Star Iron - A Vampire Epic

Balfor

The horses stopped far before reaching it to Ludvagh's castle because the icy road caused one to break a leg. Balfor and Maul left the carriage driver to feast on the dying horse, then take the other back to the manor. When they reached the gate of the castle, they were greeted by a vile creature, a stumpy, green wart-infested goblin pulled on a chain which opened the gate.

"He still uses the filthy things?" Balfor asked as he looked back at the creature lowering the gate. "They deserve to go back into the caves."

More goblins greeted them at the front door, guards with short swords. When the door swung open, Ludvagh waited in the dimly lit hall. A much older vampire, he hunched a little and carried less muscle, but his eyes watched his guests more carefully than a spryly youth.

"Ah, boys," Ludvagh said. "It's a treat to have you in my humble home."

"Seems the stormy shores of Casterly Lake are still frozen," Maul said.

Ludvagh nodded, then gestured to the stairs, "I'm eager to show you. Your father will be most pleased."

"I hope," Balfor said. "He's been very unpleased by everything lately."

They followed Ludvagh up several flights of stair covered with red carpets. Every window they passed was frozen over and gave little view to the enormous lake which the castle perched over. They came to the tower of the castle where the stair got tighter together and spiraled straight to the top.

In the chamber at the top of the tower were tons of desks covered with tools and instruments. Chains hung from the ceiling, holding various objects, and vials bubbled and brewed with colorful smoke rising to the ceiling with a window, half shuttered, and letting in small flakes of snow. A few goblins worked around the room, not paying any attention to the vampires.

Ludvagh gestured for them to come to one of the desks where something resided under a brown cloth stained with a myriad of colors. He pulled it aside to reveal a meaty construct underneath. It was shaped like a person, but its parts at pieces were patchwork of different flesh.

"What the fuck is this Ludvagh?" Maul asked as he took a step back with a disgusted jeer.

"I call them goleum," Ludvagh said with the largest smile they'd ever seen on the mad man's face. "I've learned to piece different parts together, much like a mage's chimera, and bring them to life."

"You've brought them to life?" Balfor asked as he inspected the body on the table.

Ludvagh walked over to one of the windows and pulled the wool curtain aside. Far out in the distance, they could see lights around the entrance to a mine.

"I've got them working the mines for me," Ludvagh said. "They can carry a lot more than these little shits." He picked up a small stone and threw it at one of the goblins in the room. The stone hit it, but it continued to work. "My original goal was to bring a soul from the plane, but that doesn't seem to be what's happening. There will be another storm soon, we'll come back then, and I can show you how it works."

"I'm going to find a chamber to rest," Maul said. "Come get me if your storm arrives."

Maul left the room in a haste while Balfor trailed behind Ludvagh who took him to the study. A fireplace nearly the size of an entire wall burned with whole logs. Bookshelves lined the opposing wall and multiple round tables occupied the space in between. Ludvagh took a seat and snapped a finger which beckoned a goblin in a black suit to approach them.

"Human, please," Ludvagh said as Balfor sat across from him and the goblin raced off. "So, Sil Goldmoon has fallen into tough times?"

"Everyone has," Balfor explained. "All the high houses are a mess. I believe father looks to exploit the others in their times of woe to pull himself out of his own."

"He should take a lesson from our brethren in the south," Ludvagh said. "Go to war when times are tough. Even the damned humans know that and do it to each other."

"I believe that's what he intends to do," Balfor said. "A war on the other houses."

"How foolish," Ludvagh said. "I meant a war on humans. When the king in the south grows thin on slaves or needs to quell rebellion, he goes to war on the humans. It gives everyone something to do, brings in new slaves, and there is plenty to feed on."

"But there is no way we could win a war against all the humans," Balfor said. The goblin in the suit returned and placed two glasses on the table then began to pour a red liquid from a bottle.

"Winning a war is all in interpretation," Ludvagh said after taking the first drink. "Just enough war to fill the slave quarters and the butcher blocks."

"So, the king in the south does this?" Balfor asked, taking his first sip. The sweet liquid raced through his veins and caused his head to buzz gently and euphorically.

"Has for many generations," Ludvagh said.

"And he's really been able to escape the death of age this entire time?" Balfor asked.

"Most vampires get an extra two hundred ages to the human span before turning," Ludvagh said. "Some stories claim that the king is more than five thousand ages. Some stories even claim that the king was among the original vampires."

"How does he do it?" Balfor asked.

"If I knew, I'd be doing it myself," Ludvagh said. "Pacts with devils? A supreme magic? Connections to gods I know nothing of. There are many ideas, but he'll never share his secret."

"Well, at least we can use his strategy," Balfor said then finished his glass which made his head swim. A cackle of thunder resonated through the castle causing Ludvagh to finish his own glass and raced out of his chair.

"Retrieve Maul," Ludvagh shouted at the suited goblin. It made a croaking sound as it slowly hobbled off.

In the tower chamber, Ludvagh's goblin assistants tugged at the chains causing the ceiling shutters to slide open. They grinded against the metal railways. A heavy gust carrying snow swept through the room causing all the papers the flutter, but stone weights were placed over all of them. Forks of lightning spread out above the tower and thunder sounded like the snapping of trees.

"You see the warm winds come from the sea inlet to the south and mix with the frosty weather of the lake," Ludvagh shouted over the thunder. "It causes storms quite frequently."

The assistants began pulling on a chain that caused a metal rod to extend up and out of the hole in the ceiling. Metal wires hung from the metal rod and were attached to the goleum that Ludvagh had shown them earlier. Maul entered the chamber and sneered at the howling wind.

"Stand back, boys," Ludvagh said and gestured for them to stand where the goblins resided. Maul glared at them as they walked over to stand by them "Don't touch any metal please."

Ludvagh finished pulling the chains while wearing thick leather gloves. As the pole finished ascending, a flash of lightning reached out and wrapped around the town. It flared through the iron chains and coursed through the flesh. The muscles twitched and joints began to jerk long passed the lightning leaving.

The beast took in a deep breath then out a painful groan as it lifted itself up. Bulbous eyes opened to observe the room. Filled with fear and shock, the eyes darted back and forth until the creature brought its hands rub to rub at its eyes.

"You're the calmest one I've ever seen," Ludvagh said as the goleum slowly looked up to him. "I'll call you, Victor. You Victor are going to marvelous things." He turned back to the goblins who were closing the roof shutters. "Take it to get cleaned up."

"Mines?" one of the assistants hissed.

"No," Ludvagh said. "I believe that we might have different plans." Ludvagh looked to Maul and Balfor with a wide grin.