Von Carstein

Vlad von Carstein was the first Vampire Count of Sylvannia, and the first of the von Carstein blood-line. He was dreaded by many as the monster that has brought the darkness upon the lands of Sylvannia after his marriage with Isabella van Drak, daughter of the late Imperial Count Otto von Drak. His bid for power, and the desire to rule the whole Empire as his own has ensured the total collapse of the Imperial province, as well as to herald the beginning of theVampire Wars in 2010 IC.

Though his death signaled the end of the grueling conflict in 2051 IC, the lands of Sylvannia has been forever cursed with the powers of the Undead, becoming the breeding grounds for a multitude of Necromancers, Vampires, and other dark creatures. As the years go by, the land will forever be shunned by the other Imperial provinces, and every other century, another one of Vlad's own blood-line would rise up and challenge the Empire in hopes of fulfilling that which Vlad could not.

Konrad von Carstein was a noble of Sylvania, known for his cruelty, corruption and insanity. He became a vampire at the behest of Vlad von Carstein. After the siege of Altdorf in 2051 IC which saw Vlad killed byGrand Theogonist Wilhelm the Third, Konrad in his rage led his own Undead army on a rampage across the Empire, but was confronted and stopped at the Battle of Four Armies and eventually defeated and killed at the Battle of Grim Moor in 2121 IC.

History
Konrad, a nobleman of Sylvania, had the reputation of being a blood-mad butcher, cruel, merciless and insanely ruthless. He had cats killed for sport, burned villages because they smelled, and had his own mother prosecuted for his birth. Nonetheless, Vlad granted him the Blood Kiss, turning him into a vampire and extending his cruel rule for centuries.

Konrad fought during the Wars of the Vampire Counts under Vlad.

After their leader Vlad von Carstein was killed by Grand TheogonistWilhelm the Third at the siege of Altdorf, the surviving vampires fled back to Sylvania. Five vampires claimed to be the heir of Vlad: Fritz, Hans, Pieter, Konrad and Mannfred von Carstein. Konrad killed one of them, Hans, in a quarrel over who was strongest., the rest quarreled among themselves, except for Mannfred who held the greatest claim to his sire's throne and chose to remain in the shadows while the other contenders destroyed each other then afterwards assumed control as the count of Sylvania.

Konrad, having enslaved a few necromancers to do his will (he wasn't a great sorcerer himself), gathered an army of undead and ravaged the length and breadth of the Empire, which had not yet recovered from Vlad's incursion and was still divided as three claimants fought over who would become the new emperor. Konrad was a cruel and merciless commander, slaughtering everyone who crossed his path. He was the first von Carstein to command Blood dragon Knights, and with the power of these mighty warriors he became nigh unstoppable.

In 2100 IC at the Battle of Four Armies the three claimants to the throne of the Empire combined forces to fight the mad vampire. Konrad was driven back from the gates of Middenheim. The strife not completely forgotten, two of the claimants, Lutwik of Altdorf and Ottilia of Talabecland ordered the assassination of each other during the fray, the third, Helmut of Marienburg was killed by Konrad. With the death of Helmut, Konrad attempted to usurp the throne of Marienburg by using Helmut's lifeless corpse as a puppet. Unfortunately, the magic binding the corpse wasn't potent enough and an eye fell from the former count's skull, exposing Konrad's trickery.

In time, Konrad's madness grew ever more dangerous, to the point even his own necromancers began to fear for their lives. Eventually, the Empire decided to destroy the mad vampire once and for all. In the spring of 2121 IC at the Battle of Grim Moor Fought approximately 50 miles north-west of Wurtbad, the three claimants (their heirs) united forces once again, along with a Dwarf army led by the dwarven hero Grufbad. Their combined force was enough to destroy Konrad's undead army, terrifying the Blood Dragons to subsequently flee the field with the necromancers quickly following. With only Konrad remaining, weak and defeated, the vampire let out a cry of madness, and fled the battlefield. Konrad however was caught and restrained by Grufbad, whilst Helmar, son of Helmut, impaled Konrad with his Runefang, finally ending Konrad's madness and his life.

It should be noted that, while mad, Konrad was no fool. He had several other nobles assassinated for their attempts to undermine him, and knew that treating his allies well would ensure their loyalty. His last battle was in a judicious place, for Grim Moor was a place haunted by wraith and ghosts that proved a huge asset to his army and took an additional toll on the forces that marched against him.