Sanguinia - Ladislav Mircea

Ladislav Mircea is terribly ugly, his horrifying visage reflecting his devilish nature. His skin is leprocy-white, and his sunken yellow eyes are bloodshot. His head is completely bald, with large, pointed ears; twisted, almost monstrous face; and a thin-lipped mouth with protruding yellow, crooked fangs. Mircea's appearance alone is a reason for a horror check.
Ladislav is about 6' tall, but is slightly hunched. He wears the heavy, black robes of priesthood, and an inverted iron cross is hanged from an iron chain on his neck. Ladislav speaks in a husky, dried voice. Interesting enough, though the vampire has no reflection in mirrors, he does cast a shadow - that of a demonic being, with horns and huge bat-wings.

Mirce hates his own viasage, and is therefor seldom seen. When he does appear in public, he reveals as little of himself as possible. Therefor, most people do not know what he looks like, though most believe he is terrible to behold.

Ladislav was originally born on Gothic Earth, in the year 1350, in the southern ranges of Russia. He had been orphaned as a child, and was adopted by the monks in the local church, who sought to educate him in the ways of their religion. The monks meant well, but as they all were elderly men, they had no experience in the raising of children. Ladislav's formerly vibrant and joyful spirit was crushed under the monks' harsh orders and frequent punishments. While other children played happily in the sunlight outside, Ladislav was trapped among the bleak, cold stone walls of the monastery, forced to copy ancient texts, dust the corridors, or attend masses he cared nothing about. He never had true friends, never enjoyed the company of children of his age. At his teen-years, he would have watched loving couples walk under the stars, while the only love he was allowed to know was the love of his god. As a result, Ladislav became a sullen, bitter young man, who nurtured a burning but deeply depressed hatred toward the church and everything it stood for.
Of course there was no way for him to express those feelings without getting severely punished, so he kept them hidden in his heart, where they swelled and boiled. Outwardly, he played the role of the lonely, reclusive scholar, and pretended to be a faithful, even zealous believer. His pretense was so convincing, that when he was 25 years old he was granted a priesthood and a small chapel of his own.

But Ladislav's soul burned with the desire to avenge himself at the religion who ruined his life. He threw himself into studies, anxious to find some power strong enough to bring down the church and its god. Then, one day, he found a book describing a being called "Satan", or "The Devil". Fascinated, Ladislav figured that the Devil was the antithesis to everything he had been forced to unwillingly worship and serve during for all his life. The Devil for him represented freedom - the freedom to do everything he has never been allowed to, to give in to passions which he has always been ordered to depress, to enact the most horrid deeds from the darkest corners of his soul. If there was a being worth to be worshipped, decided Ladislav, this is certainly the all-powerful Devil and not that weakly pathetic god of the monks.

Ladislav channeled all his acquired devotion and persistence toward the worship of the Devil. Initially, he was alone in his faith, carrying his dark rituals and ceremonies in the dead of night, when nobody else has been with him in the church. Then, gradually, he located and assembled more worshippers, mainly people who had some grudge or bitterness toward the church. Ladislav's church became a place of duplicity: by day, he would carry the religious ceremonies and prayers along with his innocent flock; by night, these would be replaced by bloody orgies of violence and debauchery, sacrifices to the Devil, and any manner of possible blasphemy. Only Ladislav's handful of Satanists knew about the true, hideous side of their priest.

During the decades to come, Ladislav's worship became more and more pronounced, his powers stronger and stronger. He ahd a larger cathedral built from the funds raised through his foul deeds, and the defiled place drew even more followers. Imps and demons, servants of the Devil, answered to his summonings; tortured spirits of the damned whispered in his ears secrets from the dark beyond. And then, one dark night, when he was alone in the long-ago defiled cathedral, the Devil himself came to him.
The Devil expressed his satisfaction from Ladislav's acts. Then he told him that there was one more service he demands, and that should Ladislav succeed in carrying it out properly, he would be granted the greatest reward.
Ladislav's blasphemous acts against the church, said the Devil, had weakened the grasp of God upon this part of the land, and that has at last given the Devil a chance to finally escape his prison in Hell and walk unhindered upon the earth! In order to be released, though, the Devil needed a mortal body to possess while entering the world, while the mortal's soul would take his place as the ruler of Hell.
When Ladislav expressed his eagerness to volunteer his body as the Devil's vessel, the Devil gave him exact orders about what he has to do. Then, he clawed at his own arm, spilling his blood into a basin usually used for holy water. Ladislav took the basin and sipped deeply, feeling the boiling blood making its course through his veins, filling him with terrible pain and terrible power, transforming him. When the pain was over, the Devil has gone, and Ladislav had become a vampire.

Ladislav spent the following years in preparations for the great event, which was scheduled to happen on a very specific night under very particular stars' constellations, which reach the desired positions only once in a hundred years. For Ladislav, now immortal, thid mattered little. Ladislav's physical appearance didn't change significantly upon his transformation into a vampire, so he could still pass as a human. Still, he didn't want to take unrequired risks, so he secluded himself in his cathedral and refused to admit any visitors or worshippers, except for his faithful Satanists. The local village buzzed with rumors concerning the mysterious behavior of their priest, but even the darkest of them didn't come close to the terrible truth.
The crucial part of the Transpossesion Ritual required that Ladislav commit an act hideous even by vampires' standards: he had to drain the life blood of no less than hundred pure souls, all in one night! As the night of the ritual drew close, the vampire took great care in selecting the intended sacrifices, searching for the purest souls he could find: priests, knights, virgins, even young children and babies. Then, when the faithful night was at hand, he issued invitations for all the selected victims, calling them to attend a great mass in honour of their god. He personally made sure that none would be amiss.
On that night, the longest night of the year, the unsuspecting pilgrims gathered in Ladislav's cathedral, expecting a glorious ceremony. When the last of them took his place, the doors were slammed shut. Frozen wind howled furiously, extinguishing the myriad candles and lamps, throwing the church into complete darkness. Then, an unholy laughter echoed among the walls, and Ladislav Mircea appeared behind the altar, accompanied by two of the church's former monks. Black candles on the altar burst into life with red flames, their glow shining on the priests' white, sharp fangs. Holy symbols burned and melted away. The holy water in the basins turned into blood. Servants of the Devil, unseen among the shadows, took their positions around the horrified crowd, preventing escape.
And then the massacre began. One by one, holy man and women were dragged screaming to the defiled altar, to have the monster behind it feed on their heart blood and send their souls to damnation. With each feeding, Ladislav felt his power growing, his body changing one more time, gradually starting to reflect the hideous form of the being who used him as a gateway into the world. He cried in extacy and mocked the crowd, gloating at the incompetence of their god who could not save them.

As he was about to drain the last victim's lifeblood, the cathedral's doors burst open, and an army of knights stormed in. Some had to avert theirt eyes from the hideous sight, but the more string of heart sped forward, their blades raised against the inhuman menace. Mircea dropped the girl he was to kill, and, drunk with an unhuman rage, fell upon the intruders. He cast aside the warriors, unheeding their blades, revelling in his new found strength, unaware of the horror his visgae wrought. As he threw the last knight into a corner, an older priest stepped forward.
Ladislav turned to the priest with a burning hatred, and was about to sink his teeth in the holy man, as the elder spoke.
"You have gone from the light to the dark, Ladislav"
The voice sounded sad, almost caring.
"You have turned from the side of God to that of the powers of evil, and for that, you have lost yourself. I feel pity for you, Ladisdlav Mircea, for forever you will bear the evil on your face. Behold!"
With this, the priest cast out his arms, and with that, the lights in the cathedral intensified to a blaze. At that moment of brightness, Ladislav saw himself in all his wickedness reflected in the countless windows of the cathedral. From each tiny reflective surface, a hideous, malformed face turned back at him. He staggered momentarily, as his visage bore into his mind and set loose all his fears. Again, the knightly forces attacked, their blades biting into the vampires body. Mircea, horrified beyond reason, threw his arms up and invoked the raw power of his devotion, a force he would never had called upon in a same mind.
The blast wiped out most of the cathedral. Knights, priests, and cultists were thrown about, the one closest to Mircea were incinerated. When the rolling fire had diminished, the few survivers found the vampire lord gone.

Mircea was not dead, however. The invocation had hurled the vampire into the astral plane. There, Mircea's unconscious form drifted through the ages. How long Mircea's body floated about is unknown. His body, radiating an evil menace, was left alone by the plane's denizens. Eventually, it was drawn into the demiplane of dread. When he finally awoke from his torpor, Ladislav found himself buried in the crypt of a blasted cathedral not unlike the one he had in his homeland. He was not on Gothic Earth, however, but in the domain Krioso, a still young island of terror completely surrounded by mists.

After his arrival in Ravenloft, Mircea was convinced the gods had tried to trick him out of his rightful ascension. He tried all the magic he could muster to leave, but none worked. For years he dwelled in the destroyed cathedral, researching ways to thwart the mists, occasionally leaving his abode to prey upon the people. Initially he pursued the goblin tribes that lived near the cathedral, but when the pests found ways to evade him, Ladislav focused on the human villages that lay on the other side of the mountain.
This didn't go unnoticed, and when the word reached the land's lord, Vorst Nicolai Guinov, he sent out a squat of his best men to destroy the vampire. Ladislav easily dispatches the soldiers, and after determining the source, he made his way to Castle Guirgiu, where, in a surprisingly short battle, he defeated Guinov, casting his body in the icecold waters of lake Argus. Taking control of the domain, he now became the new darklord.
From then on, the domain was known as Sanguinia, and the thugs that were quick enough to ally with the new master now rule the domain as the Blood of Mircea.
Mircea has never given up the hope to escape the demiplane. When the Grand Conjunction came, he was ready to perform a ritual that would assure his ascencion to divine status. Unfortunately for him, before he could finish it, a band of heroes made the Grand Conjunction collapse, and he was drawn back into Ravenloft.

When Mircea wants to close the borders, the mists turn back anyone who enters them, thus preventing escape. When in a foul mood, a blinding snowstorm encircles the domain, driving back all that would leave.

Mircea has been the master of the domain for more than three hundred years. He is far more powerful than other vampires, though, and can be considered a patriarch.
Having the powers of both a nosferatu vampire and a priest of the Devil at his command, Ladislav Mircea is a terrible foe indeed.
In spite of his withered appearance, Ladislav is as unnaturally agile and strong as any of his kind. He attacks twice per round with his long fingernails, inflicting 2d4+8 points of damage per successful hit. If both strikes hit on the same round, Ladislav may seize his victim and draw him or her for an automatic bite. The nosferatu's vicious bite inflicts 1d6 points of damage, and enables Ladislav to start drain his victim's blood and constitution, reducing his HPs with 1d4 and his Con with 2 points for each round of feeding. After starting feeding on a victim, Ladislav becomes so consumed by bloodlust that he won't release him or her until either the victim dies, or Ladislav suffers 10 points of damage in a single round. Ladislav may also fall into a blood-frenzy if he either smells or sees an open wound or another source of blood, and fails his saving throw vs. paralyzation in -4. If he both sees and smells the blood, the saving throw is made with -8 penalty. While in blood frenzy, the vampire attacks twice the usual number of attacks per round with +4 bonus to hit and damage, but suffers a -2 penalty to his armor class. He will do anything possible in order to reach the blood source, unless it is obviously self-destructive (such as stepping into a sunlight). Ladislav has to consume twice the normal amount of blood required by other vampires in order to satisfy his terrible thirst.
Mircea's gaze does not charm his victims, but instead paralyzes them. Ladislav may send telepathic orders to the paralyzed victim, which have the same affect as of a Command spell. He may change at will into any of the following forms: a man-bat form, which looks somewhat like the hybrid form of a werebat; a beast form, which doesn't look like any specific beast, but has a long fur, powerful jaws and limbs, and a horrid beastly head; and a crimson death form. In all of those shapes, Ladislav still appears as a monstrous, twisted being. He can summon and control wolves, bats, owls, rats, dogs and the like.
Mircea is not harmed by sunlight, but hates it with a passion. He can only be turned as a 'special' undead, and only be lawful good priests or paladins.
The only true weakness of the vampire are mirrors. When presented with his own reflection, all sane reasoning is abandoned, and, if he fails a saving throw vs spells, Mircea is forced to flee if possible. For 1d4 rounds thereafter, the vampire can be hit by any weapon, magical or not. All attacks are +4 to hit. Also, during this period he cannot shapeshift, control minions, or employ his gaze.
Regardless of his mental state, Mircea regenerates 5 hp per combat round. If brought down to 0 hit points, he turnes into a foul smelling fog, which will then try to reach his resting place in either castle Giurgui or in the Thunder Cathedral as quickly as possible.

However, Ladislav can never be totally destroyed while the Thunder Cathedral still stands. As long as the structure exists, Ladislav will regenerate from the tiniest scrap, even when reduced to ashes.

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