Friday Encounter: Fear the Dread Vampire Lord!

This encounter may take place in any civilized area.

Background

Lord Hugo von Dern is a nobleman of no great wealth or influence, and with the paucity of moral character to match. His greed has led him to exert high tithes on his vassals while giving little to them in return, and because his castle sits on an island in a river - the only spot for miles that can easily be crossed - he has leveraged his strategic location to set up a lucrative toll gate in order to extract still more wealth from travelers passing through. The servants who work in Hugo's keep and till the land outside have suffered under his predations, but despite the fact that their lord has only a small castle and a handful of knights at his disposal, no one would dare to attract his ire. Hugo has discovered that such defenses are not necessary as long as he can weaponize the peoples' fears and superstitions against them!

Although he is an ordinary mortal man, Lord Hugo claims to be a powerful vampire, taking advantage of the fear his vassals have for the creatures of the night. To this effect, he has constructed an elaborate ruse, so much so that only a select handful of people close to him know the truth. He keeps to himself and refuses to appear in the sunlight - and, having grown so protective of his secret that he would rather resort to murder before admitting his mortal weakness, he demands a "blood tithe" from his people. But when the PCs come by, will the truth come out?

The Encounter

The PCs should come across Lord Hugo's castle - a small but well-fortified edifice that sits on an island in the middle of a river. The river is too wide to cross easily at any other nearby point, forcing travelers to cross through the castle gates to reach the other side without having to take a lengthy detour. Originally, a pair of bridges linked the island to both shores, but Hugo has had them replaced by embankments damming the river instead (as everyone knows, a vampire cannot cross running water, so this gives him a convenient excuse if he was to be caught off the island).

In order to cross from one side of the river to the other, travelers must pay a toll at the castle gates of 5 GP per leg - that is, 10 GP for every humanoid and 20 GP for every horse or other four-legged animal. If anyone complains about the price, the guards admit that it's too high, but Lord Hugo insists upon it, and they are too fearful of his evil power to dare to oppose him!

In addition to the keep, the walls of the castle enclose an inn with an attached stable and blacksmith shop for any travelers, and a few houses where Hugo's vassals live (the castle was built with servants' quarters, but they are hesitant to use them, fearing the "vampire's" fell influence). If you want the party to stay at the inn, you may consider having them come upon the castle as night falls.

PCs who ask around town or stay at the inn will discover that the denizens of the castle are struggling under the heavy burden of their lord's taxes, but they all firmly believe Lord Hugo to be a vampire, and they are too afraid of him to do anything about their situation. Only Mort, a stable boy regarded as the village idiot, has suggested that he might not be a vampire at all, citing that no one has ever seen him turn into a bat or drink anyone's blood, but who would believe him?

The party should also discover that each month, Hugo demands one resident of the castle and the surrounding lands, chosen via a lottery, to be delivered to the keep, where his knights lead them to the dungeons. The condemned are never seen again, and it is common knowledge that Hugo feeds on their blood to sustain his perverse immortality.

This month, it was Matilda, the daughter of a miller from a nearby homestead, who was chosen. She was delivered to the castle just the day before. Her mother is staying at the inn, where she laments the cruel fate that has befallen her family.

Two additional rumors may be imparted at this time. One is that Lord Hugo is in the possession of a curious magical artifact - a brass head that speaks like a man, and possesses great wisdom. Of course, no one is brave enough to see this for themselves. The other holds that one villager caught sight of a shadowy figure wheeling a cart out of the castle gates late at night last month.

The Keep

There are a number of ways the PCs may wish to progress from this point. If they wish to pay the toll and continue on their way, they may. If they wish to investigate the matter further, they will likely need to find a way into Hugo's keep.

At any given time, the gates of the keep are blocked by two of his four knights. Roll 1d4 twice to determine who is present each time the PCs approach, rerolling duplicate results. The other knights may be found inside the castle. Although they bear swords and shields, the knights have the stats of thugs, as Lord Hugo does not spare the money to properly equip them with full harness.

1. Sir Otho is a tall, broad-shouldered man of imposing presence, with a thick, dark beard and a booming voice. Gruff and stern, he will seek to intimidate anyone who he feels isn't worthy of his time, and will only respect those of noble birth. He fears Hugo's alleged powers, but considers a vampire a better ally than an enemy and doesn't question his orders. If he learns that Hugo is not a vampire, he will be offended by his dishonor and dishonesty, souring his respect for his liege, and this may be used to convince him to rebel. His coat of arms shows three wavy red pales (ie. vertical lines) on a gold field.

2. Sir Lyndon is a thin, hollow-cheeked man with a few wispy red hairs clinging to his chin. Although he is a firm believer in honor and valor, feeling it is a knight's honor to defend the weak from those who prey upon them, he dares not challenge Hugo because he is a coward when it comes to forces he cannot understand - as such, he is distrustful of magic-users and would never dare to engage magical creatures or the undead. He is willing to entertain requests for an audience with Hugo that come from anyone he doesn't suspect to be a magician, however. If he learns that Hugo is not a vampire, however, he will have no reason to fear him any longer and will jump at the chance to punish his misdeeds. His coat of arms is divided by half vertically, with the left side blue with the image of a rearing unicorn in white and the right side gold with the image of an eagle in black.

3. Dame Helene is a stoic woman who rarely betrays any strong emotions - all she's concerned with is doing her job, and she doesn't question the orders she receives. She believes that her loyalty is more important than who it is she's loyal to, and she stands by Hugo whether she agrees with what he's doing or not. She will be willing to entertain requests for an audience with Hugo, but will turn away those who approach with open hostility in the name of protecting her master. If she learns that Hugo is not a vampire, her opinions on him won't change one way or the other - he's still her master, after all, and she is still honor-bound to serve him. Her coat of arms bears the image of a white ram's head on a black field, surrounded by three gold four-pointed stars.

4. Sir Cedric is a young knight, only recently appointed to his position when the knight he was a squire to died in a hunting accident. His youth shows on his face as well as in his demeanor - he has yet to understand the responsibilities of his position and doesn't take the code of etiquette and chivalry seriously, often acting rude and boorish, though he also hasn't gotten used to the ego trip that comes with his position and insists that non-nobles defer to him. He is more likely to act in his own interest than in Hugo's, and he refuses to listen to anyone who doesn't show him what he believes is the respect he is owed. If he learns that Hugo is not a vampire, he will only be swayed to one cause or another if he can be convinced he can benefit from it in some way (for instance, he may side against Hugo if he feels he may come to possess his wealth and authority through doing so). His coat of arms has a white bend (a diagonal line) on a green field, with a gryphon overlaid upon it.

If the PCs manage to convince the knights to let them in, or if they break into the castle by force, they will find that Lord Hugo has gone great lengths to posit himself as a powerful vampire. All the windows are blocked by heavy curtains, and all the mirrors are covered so that his true nature isn't given away by his reflection (he claims they're covered because they serve no purpose now that he's a vampire). He has even taken to letting a few bats live in the castle and roost from the ceilings "for effect".

PCs who encounter Lord Hugo in the flesh will find that he has a penchant for theatrics, boasting about his fearsome power and gloating of how no one can threaten him. He is, however, still a nobleman, and he will be willing to entertain requests for an audience from fellow nobles or knights, or any travelers who treat him politely (and who he feels will be gullible enough to fall for his act). He will see to them in the great hall, offering to do so over a meal if they wish. PCs of noble birth will also be allowed to stay in a guest room (he has several), but Hugo will not allow them to explore the castle unless accompanied by a knight, and under no circumstances are they allowed to visit the dungeons or his private quarters.

If he is questioned about his treatment of the townspeople, he will insist that they have no grounds to complain, for they couldn't possibly do anything to stop him, and will insist that anyone sticking their nose too far into his business go on and leave if they're so upset about it. He is quick to deny any allegations that his vampire act is a ruse, and will get nervous and defensive if presented with evidence. He also denies owning a brazen head, as he fears that it may betray him if anyone else asks it questions. 

Hugo's coat of arms is a white field with a wide red fess (a horizontal line) in the middle, bearing the image of two crossed swords in gold. If they become necessary, his stats are as a noble.

Also in the castle is Ulf Hartmann, a mute servant who is the only one besides Hugo himself who knows of his secret. Hugo trusts Ulf not to betray his true nature because he can't speak. Ulf serves Hugo out of fear, and is willing to share his secrets with the PCs, including where he is keeping the bodies of Hugo's victims, if he can be assured he won't face retribution.

Ulf carries several keys on his belt - one leading to the dungeon, one leading to Hugo's bedchamber, and one each for each of the five cells in the dungeon. These locks can also be picked with a DC 15 DEX check using thieves' tools.

Aside from Hugo and the knights, the castle is home to five servants, who cook and clean but otherwise keep strictly to their quarters and avoid dealing with the nobles. Hugo keeps them out of his private quarters, which he cleans himself, and the dungeon, which he has Ulf attend to. One maid, however, claims that she once caught sight of the brazen head in the lord's bedchamber.

Matilda, the miller's daughter, is locked in a cell in the dungeons with her hands tied with rope. She believes Lord Hugo to be a vampire and fears for her life.

The Clues

Although Hugo has taken great pains to conceal his secret, there are a few pieces of evidence in and around the castle that will point to his true nature:

• Each month, Hugo murders the villagers sent to him for the blood tithe by cutting their throat with a knife, and Ulf disposes of their bodies by carrying them out in the night in a wheelbarrow and burying them just outside the castle walls. He isn't allowed to leave the castle otherwise. None of the other servants or knights are aware of this arrangement. However, if the PCs can gain Ulf's trust and have measures to sneak him out of the castle, he will show them the spot he's using to bury the bodies.
• On the lower level of the castle, opposite the door to the dungeon, is another, unlocked door that leads to a crypt in which many of the previous lords of the castle (Hugo claims, falsely, they are his ancestors) are buried. Hugo has an uncovered coffin here that he claims is filled with earth from his birthplace, though he insists that he prefers sleeping in his bed. He is willing to show this to the PCs if asked. A DC 25 Investigation check will determine that the earth in the coffin isn't packed down, suggesting that it has never been slept in. However, this investigation will take time and Hugo will try to cut it short if he is present at the time.
• Furthermore, Hugo has a library in the castle that he is willing to let the PCs visit if they are his trusted guests. Among the books are several on local legends and superstitions, many of which discuss vampires, their powers, and their weaknesses, and these pages are worn and dog-eared compared to the others. There is also a record of deeds that states that Hugo came to own the castle because it was awarded to him as a gift by the local baron, and that his family did not own the land before him. Despite this, A DC 25 Nature or Investigation check will be able to determine that the earth in his coffin matches that of the soil outside, meaning it can't be from where he was born.
• Hugo's bedchamber contains an uncovered mirror on a vanity, on which is set a small knife he uses to shave with. A DC 15 Investigation check will determine there are hairs present on the blade and around the vanity, indicating Hugo can see his reflection and uses it to shave. The vanity also contains a silver necklace inlaid with rubies, worth 150 GP. Also in the bedchamber is a brazen head that will truthfully answer any question posed to it.

Further Developments

If the PCs manage to prove Hugo is not a vampire, the townspeople and any knights they are able to convince to side against him will revolt. The revolution can easily overpower him, and he will be hanged from the well in the middle of the castle courtyard. Alternatively, you may wish to have him escape so that he can become a recurring adversary for the campaign - surely, he would wish revenge on those who exposed his secret.

With Hugo out of the picture, a power vacuum will develop in the castle. The four knights are those most entitled to the fief, but with each of them having very different goals and priorities, they may squabble amongst each other for dominance - a struggle the PCs may become embroiled in; if they make alliances with any of the knights, the knights will expect their new allies to stand by them.

One possible development is for the knights to hold a tournament to determine who will inherit the castle. Depending on the actions of the PCs or the sides they took, they may be invited to participate, or they may choose to be involved themselves.