Warhammer Wednesday: Shadows over Sylvania - 2 days to go!

Bloodlines

Blood Dragon

Once noble, mortal paladins, these warrior vampires owe their inhuman immortal nature to Abhorash, first of the Blood Dragons.

Abhorash was the greatest among the captains of Prince Lahmizzar of Lahmia, in ancient Nehekhara, and unlike the rest of the Deathless Court, he preyed only on those deserving of death. When Lahmia fell to the forces of Alcadizaar the Conqueror, Abhorash turned his back on humanity and set off north, vowing to be revenged upon all humankind.

Accompanied by only a few faithful followers, Abhorash went into exile carrying only his weapons and armour. He set about teaching his vampiric vassals that skill in close combat and honour in battle were the only true measures of greatness and that they should only drink from great fighters, claiming that only the impure fed on the weak.

Many years later, atop a great mountain wreathed in eternal flame, Abhorash battled a mighty red dragon. The two monsters fought from nightfall to moments before sunrise, and in the end it was the vampire who was victorious.

Drinking deeply of the dragon’s blood Abhorash rid himself of the need to drink fresh blood. He was now the ultimate warrior, a creature with the strength of a vampire but not cursed with the insatiable thirst shared by his blood-sucking kin. He commanded his brothers to go out into the world and hone their skills in combat until they were strong enough to defeat a dragon. His favourite, Walach Harkon, defeated an entire order of knights of the Ordo Draconis, turning those who fought well into vampires and slaughtering the rest. And so was born the Order of the Blood Dragons.

All Blood Dragon vampire knights seek to emulate their blood-father Abhorash by seeking out the most worthy opponents, to prove both their martial prowess and that they still seek honour in battle, rather than revelling in outright bestial slaughter.

Another Thought for Another Day

This makes me feel better about myself - although I am 41.

Thought for the Day

Shadows over Sylvania - 5 days to go!

Bloodlines

Von Carstein

Little is known and yet many legends are told about the origins of the von Carstein bloodline. Some say that Vlad von Carstein, first Vampire Lord of cursed Sylvania, was the progeny of Neferata’s husband Vashanesh. Others go so far as to claim that Vashanesh and Vlad were one and the same, but there are none alive who can confirm or deny this now, except perhaps for the Dark Queen Neferata herself.

What is known is that in the Imperial year 1797, as Otto von Drak – the last of the mad von Drak Counts of Sylvania – lay dying, with no male heir to succeed him, a great black coach stopped outside Castle Drakenhof and out stepped a towering figure with a mane of black hair and piercing eyes. Introducing himself as one Vlad von Carstein, he recited the list of his noble antecedents and claimed the hand of Otto’s daughter Isabella. The marriage was performed immediately and dominion of the lands of Sylvania passed from the von Drak family to Vlad von Carstein.

Many of the other aristocratic families of the region objected to being ruled by an outsider, but any such dissidents were soon silenced. In fact, the new count seemed less oppressive than the von Draks of old. People readily turned a blind eye to Vlad’s eccentricities and ignored the cloaked strangers that were always visiting the castle, along with the foreigners from the east that steadily replaced the Drakenhof household. Soon Vlad held Sylvania in a strong grip and the province prospered.

Vampires of the von Carstein line are the true aristocracy of the night, possessed of an aura of dark majesty. The bestial side of their vampiric natures also grants them a particularly close affinity to the creatures of the night, such as wolves and bats.

500 WORDS is back!

Gamebook Friday: A Unique Opportunity

Due to a combination of various unfortunate factors, Family Green are on the move again and downsizing into the bargain. However, this could be of benefit to you if you are a gamebook fan, or indeed a fan of the Black Library or Pax Britannia steampunk novels.

I am selling off some unique items, proofs of various gamebooks and novels, and the like. Oh, and I'm also selling my 2000AD collection. If you think you might be interested in one of these, click on the item in the list below and you'll be taken to the relevant eBay listing.

Magestorm - A Warhammer novel

Necromancer - A Warhammer novel

The Dead and the Damned - A Warhammer novel

Torben Badenov - Warhammer short stories

Nathan Creed - Necromunda short stories

Iron Hands - A Warhammer 40,000 novel

Human Nature - A Pax Britannia novel

Night of the Necromancer - A Fighting Fantasy gamebook

Howl of the Werewolf - A Fighting Fantasy gamebook

2000AD collection

Gamebook Friday: Shadows over Sylvania - one week to go!

That's right, the wait is almost over! Shadows over Sylvania is released on Friday 8 February as a Direct Exclusive from the Black Library.

Keep an eye out over the coming week for some more teasers about what you can expect to find in the book (like the one below) and make sure you're back here next Friday for the big reveal of the book's cover!

Bloodlines

Lahmian

Lahmian vampires are directly descended from the mother of all vampires Neferata, Dark Queen of the Cursed City of long-lost Lahmia herself.

After her city was destroyed by the Kings of Nehekhara, Neferata fled with her minions to the mountain known as the Silver Pinnacle. Having driven out the Dwarfs that were already living in the mountain, the arch-vampire queen established a new court. She still rules there now, as leader of a Sisterhood of enchantingly beautiful vampires.

Secrecy, cunning and intrigue are the preferred weapons of the Lahmians, where others would choose to use brute strength and savage violence. They take an active interest in human affairs, seeking to sway the political powers of the human kingdoms to do their will. As a result, the Lahmians have sunk their talons – and their fangs – into all levels of human society. No one knows how many eccentric old noblewomen, widows of princes and aristocrats, and high-born ladies who shun the light of the sun, are in truth part of Neferata's coven.

Neferata’s name, translated from the ancient Nehekharan tongue, means ‘She who is beautiful in death’. Vampires of her get use their seductive powers and hypnotic beauty to beguile others into aiding them in their nefarious schemes. Lahmians are also mistresses of magic, and are able to move with preternatural swiftness.