Vampire Dossier: Perunika
Authored by: Atticus Stratlace
Overview:
Much of this information, especially History, is taken from an interview with the creature. I recommend reading this interview if possible for a more comprehensive understanding. But beware, vampires are known to lie.
Unlike most Vampires, Perunika claims to have been created via Ritual rather than having been bitten, and endured time as a Vampire Spawn. Her behaviour and demeanour lend credit to this.
Perunika is a warrior of sorts, linked very heavily to the Abyssal Citadel. She is it’s Forgemistress, it’s protector and it’s attack dog. Servant of a creature known as The Harbringer in the citadel’s hayday, she does not serve the lord of that layer, but rather claims Orcus as her deity.
She is a detached creature, almost entirely inhuman. Speaking with her is like speaking to an adamantine clad killing machine. She has some sense of… honour, twisted though it may be, and she respects neutrality, but she truly seems to lack the enjoyment or desire for political schemes or subtle social manipulation that the rest of her kin do.
Her stated goals are to continue to work for the Abyssal Citadel, to continue to work at it’s Forge (a thing she loves very dearly and considers the greatest forge there is) and to survive long enough to witness the complete Necrotic death of the universe, which she believes is inevitable and welcomes. She is a lover of both the process of killing and of death, preferring those who run the Citadel to indulge in it also.
She did not at any point seek to engender my sympathy, she is an amoral monster indeed and a threat to the world in her own way. However I will say she appeared quite simple and straight forward- a novel situation.
She dislikes feeding on the willing, preferring to drink from unwilling. She only very rarely takes thralls – her one experience apparently turning sour. She is certainly capable of manipulation via various means I am sure, but does not generally engage in it to the depths of many of her kind.
This woman is a monster and should be slain if found on the surface, for if she is on the surface she is likely slaying others. How manipulative she is otherwise I am unsure. At surface glance it seems not at all, but this could be deceptive.
Appearance:
Human with long dark hair, two fringes of which dangle over her face. Slim, dressed in dark armour, with a large poldron. Wears a cloak with red inner lining. Fights with a sword and shield. Her demeanour is that of being courteous and well mannered. She often goes helmed.
History:
Perunika was born over a millennia ago in Cormyr, to a small town. She was given to a priestess of Selune as a small child, to teach and raise. This priestess was apparently a family friend and well connected in the local community.
However war came to the small hamlet, so the priestess fled with the girl. They went a long way, until they came to a hideout of a sort. The priestess of Selune was in fact a priestess of Shar, and she took the girl and locked her in a dungeon for many years. It was her desire to use magic to possess the girl when she came of age, and thus elongate her own mortality. When the girl was old enough however, the Priestess decided to further ‘improve’ upon the situation by calling forth dark rituals of Shar to turn the girl into a Vampire. This was successful, but she and her clergy were unable to contain the creature they had created and they were slaughtered.
Perunika then left the temple, naked and with nothing and with her first act began to make a simple forge, using base metals to start to mould herself armour.
What exactly happened to her after this, in the millennia that passed, was not revealed to me, but about a Century ago she made her way to Arelith and started her tenure in the Abyssal Citadel.
A few examples of her (apparent) actions on Arelith in later years are:
*Assisted in the slaughter of Greyhammer, killing ‘thousands’ of halflings.
*Worked for House Xun’viir, making a thrall of their matron Saslea and eventually killing her.
*Turned another Drow matron, Iyelle, into a vampire.
*Sacrificed the then vice chancellor of Cordor, Estelle Misthollow with the Queen’s Blade (see Notes)
*Fought in defence of Andunor against a band from Myon, killed many including Victor Galincort, his wife, a man named Gabriel and others.
*Latest reports have her fighting Celestia Elderfire and her husband, and Velasco. She claims that in both these cases she was attacked first. Also had run ins with Thomas Castermont. These are to be considered more verifiable than the above.
As of the writing of this history she still resides in the Abyssal Citadel, under the auspice of its current keeper, the drow Akorae.
Other Notes:
Rumour has it she possesses a dark relic, which was passed to her by one ‘Callum’ called ‘The Queen’s Blade’ or the ‘Bade Dread’ which was used to sacrifice many in the Abyssal Citadel, until it became corrupted. This is a small blade, apparently given to Callum by the Cordorian Queen. Possibly she was tricked, or it was stolen from one of her champions – it appears to have been corrupted past it’s prior purpose.
This was confirmed in my meeting with her – The blade is a dagger and I was able to view it. See the document attached to this.
In terms of behaviour, Perunika seems almost entirely inhuman. Most Vampires end up feeling some form of detachment over time, but it is extreme with her. She refers to her past life in a despatched manner. She is none the less a relentless killing machine and whilst not as subtle as many of her kin, should none the less be treated with extreme caution.
The Queen’s Blade
Appears as a small and likely only ceremonial dagger, made of gold and wreathed in green flame.
It bears a detailed filigree of sweeping curves and elegant knotwork, studied with cabochon stones of clear white amethyst and pale green peridot. The hilt shows a few scraps of wyvernhide on it, but now is wrapped in a shagreen of dreied human skin over which are detailed bloody abyssal runes and glyphs.
On either side of the hilt is the defaced royal crest of Cordor, rendered once in pearl inlay but now befouled and also defaced by abyssal sigils carved minutely into it. Upon the pommel is what appears to be the image of Lady Jennifer Cordor Ne. Eldren, in a similar style, but likewise defaced by runes.
The blade itself is stained with dried blood and has an engraving within in Abyssal…
MDOWEM – GOAMENGAN – BOWN.’
Though the blade appears to have once been something of a gift, it is now more obviously utilized for grisly bloodletting and sacrifice.
It has several enchantment runes upon it. Things to bolster the mind mostly- both in terms of intellect, of forethought and of force of personality. There is also a general protective magic about it.
Interview:
Claims to serve the Iron citadel for near to a century. Offering services to those who keep it though not all accept.
She claims that that in all the reported attacks- she was the one attacked and spared the life of those she was victorious over.
Claims she is not a deceptive fighter (to be fair this fits)
Queens Blade description
Last used when (according to Perunika) when the Chancellor of Cordor - Siobhan betrayed the Vice Chancellor (Estelle Misthhollow) and summoned her directly into our citadel for sacrifice.
Claims Najih and Siobhan, together were under citadel control. Believed they took turns being chancellor.
She saims she will own this and a few other things until another is chosen by the Overlord.
She is warrior and serves the Abyssal Citidel as a Forgemistress. The reason for this seems to be her delight in the art of smithing, claiming that the Abyssal Citidel has the greatest forge in all the cosmos.
She is bound just for the glory of that forge- apparently.
She finds some of the Abyssal Citidel keepers distasteful, if they do nothing with it. Her idea of what is significant is certain tasks. Like the razing of Greyhammer where thousands of halflings were put to death, or the corruption of Arelith’s Heartstone, upon which her blood was spilled to taint the very isle itself.
I asked her if she felt joy in this, she said perhaps – that is the word for it. If she still feels such things. Joy. Maybe. Too extinish life is its own reward.
History: how she became a Vampire
This was told in a dissassociative manner.
The girl was a priestess, given to a woman, a priestess of Selune, for training at a very young age. A trusted family friend and pillar of the community, this mentor was. The village was small and backwarter, somewhere in what is called Cormyr now. A conflict broke out with the neighbrouing nation and amidst the chaos, the priestess spirited away the girl, taking her far from home.
They traveled across fields and through forests, over waters and sandty deserts, until they came to another place. A temple to the priestesses true faith, that of Shar. And beneath this temple and surrounding sands a dungeon in which the girl was kept. The preistess was grwoing old and she wanted for a new body. Her intention was to keep the girl there until maturity and then possess the body herself. Once the new vessal was deemed ready the priestess decided it was not enough and saught to transform it into something more first – a vampire.
She used a profne ritual and the girl was destroyed and she came along. But the priestess and clergy were unpreapared to contain her.
And so, Perunika is the first of her line.
Claims to have made no real spawn except one, a drow maton by the name of Iyelle who worked along side Perunika to corrupt the Arelith Heartstone. She proved her worth and got what she wanted.
In the past she’s only had one thrall, and came to regret it, she killed the thrall. She claims to be fiercly independent.
That thrall was from house Xun’viir, the matron of that house, Saslea, Xun’viir, was Perunika’s thrall. Whilst Perunika was away from the isle, she heard that Saslea had been weaving mistruths, that she had been enthralled against her will, and that she was treated poorly.
Perunika says that in fact Saslea had begged for it, for many years.
Saslea claimed to hunt her, so Perunika waited for her to return home.
Saslea begged for her life and for forgivenss, even offered to wear a slave coller beholden to Perunika, but Perunika did not trust her and killed her.
Another anactode
Not long ago there was an attack upon Andunor by Myon. They grabbed what wrabble there was in the hub, three decent warriors and a handfull of novices… the engagement took place in the Devils Table where Galincourt’s wife was slain. Victor was cut down yet survived, and perunika was pushed back.
The coronal had done impressive damage to Perunika and her comrades had scattered, leaving me to find off a man named Gabriel and the Starym female he was with. They brought her down, in the slums. Ashe plunged his sword though Perunika’s chest, thinking he had ended her, she turned into fog and reformed behind them b oth, wounding them. Sending them fleeing and, in their hurry, leaving the poor elf girl behind to die at perunika’s blade.
Yet when she fell a strangeness happened. Her body vanished immedatly. Not as if by miricle, but instnatly – almost before she could touch the ground. I met with the Coronal to inform her, soe she would not waste effort on the fallen. It is not unusla for me to treat with the enemey after conflict, to exchange the fallen or barter prisoners.
Asked what brings more joy – death or the process of it – she finds both pleasurable.
She says ‘since my vail was lifted such is my nature. The girl had little humanity left to cling to, and I have persisted long. Whatever remains of humanity some others may cling to, I have never had nor do I now.’
I ask her about the phrase ‘lift the veil’ She says
‘To see life byond the veil is to understand the mecanisms of reality itself, a turth that cannot be put into words.’
She says she suffices on demon blood. She finds that people tend to offer themselves to her regualrly. But she does not like to drink from the willing. It is the dread of her prey that she craves, or of greater prey.
I pointed out the contrast in her – that she loves creation (forging) but revels in destruction.
She says when she freed herself from the dungons of gools she was bate, naked to the world and only her own persistance and the truth laid before her eyes.
She stuck her hands into the cold eath and created her first forge, from the earth. Using stones and sticks to forge her first crude metals. And she’s continued this art, its cration but used for war, weapons, armour.
Appearance: Pail skin, dark hair, long with two strand over her face
Age – claims to be around 1100 years old .
Aim: To persist until the end of days, until the breaking of the cycle, an eternity from now, and then into oblivion. When all life has been snuffed out, every light of hope and all the warmth in reality has gone cold. All will be one in Undeath and there will be a terrible tranquility forever more.