A Treaty of Blood

This first section describes the background of the mystery and the conflicts on which it is based. This is followed by an invitation to kick off the session and a description of the journey to Transylvania. It concludes with a countdown of events which you as Gamemaster will initiate at some appropriate time during the mystery and a catastrophe that describes what happens if the player characters do not take action or fail in their efforts. But first we will look back at the events leading up to the mystery.

Background

Bralnic Castle was built at the end of the 14th century as an outpost on an important trade route between Transylvanian, Moldavian, and Genoese colonies on the Black Sea. Unfortunately, a century later, a great earthquake caused a landslide that made the trade route no longer accessible, isolating Bralnic Castle and the village in the valley from the rest of the world, with only a single dangerous mountain pass remaining as an access route.

A few months after the landslide, the village suffered numerous attacks from an unknown beast. Many fell victim to it, including the local knez (a Slavic term for prince or duke) who initiated a hunt for the beast – a wolf-like vârcolac (page 63). The last survivor among the knez’s hunters and warriors, his champion, swore to defeat the beast. The warrior lured the vârcolac into the dungeons of Bralnic Castle and sealed it there, before returning to the people and claiming his victory.

During the fight, the warrior was severely injured, but on his deathbed, he was chosen by the people to become the new knez. They signed a treaty with him under which he was to live to protect the valley’s inhabitants. In return, the people of the valley would pay tribute to him and his descendants. The next night after the treaty was signed, the new knez awoke miraculously healed, which people accepted as a sign from God. Unbeknownst to the villagers, however, he had been bitten by the vârcolac and died, but returned as a vampir (page 60).

The Vampire Knez

Becoming a vampire granted the new knez great power, but he still could not kill the vârcolac despite his many attempts. So the knez ruled the valley for centuries, with the imprisoned vârcolac still held in the dungeon. To keep his identity hidden, the vampire knez slightly changed his appearance from generation to generation and kept himself isolated from the valley’s peasants, proclaiming that he had sent his son outside the valley to obtain an education. Then, the “son” would return to the valley to inherit the name and title “Knez Vlad,” as written in the treaty.

The locals got to live in greater peace and safety in those centuries, crafting, farming, and shepherding, and rarely communicated with the rest of the world. They continued to pay tribute to their knez by regularly providing cattle and every few years giving the knez a young villager to serve in the castle. The vampire knez used these servants for feeding and hid the signs with his vampiric powers. Other than that, he never abused these servants in any way or killed any of them. He treated them as family and gave them a good education before releasing them some years later. Some were granted land in the valley, others were sent away from the valley to represent the knez in the outer world.

A few times throughout the centuries, the vampire had relations with women in the village. Very rarely, dhampir children (page 39) were born from these unions.

Vaesen in This Mystery

• Vampir: The lord (knez) of the region. He wants to maintain the status quo. A classic creature of Gothic horror. People are intimately familiar with the many intricacies of vampiric lore. In this mystery, the vampire vaesen represents something familiar, before more unexpected twists and flavors of vaesen horror are introduced.
• Dhampir: The daughter of the vampire, she seeks to change the status quo. The dhampir represents a creature trapped halfway between undeath and humanity. An outsider who does not fit properly within either of the two worlds, this vaesen has conflict built into her nature. She is written as a creature players can more easily sympathize with.
• Vârcolac: A wolf-like creature once imprisoned beneath the vampire’s castle. A force of nature that doesn’t care about the status quo. It was released and used by the dhampir’s mother to instigate conflict between the people of the region and the vampire. This is an ancient and obscure folklore creature, adding an unexpected, unknown element to the story and helping evoke the proper atmosphere of the mystery.

The Society Arrives

About a hundred years ago, several murders occurred in the valley. A dhampir son of the knez, who lived as an outcast, died and turned into a vampire. The knez tried to calm his son and teach him how to live after death, but failed. The new vampire was violent in his desire to get revenge on the valley’s inhabitants for all the pain and mistreatment he and his mother had experienced during his life. Since the knez could not allow himself to kill another immortal, his family invited the Pravda Society to intervene.

The Pravda Society representatives arrived at the valley and successfully captured and killed the ravaging vampire. However, they discovered that he had been a dhampir before transforming into a vampire, and their further investigation brought them to Knez Vlad. During the confrontation with the knez, opinions among the Pravda Society members diverged strongly. The knez persuaded most of the Pravda Society members that he was a reasonable ruler, compensating for his vampiric nature.

A young priest with the Pravda Society, Karel Benes, disagreed. He believed that the knez needed to pay for his crimes and that all undead should be put to rest, as their existence violated the laws of God. When tensions grew high, a conflict sparked, and the priest was accidentally killed by a fellow member of the Society. After that incident, the Society left the valley and never returned, hoping to forget the entire incident for good.

Maria and the Vârcolac

A few decades ago, a seamstress named Maria caught the eye of the vampire knez. His affections were returned by Maria, but her parents were against the marriage. The rejections only inflamed the knez’s desire to win her hand. During a conversation with the vârcolac, he shared his concerns and received an unexpected offer that led to a plan.

One night, the vârcolac was set free and attacked Maria’s house. It killed her parents and seemed about to kill her as well when the knez appeared, all according to their plan. He fought the vârcolac, who secretly believed it might be able to trick the knez and escape. After the fight ended, the knez returned the vârcolac to its dungeon and then went back to Maria’s house and took her, scared and grieving, to his castle.

As the knez slept in his coffin, Maria spent her days exploring the castle alone. One day, she found the vârcolac in human form, imprisoned and weakened, and felt sorry for it. The vârcolac saw in Maria another chance to escape and told her about the true nature of Knez Vlad.

It revealed that it was the knez who created the plan to win her hand, forcing the vârcolac to kill her parents. Maria was devastated by the truth and decided to run away. Despite the vârcolac’s manipulations, she refused to let it free but accepted a lock of its hair as a memento.

Maria’s Revenge

Maria escaped from the valley with the aid of a wandering theater company – the Wallachia Mystique Extravaganza – that was visiting the area at that time. Soon after her escape, she gave birth to a daughter, a dhampir she named Eve. While with the theater company, Maria studied occult lore in Prague, Vienna, and other cities, discovered the dhampiric nature of her daughter, and learned more about Knez Vlad and the beast he kept under the castle.

Over the decades that followed, Maria found out that dhampirs’ lives are shorter than those of humans, and that after death they are doomed to become vampires. She also learned that a vârcolac could be controlled by spinning a yarn from its hair or fur.

Now, Maria has devised a dangerous plan. Using her spindle of yarn, she has released the vârcolac from its dungeon, to terrify the villagers and turn them against the knez. She then traveled back to the Bralnic Valley with the theater company in time for the yearly celebrations of the knez’s victory over the beast.

The time has come for Maria to get revenge against Knez Vlad for the deaths of her parents and to overthrow him to guarantee a safe unlife for her daughter’s eventual transformation.

Conflicts

The primary conflict of this mystery is between Maria and Knez Vlad. In her old family house, now ruined, Maria has used a spinning wheel with a spindle to spin a thread with the lock of the vârcolac’s hair, which granted it the power to escape and binds it to her will. Maria wants to get her revenge on the knez and to ensure a safe unlife in the valley for her daughter Eve after she becomes a vampire. She uses the vârcolac to terrify the villagers, forcing them to break the ancient agreement with Knez Vlad and setting up her daughter as an heir to his title.

Eve knows nothing about the plan but is guided by her mother’s prophecies. She believes it is her destiny to defeat the evil in this valley, which she thinks is Knez Vlad. However, Knez Vlad wants to retain the status quo. He is bound by the treaty to protect the valley but does not know that someone is behind the vârcolac’s escape, and he’s unable to track or kill the creature. Thus, Knez Vlad takes a risk and asks the Pravda Society for help. The secondary conflict reflects the central one but represents the people of the valley. There are two groups: the knez’s family, who were raised in the castle and returned to the village, and the regular villagers. The knez’s family constitutes the minority and consists of only nine people, but they have better status as they are educated and have been granted land and support from the knez.

The rest of the villagers are ordinary people who are not privileged but live in safety and with their basic needs satisfied. They grew up hearing stories about Knez Vlad the First and respect the current knez. However, some are unsatisfied with the current social hierarchy, as it is almost impossible for someone outside the knez’s family to earn any position of authority in the village.

The recent killings and the inability of the knez to fulfill his part of the agreement have resulted in a state of smoldering discontent, encouraged by Eve – who is at the heart of this conflict. Her reaction to learning the truth about the knez can determine the fate of the village.

Invitation

Knez Vlad becomes aware of the killings in the valley and has discovered the vârcolac’s absence from the dungeons. As he is not able to find the vârcolac and does not know that the creature is under Maria’s control, the knez takes a risk by writing a letter to the Society he encountered a few centuries ago (handout 1A on page 127, also available for download on the Free League website). The letter is sealed with a wax stamp showing a warrior killing a wolf-like beast. It is written in elegant handwriting on expensive French paper. To The Honorable Pravda Society, I am writing this letter on behalf of all the people of Bralnic Valley, whom I humbly serve as Knez Vlad the Tenth. My castle and the valley are located among the beautiful Carpathians in Transylvania, far from the worries of the Empire.

Just as we prepare for our yearly celebrations of my forefather Knez Vlad the First, our peaceful life has been suddenly interrupted by an unknown beast. It has brutally killed two farmers, and we found their bloodless and heartless bodies. Only God knows how many more will become the beast’s prey. Our best hunters, including myself, cannot establish the nature of the beast, nor can we find its tracks or lair.

My grandfather, the Knez Vlad the Eighth, was honored to have members of your Society visit our castle. He witnessed their remarkable knowledge and craftsmanship and described it in his diary, which I found while exploring the library for clues on the beast. As soon as I read about the Society, I wrote this letter with confidence that your organization still exists in peace and prosperity.

I know the road to my domain is long and may be tiring, but my children in Europe will arrange everything they can to make it comfortable for you. You will be guests of honor in my castle, and I will provide you with generous remuneration for your services. I have no doubts that your visit will help our valley and become the beginning of our long-lasting friendship.

Please follow the itinerary I have prepared for you. As mentioned above, my children will make all necessary reservations for the Society.

With anticipation of your visit, Sincerely, Knez Vlad the Tenth

Preparations

The letter includes train ticket for the first leg of the journey, from Prague to Temesvár via Vienna and Budapest. Before leaving Prague, the player characters can prepare for the journey by purchasing equipment (page 73 of the rulebook) or using Upgrades at Powder Gate (page 28 of this book). If they decide to look for some additional information, let each player make a LEARNING test. For each success rolled (in total), they gain one of the following clues:

• The valley is named after Bralnic Castle, built in the 14th century to protect an important trade route through the Carpathians. An earthquake caused a landslide in the 15th century, which closed the route and isolated the valley, leaving only one mountain road.
• The letter’s waxen seal refers to a story of a brave warrior killing a horrible beast and becoming the first Knez Vlad of the Bralnic Valley. After being severely wounded by the beast, the knez also defeated death and went on to rule and protect the valley.
• The paper on which the letter was written has watermarks of the French paper mill that made paper for monarchs, mainly Louis 14th, and was closed almost a century ago, at the start of the French Revolution.
• The Pravda Society did indeed visit the Bralnic Valley almost a century earlier, invited by Knez Vlad the Eighth to hunt down a rogue vampire. The vampire was eventually killed, along with one member of the Society – the young priest Karel Benes.
• This time of year, weather conditions in Transylvania are dangerous, with heavy snowfalls and low temperatures being common.

The Journey

Following the knez’s itinerary, the player characters depart from Prague by train, passing Vienna and Budapest before reaching Temesvár. There, they are met on the platform by a well-dressed young man, presenting himself as Lucian, son of Knez Vlad. He informs them that a carriage is prepared to take them to Brașov, the main town in Transylvania, the next morning. They may spend the night in a comfortable hotel, already paid for.

Brașov (Kronstadt) has a population of around 25,000 and is one of the biggest cities in Romania. Meanwhile, winter arrives in full strength, so the journey to Brașov takes almost a week. There, another young man greets the player characters, presenting himself as Darius, son of Knez Vlad. He informs them that another carriage will take them north along a small road to Bralnic Valley, far up in the Carpathian Mountains (not shown on the large map of Mythic Carpathia). This final leg of the journey takes two days.

It is late December, and roads are covered in snow, which makes traveling through the Carpathians very difficult. For each hour that passes, the snow becomes heavier, and any locals encountered are curious about the Pravda Society’s purpose, as they see no reason for outsiders to visit that isolated valley and the village located there.

You can play out the journey in detail or just handle it summarily, letting each player briefly describe what their character does. As usual, the characters can gain an Advantage during the journey (page 182 of the rulebook).

Arrival

Alone in a rickety carriage on a dangerous mountain road, the player characters travel through the Carpathians. The snowfall becomes heavier, before the coachman suddenly stops in the afternoon of the second day after setting out from Brașov. He declares that they have arrived and asks the passengers to disembark with their baggage, before he hurriedly turns the carriage around and leaves.

The player characters are alone at the gates to Bralnic Valley, between the ruins of two stone watchtowers that collapsed during the earthquake centuries ago. They rise above the road and are covered in snow. From there, the road splits in two. The right path goes down to the valley and the village, while the left goes up, leading to Bralnic Castle (page 81).

Cold & Wind

It is winter, and the frost is numbing. Each time a player character spends any significant length of time outside without very good winter clothing – including during their initial walk to the castle or the village – they must make a FORCE roll to resist the icy winds and snow. A character who fails suffers a physical Condition. The knez’s children can offer them sheepskin coats and boots that will protect them against the cold (page 84).

The Castle

As the snowstorm lets up a little, the player characters see the castle looming like a mighty dark silhouette hanging over the valley. Down in the valley, they see the village with what looks like a church, a guesthouse, and a large tent in an open area. The valley is surrounded by mountains and forest on all sides. Give the players the player version of the village map (handout 1B on page 128, also available for download on the Free League website).

The Village

Even though the player characters are expected at the castle, and it would be wise to hide there from the storm, they are free to go to the village first if they choose. The road there takes twenty minutes to walk. For more about the village, see page 88.

Countdowns and Catastrophes

This mystery includes two countdowns. The main one is between the knez on one side and Eve and the villagers, instigated by Maria and the vârcolac, on the other. During that countdown, the villagers are slowly brought to the termination of their agreement with the knez and his defeat by the vârcolac and Eve. The second countdown indicates the growing power of the vârcolac, which results in it breaking free from Maria’s control.

The Villagers’ Countdown

At the beginning of the mystery, three villagers have been killed: two farmers on the edge of the village some weeks back and one hunter closer to Bralnic Castle, just a few days ago. This has influenced the mood of the villagers, who are feeling gloomy and distressed. Maria has been using her daughter to manipulate the villagers, making them hesitate and lose faith in their knez. 1. In the evening of the day when the player characters arrive, the traveling theater troupe (page

92) gives its first show, where they perform a

play depicting the Last Warrior defeating the beast.

This lifts the mood of the villagers and Eve, who

plays the Last Warrior, makes a speech about the

story and states that the people must be as courageous as the Last Warrior was, to fight against

the monster. 2. Spurred by Eve (page 94), the villagers decide

to go hunting for the beast. This will likely happen at a town meeting at The Last Warrior inn

(page 90) but can happen anywhere in the village. If the player characters are present, they may

try to dissuade the villagers, but their decision is

unchangeable, as they feel that they have been

doing nothing for too long. The player characters may also want to join the hunt, which they

are welcome to do.

During the hunt, two villagers are attacked

and killed by the vârcolac at Maria’s command.

The player characters cannot stop this, but they

may track the beast and hear the screams and confront the horrifying vârcolac in combat (see page

95 – and don’t forget its very high Fear value).

If defeated, the vârcolac disperses into gray mist,

but returns in a few hours. If the player characters

are Broken, the vârcolac leaves them and they will

be rescued by villagers who bring them to the Last

Warrior to treat their wounds.

After the battle, the player characters can track

the vârcolac towards Maria’s abandoned house

(page 93) with a VIGILANCE roll.

3. After the hunt and the death of the two hunters, they are brought to the church for burial and

another meeting is held – this time in the church.

Eve again agitates the villagers and asks them

why no one protects them from the beast. Why has

the knez failed his duty? This sparks an argument

between Eve and Father Iacob (page 90), who

pleads for patience. The villagers are torn but

eventually agree to send delegates to Knez Vlad

with a petition.

The tone of the message depends on who wins

the argument. If Father Iacob gets the upper

hand, it will be a humble petition, asking the

ruler for protection. If Eve is more convincing,

the message will be an ultimatum, demanding

action under threat of the treaty being broken.

If player characters are present and decide to

intervene, they can sway the villagers in one way

or the other with a successful INSPIRATION test. If

the player characters are absent or choose not to

interfere, you can make an opposed INSPIRATION

roll between Eve and Father Iacob, or simply

choose an outcome as desired. 4. Led by Eve, the villagers march to the castle after

dark, carrying torches. The knez comes out to

meet the delegation. The knez claims to have the

answer to the problem with the beast: the player

characters! They are experts at this sort of thing

and will soon thwart the beast, the knez claims.

The situation is tense, and the player characters

may need to roll for INSPIRATION or MANIPULATION

to intervene to avoid violence.

During the meeting, the knez sees Eve and

immediately realizes that she’s a dhampir – and his

daughter. If questioned by the player characters,

he may reveal this fact and tell them the story about

Maria – only leaving out that he killed her parents. 5. In the night, the celebrations start, and crowds of

people dressed in wolf and bear skins dance and

sing in the streets. The vârcolac, controlled by

Maria, sneaks through the crowds, looking for

the next victim. This leads directly to the Confrontation – see page 95.

The Villagers’ Catastrophe

If Eve breaks the treaty and the knez is killed and the vârcolac’s catastrophe (below) does not occur, the villagers cheer Eve and choose her as their new knez, signing a new treaty, already prepared by Maria. The villagers receive new freedoms, but Eve eventually dies and becomes a vampire.

Unless the family of the former knez, especially those abroad, can be convinced to support the new knez by learning of Vlad’s past crimes, the valley lacks the resources to maintain itself. Most people leave the valley to look for a better life, and only a few stay, living in a small community that can maintain itself but is destined to become extinct, leaving a hungry vampire alone.

The Vârcolac’s Countdown

At the beginning of the mystery, the vârcolac looks like a pale, skinny man with thick black hair and feral eyes. The vârcolac restores its powers bit by bit with each killed and drained victim, becoming more bestial, until it looks like a giant wolf. Maria’s spindle of yarn makes the vârcolac obedient and even stronger. Information about the vârcolac’s powers and how it is controlled can be found within the knez’s library (page 85), or even with a successful LEARNING check if the players are struggling to understand what they are dealing with. 1. The first three victims the vârcolac kills before the

beginning of the mystery restore its general powers,

making its appearance something between man

and wolf. At that stage, it can communicate and

express coherent thoughts. 2. The killing of two more hunters (step #2 in the

villagers’ countdown) grants it more power (giving

it +1 to MIGHT) but affects its personality so that it

can express only simple thoughts that are barely

understandable amidst its roaring words. 3. The sixth killing restores almost all of its powers

(another +1 to MIGHT), leaving no place for conscience and making it a bloodthirsty predator.

The Vârcolac’s Catastrophe

If the number of the vârcolac’s victims reaches seven, it becomes strong enough to break Maria’s control. If the thread that grants it more power remains intact, it uses its magic as a pathway to the moon and bites it. The white light changes to red as the blood from the vârcolac’s mouth spills on the heavenly body. The creature needs a few more bites to devour it and plunge Bralnic Valley into complete darkness.

After that, the beast returns to eat everyone in the valley. At this point it cannot be defeated in combat and the player characters must pass a STEALTH test to hide or an AGILITY test to run from the vârcolac. Multiple tests are allowed, but player characters receive one physical Condition for each failed test. Once a test succeeds, the player character is out of harm’s way but cannot return to the valley.

The final Confrontation of this mystery will likely start in the village. As the celebrations start in the evening, the day after the player characters arrive, crowds of people dressed in wolf and bear skins dance and sing in the streets.

The Vârcolac’s Attack

The vârcolac, controlled by Maria who is skulking nearby with her spindle, sneaks through the crowds, looking for the next victim. If the player characters have confronted Maria or if she otherwise has concluded that they are a threat to her plan, the vârcolac will be looking for them. Otherwise, it attacks someone close to the knez’s family who is respected in the village, such as Radu Harnicu (page 91). See the sidebar Fighting the Vârcolac below.

Fighting the Vârcolac

Vârcolaci and their stats are described on page 63. Its strength has been increased by Maria’s yarn spindle (MIGHT +1, for a total of 10), which helped it escape from the castle’s dungeons.

When confronting the vârcolac, people with the Sight (like the player characters) may make an OBSERVATION test to spot a very thin, magical thread stretching from the beast’s back to Maria’s yarn spindle, wherever she is, that gives her control of the vârcolac.

Cutting the thread requires a CLOSE COMBAT attack with a bladed weapon. Doing so will reduce the vârcolac’s MIGHT by 1 but also turn it loose. For dramatic purposes, we recommend that you don’t let the player characters see the thread until the final Confrontation (page 95).

It’s also possible to take the spindle from Maria with an opposed FORCE test, or without a roll if Maria is Broken – this must happen in the same round of combat, or the vârcolac will go free. A player character with the spindle cannot fully control the beast as this requires years of study, but with a slow action and an INSPIRATION test they may slow the beast down and eliminate one full upcoming turn for the beast for each success rolled.

The Vârcolac

“I… am… hungry…”

The beast in this mystery is one of the first vârcolaci, believed to have been sent by God to punish people for their sins. It is an ancient being that spent centuries under the Carpathian Mountains and was freed by an earthquake. Weakened, it hunted in the nearest village to satisfy its hunger but encountered the local knez and his warriors. The vârcolac killed everyone except for the knez’s champion, who lured it into the dungeons and sealed it there. The champion was mortally wounded in the process, but despite that, he was chosen to become the new knez. He died shortly after and turned into a vampire. Now immortal, the new knez tried to kill the vârcolac by different means with his new powers but failed each time.

The vârcolac tried to escape a few times, driven by its eternal hunger and desire to devour heavenly bodies. The first time was when it offered the knez assistance to win Maria’s favor. The knez freed the vârcolac, who then killed Maria’s parents, but the vârcolac was not strong enough to escape the knez and was sealed back into the dungeons. The next time it made an escape attempt was when Maria found it in the dungeon cell. It told her about the knez’s original plan and promised to get revenge for her if she set it free. Shocked, Maria refused but agreed to take a piece of its fur with her when she left the valley.

At the beginning of the mystery, the vârcolac looks like a creature between a man and a wolf and can communicate coherently. The vârcolac’s appearance and power depend on its hunger. The more it eats, the stronger it becomes, but at the same time it becomes more bestial and incoherent. See the vârcolac’s countdown (page 80) for more information. As the vârcolac kills, the thread to Maria’s spindle tightens more and more and will eventually break, setting the beast free.

When the villagers realize that the beast is among them, panic ensues. Some villagers take refuge in the church and ring the church bells to alert the knez of the threat. If the player characters are not in the village during the celebrations but up at the castle, they will be alerted by this sound and can follow the knez down (below).

The attack can play out in many ways. It can happen in the streets or inside the church.

• Maria stays close, controlling the beast with her spindle. If the player characters spot her and realize that she controls the vârcolac, they may attack her or try to take the spindle from her. If confronted, she may admit that she controls the beast but claims that her actions are justified to get revenge on the knez, revealing the truth of his past crimes.
• Eve initially stays back, letting the player characters deal with the vârcolac, and helping villagers take shelter in the church. If they attack Maria, Eve will furiously attack them and defend her mother. However, if told the truth about the beast, Maria and the knez, she may be reasoned with (MANIPULATION test). After the initial attack, the vârcolac leaves to attack again later during the night. This also happens if the beast is Broken by the player characters.

The Knez Arrives

Soon after the initial attack by the vârcolac, the knez arrives on horseback, accompanied by his six “children” residing in the castle. The knez is dressed like a warrior of old, with a metal cuirass protecting his heart.

Unless the knez arrives in the middle of the attack, he is met by the villagers led by Eve, accusing him of failing in his duties and endangering his people. This meeting can take place in the town square or inside the church.

• Eve encourages the villagers to renounce the treaty and denounce the knez. Her resolve in this may strengthen or falter if the truth about the knez, her mother, and the vârcolac is revealed to her.
• The knez is angered and challenges Eve to a duel, knowing that Eve is his dhampir daughter (see step #4 in the villagers’ countdown on page 79) and knows that she will arise as a vampire if killed. The fight starts.
• Maria commands the vârcolac to help Eve. If the duel takes place inside the church, the vârcolac storms in, attacking the knez. If the player characters still haven’t realized that Maria controls the vârcolac with her spindle, they should get another chance now.
• Mihai and Father Iacob try to protect their adoptive father but are no match for the vârcolac and quickly die at its claws.
• The vârcolac then jumps on the knez, crushing his cuirass and letting Eve pierce the knez’s heart with an aspen stick. Controlled by Maria, the vârcolac will attack the player characters if they support the knez. Maria commands the vârcolac to bend its knee and bow before her, which it does with a mighty furious roar. See the countdowns (page 79) during the fight, as this may lead to the Catastrophes. The player characters can completely change the course of events above. You will need to let the NPCs react to the player characters’ actions. They might for example:
• Fight and even kill Maria and/or Eve during the initial attack by the vârcolac. If this happens, the knez will arrive after the fight, in time for the vârcolac’s second attack.
• Reveal Maria’s plan and try to convince the villagers (and possibly even Eve) to keep the treaty with the knez (INSPIRATION roll modified for any relevant evidence presented). This will make Maria furious, and she will reveal herself to recount her story about what the knez did to her parents, and then command the vârcolac to attack them, and the knez.
• Reveal the story about what the knez did to Maria and her parents, turning the villagers against the knez (INSPIRATION roll). The knez admits what he has done – and even to being a vampire – but pleads with the villagers to accept his remorse. The actions and evidence presented by the player characters will determine how the villagers – and Eve – react. The knez may then give up and leave the valley for good or defy the villagers and challenge Eve as per above. This can lead to a fight between the player characters and the knez.
• Intervene to protect the knez (and his children) against the vârcolac. This may prevent the catastrophe, but without the support of the beast, Eve loses the duel. The knez disarms her and intends to kill her, knowing that she will return as a vampire and hoping she will join him in the castle. Again, the player characters can interfere by words or force.
• Try to make peace between the knez and Eve. This is difficult but not impossible (MANIPULATION roll with a −2 modifier and bonuses for relevant evidence and information, such as revealing that Eve is a dhampir destined for unlife). Eve may accept a peace with her vampire father despite his crimes, but this will be all but impossible for Maria to accept, demanding that the knez must be killed or banished from the valley.

The Vârcolac

If the vârcolac is Broken during the Confrontation, it’s only temporarily banished and will return later the same night. However, if no longer under the control of Maria’s yarn spindle, and if the beast is Broken a second time, it will disappear into the night.

Eve

Eve is a key character in the finale of this mystery. During the Confrontation (or even earlier), she will likely learn the truth not only about her own nature, but also about her father the knez and his murder of her grandparents. She will naturally be hostile toward him but realizing she will soon become a vampire herself, she may accept a pact with him and an unlife in the castle by his side. Her reactions depend on the actions of the knez, Maria and the player characters during the final Confrontation.

The aftermath of this mystery determines the future of the village and the people living in the valley. Since it includes many elements that player characters may have influenced during the mystery, it may have different outcomes based on their actions. Feel free to come up with other versions of the aftermath if the ones presented below do not fit your circumstances.

The Knez Triumphant

If the player characters supported the knez and helped him thwart Maria’s plan, nothing changes for the people in the valley. They continue to live their lives, supported by the knez, but remain isolated from the rest of the world. No longer under Maria’s control, the vârcolac is weakened and will eventually be captured again by Mihai and the knez and returned to the dungeon under the castle.

If Eve was killed, she arises again the next night as a vampire. She may accept the knez’s offer to stay with him or leave the valley swearing revenge, depending on what has happened and the actions of the player characters.

The Knez Defeated

If the player characters supported Eve to kill or banish the knez, the village starts to live freely. Soon, Eve turns into a vampire and slowly adopts the role of knez in the castle. If the past crimes of the knez were revealed, the villagers and even the knez’s adopted children support her, and the village flourishes for generations to come. The is the best possible outcome of the mystery.

If the crimes of the knez were not brought to light, the children of the knez will not support Eve. Without this support, especially from the children outside the valley, many villagers come upon hard times and leave the valley. Soon the village is a ghost town, leaving the hungry vampire alone in her castle.

The Vârcolac Breaks Free

If the vârcolac became strong enough to break the bond (see the vârcolac’s Countdown, page 80), it leaps into the sky and devours the moon, a mystic act that nonetheless seems to have a physical manifestation. The moon is restored in a few days from the crumbs left in the sky, but all of Europe, shocked and confused, is abuzz about the strange lunar eclipse that happened without any preconditions. Meanwhile, the vârcolac continues to hunt in the Carpathian Mountains, giving the Society another chance to meet and hopefully defeat it.

Going Home

If the player characters survive, they return to the Society headquarters with or without rewards. They can use their remuneration from the bank account created by the knez’s family at their discretion. They also receive an appropriate number of experience points.