Incredible art by  OpalAntlers
You can fave her submission here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/47251431/

An antagonist! A vampire! A Dracula!
Vladim is very much going to serve as an opposing force to Zerrex in many ways, and I'm really excited to get writing with him once I actually have the time to do so. I'm looking forwards to having them foil off each other and working with the philosophy they both have as much as I am the stabby action stuff.

- - -

Born in early Nalvalakia, Vladim der Dragkull is a mythic being shrouded in story and legend. Said to be the First Vampire, Vladim's origins are unclear: some say he was the son of a Barbarian Warlord who made a pact with the Devil, others say that he was part of a Clan tasked with guarding a powerful dark entity that eventually seduced him with its powers and now lives on through him.

What is known is that Vladim was the tyrant master of Navalakia, ruling with an iron fist from his impenetrable castle. He had legions of monsters at his beck and call, and while a powerful clan of guardians was formed to stand against him, there was little they could do to protect innocent lives during the long, cold winters, and they won few victories during the dreary, overcast summers: it is said that Vladim's mere presence was so powerful, he caused the weather to almost always be overcast and cloudy even during the brightest of days, never allowing the sun through to tarnish his rule or the power of his minions.

Vladim was unspoken King of Navalakia: to his credit, he kept his hordes at bay, treating the mortal populace like cattle and even offering favors to those brave enough to approach him. Calm, charismatic, and extremely intelligent, Vladim was known to be cordial even with his enemies and civil to his guests, forcing a certain amount of etiquette upon his Court of Demons at the castle and severely punishing anyone who stepped out of line.

Few could recognize the tattoo branded on his chest: the tattoo of a Clan lost to time, which once struggled against invaders both mortal and supernatural, to protect what they called the Dead Angel. This was a strange hunk of stone said to have fallen from Heaven, pulsating with terrible power: those who handled it were driven insane and died within several days from horrific sickness, but chips of it used in arrowheads or weapons had an explosive effect, which was both how the Dragon Clan took its name and why they were feared throughout all of Navalakia.

Unfortunately, the entire Clan was wiped out in a single night by a ruthless warlord with both a mortal army and a demonic ally at his disposal. They came for the Dead Angel and Vladim was one of the last guards, pushed back all the way to the altar before Vladim was thrown against it, then stabbed through the heart, speared to the Dead Angel.

In that last moment of mortality, he heard an unfathomable voice, and knew this Shard was no angel, before it fused with him.

Slaughter followed, and then came the rule of the Dragon.

Vladim's abilities are fearsome: the gemstones inset into his body are focal points that draw on the power fused in his blood, allowing him to create and shape any simplistic object he desires. His clothing itself is a product of his own creation, for example, altered at a whim by his thoughts: he can change the texture, shape, and color with ease, although the consistency will never be perfect and will always feel somewhat like his own soft fur. Weapons are another matter: as these objects must be hard and solid, they take on a ruby, almost glass-like appearance, although they are fearsomely strong and the more essence and concentration he puts into them, the more solid and deadly they become, carrying a tinge of Destructive energies.

Vladim is also able to shapeshift: he often takes a bat-like form, and is able to transform in part or whole at will. He can strike terror into the hearts of even the bravest knights and quake their very hearts by transforming just enough to emit a horrifying sonic scream, for example, or turn his arms into a mighty wingspan to fly easily through the night sky.

While not fond of daylight, Vladim is unharmed by the sun. None of his powers are hindered even in direct sunlight. He does not need to rest, and is capable of sustaining himself off very little: while legend speaks of terrible sacrifices made to appease him, in reality Vladim only requires small amounts of blood to survive. He does not feel thirst or hunger, but is somewhat of a gourmand, always eager to experience new foods and tastes.

Vladim ruled Navalakia until the 16th century, thought to be invulnerable: in perhaps a twist of irony, the powers given to him by what were thought to be a Dead Angel were suddenly taken away by a meteorite that crashed into his Castle: many of the peasantry and the order that had been formed to stand against them saw this as a 'sign from God' as they whipped into a frenzy, then invaded the castle and commenced to burn and destroy everything in their path. Vladim was found helpless in his own dining hall, rendered completely powerless by the eerie light from the meteorite.

All the same, they were unable to kill him. He was bludgeoned, beaten, burned, decapitated, mutilated, incinerated, and yet he continued to regenerate, and to struggle against them. The only thing that stopped him from fighting back was the presence of the meteorite, which had removed all his other powers and rendered him weaker than the average mortal. Finally, it was decided that he would be sealed away in a crypt beneath the castle, and a Holy Order would be formed to ensure he never escaped.

Navalakia, a land that had always been rife with the supernatural, descended into chaos with no 'leader.' Hordes of monsters roamed the land and Clans, previously too frightened to go to war because of the presence of the First Vampire and the punishment he might dole out, began to skirmish and fight. Even into the 19th century, the land remained hostile and savage, but the rumors of a 'sacred site' and 'a secret power' attracted the attention of its southern neighbor, Ire.

Ire moved into Navalakia. A superpower, it used both politics and raw military force to create reasons to annex the small nation, under the guide of 'retaliating against terrorist attacks' and other excuses. Eventualy, Navalakia was forgotten, erased even from the history books, to be replaced with 'Northern Ire' and the lie that this war-torn land had always been a 'breakaway part of Ire; fighting to be recognized as an individual country but wholly dependent on Ire for resources and survival.'

Ire's aggression eventually reached the Castle of the Dragon, driving out or killing any who stood in their way, treating those who tried to warn them about the evil inside as a threat and either capturing or killing them. Through 'advanced interrogation methods,' they learned about the Crypt, and an excavation team delved in to discover Vladim, chained in a special cell, kept helpless by the radiation of the meteor.

Vladim and the meteor were both taken into custody by Ire and shipped south, deep into the heart of the nation proper. A research facility was established and over the course of more than a century, Vladim and the meteor were studied, his genome mapped and DNA sequenced, the meteor's properties and radiation duplicated, allowing them to create a special cell where Vladim was kept in stasis under artificial blue lights that emitted the same radiation that rendered him powerless, codenamed Blue Sun.

The research done on Vladim eventually formed the basis of Ire's supersoldier and G-Mold programs, and to the present day Ire continues to pick through the rubble in what it calls Northern Ire and the locals still doggedly refer to as Navalakia. The meteorite remains a subject of study as more advanced technology allows a deeper understanding of its eerie radiation and what it actualy is, and Vladim is only able to bide his time, kept in a chemical coma or frozen in stasis as Ire's scientists pick and poke at his body like vultures, still struggling to find a way to replicate the crystals embedded in his form and marveling over the complexity of his genetic structure.

But one day, he will be free. And on that day, Vladim has promised himself that he will return to Navalakia, and raise an army of both mortal and monster to march on Ire and annihilate this country and all that it stands for.