who will not hesitate to destroy them should they disobey. While they suffer in poverty, disease, and starvation, the king remains locked away in his castle, uncaring of their plight. None dare to venture to the castle, for fear of invoking his wrath once more.
Before we begin our descent into this gothic realm, however, let's go over a few things first.
-All players must first apply by posting a CS in the character tab before posting IC. Characters must be approved by the GM beforehand.
-One-liners will NOT be accepted. However, a paragraph or two is acceptable.
-No fighting in the OOC, seriously.
-No overpowered or immortal characters. Despite how skilled or well-trained your character may be, you're still going to take hits, especially in battle. So no metagaming, godmodding, etc.
-No killing other players' characters without the player's consent to do so. Also, be sure to notify the GM of such events.
-Romance is allowed, even encouraged, but keep it tasteful and PG-13 for the thread. Anything past that, you take it to the PMs.
-Feel free to drop out anytime if you need to or just lose interest. It happens. Just make sure you let me or the CO-GM know via thread or PM.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's get to the nitty gritty.
, then you are already accepted and can begin posting IC after you post your CS in the CHAR tab. If not, please post your CS here in the OOC for review. Once your CS is approved, you can begin posting IC. If you have any ideas for races or classes you would like to add, feel free to ask. If approved, they will be added to their respective menus above.
