Post: #1

Count Feldenhaus, disgraced and sorrowful at the defeat of Mannfred's forces, rode his steed up to the gates of Drakenhof, which is where he would meet his new master, Simon Von Carstein.

Feldenhaus dismounted at the courtyard, and stepped into the ruined halls of the once grand fortress. Simon's minions crawled about, and for the first time in quite awhile Feldenhaus felt weak, no longer was he in control, but instead he was forced to serve Simon. Nothing had gone according to plan. Initially Glyre hoped to benefit from Mannfred's demise, but with the way events had taken place, Glyre was put at the mercy of Simon, who gave him the choice of life, or death.

Now, as he walked to confront Simon, one who he had quarreled with before in the past, he couldn't help but wonder how this whole situation would end up. At least before Glyre had always had minions or allies to fall back upon, now he was alone, and defeated. At last, he reached Simon's "audience chamber" within Drakenhof. He open the large doors, where he was met by Simon.
"Glyre, I see we meet again." Simon said, as the two stared at each other.

Post: #2

With a great roar Ancalagan landed in the court yard of Drakenhof. Lowering his head to the ground Simon stepped off his new pet and on to the ground. His body ached from his encounter with The Verdict and even he felt exhausted with one hand he helped Sariah step down. "Go and rest now pet." he said half requesting half commanding "its been a long day." Sariah placed her hand on his cheek and nodded before silently moving away.

The throneroom had not changed in his absence. The wight guard were still at attention as they had been when he left. He sank down into his throne and removed his Hauberk which collapsed into pieces at his touch. The damage was irreparable he would require a new one soon. He turned as Akarin arrived "Akarin contact Nexeternus and summon young Gabriel here I have a job for him." Akarin nodded "yes milord. I see the mission was a success." Simon nodded "yes but these lords of Nagash are starting to get on my nerves. Has there been any word from Nexeternus about the Baalak Gul?" Only that the first warbands of them have been despatched milord." replied Akarin "One has been set on the trail of the one called Mouse the others are coming here." "Good have........." Simon broke off as the doors swung open and Glyre Feldenhaus strode in. "Glyre I see we meet again. Simon said with a smirk.

Post: #3

"Hello, Simon" Glyre said, as he walked towards the throne. "You're little vampire council is really beginning to go after bigger targets, first Mannfred and now Nagash...I almost regret betraying you." Glyre stopped a few feet infront of the throne, he noticed that the Wight Guard began to draw their weapons into slightly defensive positions.
"Don't worry Simon, I won't hurt you...after all, you are my new master." Glyre sated sarcastically, he couldn't tell what affect his words were having on the vampire, but at the moment he wasn't in the mood to be cordial. "And besides, you had to have some reason for keeping me alive."

Post: #4

"Do not address me as an equal you impudent whelp." said Simon calmly "I am Count of Sylvania and your position will depend on what you say here today. But first you can kneel before me and show your almost sincere respect for the house of von Carstein. Refuse and I will bring the full force of my armies down upon you. You and your family will be consumed in fire. Soon all vampires will answer to the von Carsteins or suffer the fate of the damned."

Post: #5

"Hmph, I remember when I called myself Von Carstein...it worked, until Vlad died. I decided I would rather keep my name, and let my image speak for itself." Glyre said. "I will say, however, that the position you put me in is most ironic...and I would be hypocritical to refuse you proper respect-Simon, I am your humble servant." At this Glyre performed an elaborate yet slightly disrespectful bow. Slowly he stood up. Glyre felt uncomfortable bowing to Simon, even if he was doing it sarcastically. "One thing to remember, Simon. My life may be in your hands now, but I can be a much more valuable ally if you show me due respect...I do have assets that could be useful to the council."

Post: #6

"Indeed!" said Simon standing "but if I allow you to rejoin the ranks of your brothers you will have to do alot to gain our trust. Remember you joined forces with Magneqrox, broke into my citadel and murdered members of my family." Coming closer to Feldenhaus he continued "but your worst crime was stealing the crown of sorcery because of your interference it is likely back in the hands of its creator which means you may have a played a part in the destruction of our noble house. Nagash is coming and if we survive the oncoming storm you will stand trial judged by an unbiased judge who is also on his way."

The doors to the throneroom opened and a robed human entered "Milord the first consignment of warpstone has just arrived."

Post: #7

Glyre turned away from Simon and glanced at the human, who glanced from one vampire to the other. Glyre himself began to consider what he would do in regards to his trial...he knew he was guilty of several crimes against the council, and truly did feel it was most unfortunate that his deeds may lead to the enslavement of all vampires.

Meanwhile, within the scorched halls of Castle Gor'Drak, a motley group was holding council, it consisted of Glyre's wife, Emilya, the Necromancer Aramaeus, who carried the head of Kerel Wotchinghof in a jar, and the chaos dwarf Gilgaramesh, as well as several other minions of the Feldenhaus'.
"Everyone, listen." Aramaeus boomed, which immediately silenced the assembled group. "As you are all aware of, our liege, Count Feldenhaus has been made to serve the vampire council, a group that, has for quite some time been our enemy. Unfortunately, they are gaining power, it was they who killed Kerel." At this statement, Aramaeus thrust the head forward, showing it to all assembled
"Well, why don't we simply rescue Glyre?" Emilya inquired, unaware of the danger that would pose.
"Trust me, we aren't going against the council, not now." Aramaeus said, for while Emilya was the supposed leader of the faction while Glyre was away, Aramaeus was the true leader, and merited respect.
"Well, then what do we do? Should we keep working in the Forge, or should we get to work repairing Gor'Drak?" Gilgaramesh questioned.
"You dwarfs can work on repairs, I will raise minions to aid you, and in regards to the Count, well, we won't do anything until we can obtain more information. I don't want to risk anything."

Post: #8

It had been a long journey but Lesa had finally made it back to Drakenhof. She was not in the best of moods, and would have a few choice words to say to the new Count of Sylvania when she saw him
The massive beast had held up well, though chunks of old skin and muscle had dropped up throughout the flight. Both of the other vampires had proved to be less than sociable companions, Dythor still locked inside the insanity of his mind, and V'azrin had remained sullen and withdrawn. She wondered if the other members of the Council had returned, but suddenly she was brought out of her thoughts as a problem loomed.
She had planned to land in the cleared ground in front of Drakenhof, yet she realised now it would not be large enough. The dragon she rode was the size of a small hill, as big as the mighty castle itself. It seemed Simon's smaller beast had managed to fit, but she would have to find somewhere else. To the right she spied another larger clearing in the woods surrounding Drakenhof, which she directed the dragon to. Slowly the dropped, each massive beat of the wings slowing before finally with a thud they landed.
It took minutes for the vampire to disembark and finally they were stood in shadow, artificial darkness created by the bulky beast that stood before them. Looking up at it, Lesa marveled once more before she prepared to realise her magic and out it to sleep. Such a creature was too much of strain to keep it active indefinitely and she could ward it in such a way that only she would be able to reanimate once more. As she slowly withdrew the tendrils of magic she sensed that streams of shadow were mixed in with the necromancy, and she recalled the way her shadow dragon had somehow merged with the beast. It seemed that as she was withdrawing her magic, the shadow dragon was returning from whence it came, yet warped in someway. As light hit her face she looked upwards, and horror spread across her face as she saw what was happening. The ancient dragon, the thing she had fought one of the Dreadlords of Nagash for was crumbling before her face. It literally disintegrated into dust, so fast that she could do nothing but watch. Instead of settling however the dust swirled round as if caught in a whirldwind before rushing towards the Lahmian. Instinctively she raised her hands to protect he face but nothing hit her. Opening her eyes saw with shock the dust was disappearing into her hands, as if it was being drawn in there.
It was all over in mere moments, and they all stood there blinking in the weak sunlight that now shone down on them. It seemed their journey to the Plain of Bones had been nothing but a waste of time.

Post: #9

Simon glanced over at the human "You have done well. Take it down to the vault. Direct all other shipments down there." he commanded. The human bowed and exited the room. "Well!" he said turning back to Glyre "it seems you are going to have a lot to make up for. From now on you will take your orders from me and me alone. You will be held responsible if any of your family or servants get out of line. Serve me well and it will be remembered at your trial which could lead to leniancy. Your first job in my service is to bring me some chaos dwarves skilled in masonry. I have a project that needs that dwarven touch and I know that you have some dealings with them."

Post: #10

Very well, m'lord." Glyre said, as he swept his cape around him and strode out of Simon's hall. He could be very irritating at times, and he took advantage of that fact. In regards to Simon's request, Glyre decided it was best to simply comply, for even he knew that to go against the council now would almost certainly be suicide for anyone short of Nagash himself. As he walked out of Drakenhof's main gate, he glanced a group of vampires near a forested clearing.
More members of the council, no doubt...I best steer clear, lest I make any more enemies today...still, I wonder who they are... Glyre thought, as he turned into a bat, and flew towards the direction of Castle Gor'Drak, he decided he would wait until he returned to find out the nature of the assembled vampires.

After a long while of flying, Glyre returned to the ruins of Gor'Drak, where he observed his chaos dwarf minions busying themselves with repairing the battlements. Slowly, he avoided the castle's main entrance, and flew into the window leading to his tower, which Emilya was currently inhabiting. carefully, Glyre found a clearing amidst the clutter of the room and returned to his normal state.
Glyre walked silently through the room, and opened the door which led to the bedroom, in which Emilya was sleeping.
"I have returned, my love," Glyre whispered, as he knelt down to Emilya, he stroked her dark hair as he observed her rest. Slowly, he got up, and proceeded to the Library, where he would most likely find Aramaeus pouring over some old scroll or grimoire. Without knocking, Glyre strode into the room, where, sure enough, Aramaeus sat with his back to the door.
"Aramaeus!" Glyre boomed, causing the old Necromancer to turn around quickly in his chair.
"M-My lord!" Aramaeus staggered, "I knew you would return, I knew that-" Glyre put a finger to his lips, immediately silencing Aramaeus, who knew better than to disobey his liege.
"Aramaeus, we are currently employed in the service of Simon Von Carstein in the Vampire Council...we will follow their orders, unless they jeopardize our goals, or one of your...projects. Just follow my orders, and we will thrive by the end of this war." Glyre said.
"Yes, lord Glyre, I trust in your judgement." Aramaeus responded. "What is your will?"
"Ready the Black Coaches, and gather Gilgaramesh and two of his Immortals. I will wake my beloved, I expect everything to be ready in the courtyard upon my arrival." At this, Glyre returned to Emilya's chamber, where she was now awake. He gracefully stepped through the door, and for the first time in several weeks, their eyes met, and Emilya began to weep.
"Glyre, oh Glyre, I thought you were gone." She said, as she ran to embrace him.
"Emilya, you know I will always be here. I love you." Glyre held her for a long time, and they began to discuss the events that led to Glyre's current disposition.
"Well, that's okay, as long as we can be free after your service to Simon, but if he makes me be his servant I will-" Emilya fumed, becoming terrified at the thought of being pushed around by someone.
"It's okay, my love." Glyre assured her, eventually, they decided it was time they had best return to Drakenhof, as Simon was no doubt becoming impatient.
From the courtyard, Glyre, Emilya, and Aramaeus boarded on Black Coach, while the dwarfs boarded the other. Slowly, the dark steeds began to pull the coaches forward, and then, while picking up speed, they took to the sky, on their way to Drakenhof.

Post: #11

There was a crack followed by a flash of light. Seconds later the already crumbling corpse of a vampire shot through the doors to the main hall. Smashing into the wall opposite he was a pile of dust before he hit the ground.
Looking up Simon saw Lesa walk into the main hall, her beautiful face set in a scowl. It was plain to see she was in a foul mood.
"It seems some of your underlings forget their places," she said, "they seem to think they can bar my path." Behind her V'azrin entered followed by Dythor who seemed to have settled into a docile state.

Walking up to the Count Lesa found it hard to keep her anger under control. The trip had been a waste, and more so it had shown a failing in Simon she had not liked.
"You have some explaining to do," she hissed, "I do not appreciate been abandoned by a so-called ally, especially to the tender care of a Dreadlord of Nagash!!"

Post: #12

"If you think I'm sacrificing my life and that of my Sariah in an unwinnable battle just a dreadlord then you have another thing coming." said Simon calmly "Enough of us have perished for no good cause. By surviving to fight on I am making their deaths mean something. Sacrificing yourself isn't going to reunite you with Milosh and sacrificing the rest of us isn't going to win the war." He glanced over at the dusty remains of his dead subordinate and signalled. Several skeletons with brooms and brushes immediately set to work removing the dust and taking it away.

Post: #13

"Yes yes, enough of us have died. Your words speak apparent wisdom if not for the fact that you would sacrifice more to save your pitiful hide. Forgive me, but I think that those you abandoned outnumber those you would save by fleeing." Zosz's voice echoed around the chamber emanating from a distance behind Simon, where the Necromancer now stood. Zosz strode out from behind the vampire, drawing glances from those assembled, glances that he ignored.
"But you give their deaths meaning. How utterly noble, you cowardly wretch." Zosz said sarcastically, leaning on his staff with his one arm. "Sometimes I wonder if you even want to win this war, or does the council exist simply to serve your pitiful needs?" Zosz stepped closer to the von Carstein, leaning his empty hood into Simon's face.
"They wont die as quietly as you think."
Stepping back, Zosz waved his staff nonchalantly.
"But this is a discussion for another time, is it not? We are all here, and for that we must be thankful. Now, a seat would be most appreciated, Lord Simon. As you can see I am...missing limbs and regaining them requires a lot of energy on my part."

Post: #14

"I would certainly lose no sleep over your end master zosz." replied Simon calmly "or over the death of Dythor or Graveclaw or Drakki. The council does have a purpose but its not serving my needs. All will be revealed to you all soon and then we'll have no more insults from you.

Post: #15

"Would you lose sleep over anyone?" Zosz asked. "No." He answered his own question and turned away from the von Carstein.
"Excuse me for a moment while I sit in this dark corner. I'm sure you won't be too disappointed that I won't be able to talk much as I re-grow my own limbs."

Post: #16

The Black Coaches flew silently over Sylania until they came to Drakenhof, which was only a short distance away from Castle Gor'Drak. The vehicles began to slow as they circled once, and then landed infront of Drakenhof's grand entrance. The first coach's door opened smoothly, allowing Glyre to step out, followed by Emilya and Aramaeus. The dwarfs, however, had a harder time disembarking, and Gilgaramesh cursed several times, muttering things about "blood-suckers" and "money" and "Time," which went unnoticed by the others.

Glyre and his entourage strode into Simon's throne room, where they saw a necromancer sitting in the corner, along with several other vampires. Simon continued to sit upon his throne.
"Simon...I'm back, as you can see, and I've brought your dwarfs, as well as my wife, Emilya, and my chief Necromancer, Aramaeus." Glyre said, as Emilya glanced around the room, a cross expression on her face. "And who are these characters in the corner?" Glyre inquired.

Post: #17

At Simon's words Lesa's face darkened, and she could not stop the crackle of power that arced around her.
"Do not dare to speak to me of my husband," she spat, "was you there when Arkhan tortured him? Was you there when silver bolts speared his body, cracked his bones? No, you were chasing after that damned trinket of yours.
I would not expect you to sacrifice yourself Simon, it is not in your nature. But there is a difference between sacrifice, and standing by your allies. You did not know nor care that myself or the others had survived against the Dreadlord, you simply left at the first instance. You do not deserve to bear the title and command of the Carsteins."

As Zosz appeared she remained silent as he spoke, before Feldenhaus suddenly appeared. She had not met the vampire before, but Milosh had told her of him.
"Is this who I think it is?" she demanded, "you are allies with a traitor?"

Post: #18

"Its times like this I wish your husband were still here. As he was most agreeable to my plans " Simon snapped starting to lose his patience. "As I recall it was your capture that resulted in his leaving us and as for my so called trinket when I left I was unaware that either of you were gone If I had I would have moved the continents to bring you both back alive and well. It didn't help that we started letting any old thing join the council. As members of the original core started getting picked off others like that half breed Draithon, That blasted cat and that annoying skaven started taking powers for themselves. Remember! When we went to Nagashizzar to rescue Milosh I was the only one that remained true to the quest. The others went off with the first servant of Nagash who came along in the hope of gaining power to destroy him and anyone else they didn't like including me. I have been remarkably patient with the council despite all of the plotting and keeping my family members in line has been most taxing if it weren't for me then Mircea would be in charge and you'd all be dead. So how about cutting me a little slack Lesa do you think you could manage that long enough for us to beat Nagash."

Looking over to Glyre Feldenhaus Simon continued "Glyre here has seen the error of his ways and is anxious to make amends. Our hostility is in the past for the moment. There is no sense in continuing a pointless vendetta I got that out my system when I burned their castle down around them and tasted lady Emilya over there. Also they are von Carstein as well they're family and I need as many nobles as possible to replace the ones I killed to secure my position here."

Post: #19

At Simon's tirade Lesa stared at him, cold eyes boring it his skull.

"So many reasons," she finally said, "so many things you would have me believe. Yes my husband was agreeable, as was I. But answer me this - why did you desert me in the Plain of Bones? Milosh nor I would have done the same to your or Sariah. Mircea? I would have quite happily let the Dreadlord rip him apart, but I thought of all the Council, that the original alliance we made still held strong. It seems I was mistaken." Turning around she walked down the hall,

"Do not worry Count" she said, "at least I am clear where things now stand. I will not trouble you any further." As she walked past Glyre she paused,
"He may have forgiven you. I have not. When this is finished, if you and I still survive I suggest you start running."

Post: #20

"I didn't desert you Lesa you just chose to stay and fight an impossible battle when you could have just left with me. Much as it pains me to say it you have a death wish and the sooner you understand that the sooner you can do something about it." Simon called out to Lesa as she left "You have two choices Lesa go now and rejoin the inferior bloodlines that have plotted my death and the destruction of my house or stay and I in the greatest amount of trust I have ever shown to someone outside my line will reveal the details of the Divine Plan which it seems you're so curious about."