Bachmann vonRichten

He is the grandson of the powerful hero, and royal champion, Sir Gibson of Graymanor. While he never inherited his family lands, he was always known as a strong knight of the realm and undertook a great many quests in the name of the gods and king. The greatest of these was his trip far to the north to recover the holy chalice of Lynthail that was thought lost forever. He was gone for over five years, but when he returned he brought with him the fabled chalice. For this he was named the Baron of Firescrag.

• Full Name: xxx
• House: xx
• Holdings:

  • Firescrag
  • Landsig
  • Duks Crossing
  • Javian
• Parents : Jannis¹⁾ and Amelie daughter of Richlen²⁾
• Born: dd mmm yyyy
• Died: dd mmm yyyy
• Consort: xxx

  • Issue: none
• Religion: temple_of_light (nominal)
• Race: Dark Vampire (secret)
• Sex: Male

When he was 14, Bachmann was squired to Sir Alexander who was called the Pale Knight not simply for his complexion, but also because of his reputation in hunting werewolves. The years under the tutelage of grandfather made him the equal at the blade with many newly dubbed knights and better than all squires that faced him at tournaments.

They were traveling to the grand harvest festival at Arnstadt, where Bachmann was to be dubbed, when they chanced upon a hamlet that had been destroyed. They tracked the creatures back to their lair and discovered a pack of werewolves. Outnumbered, the knight and squire gave battle to the foul creatures and slew them all; however, in the battle both mounts were killed and Sir Alexander was gravely wounded. Bachmann built a litter for the knight and drug him to Arnstadt, stopping only to provide aid when needed. He collapsed just as he reached a group of cottages near Arnstadt, but it was already too late for Sir Alexander. Due to his bravery and dedication he was dubbed Sir Bachmann and a true night of the realm during the closing of the festival.

Two years after that he personally saved the King from an assassination attempt by men loyal to Shadowhawk. With his own wounds still fresh he followed one of the injured men back to their hideout and uncovered those noblemen that plotted with the killers. For this heroic deed the King Reiner IV further granted him the lands of Landsig, Duks Crossing and Javian — granting him the title of Count and loyal protector of the realm.

His manorhouse is the most unique in Dakar, for it hovers over a large fiery crack in the earth, suspended upon the power of magic. While Count Bachmann is not a mage, the famous Master-magician Uther oversaw the construction of the manor. It is said to be impossible to assail from either missile, melee, or magic. Its gothic towers and hundreds of perches and outcroppings stand in stark contrast to the more linear and smooth look of modern manorhouses. While this has caused a great deal of gossip, it has more than its fair share of imitators as well.

With the ascension of Queen Aurora, Count Bachmann has gained even more political power. He has carried her favor in many tournaments and in none of those has he ever lost, plus a lady of his choosing was taken in by the Queen as one of her handmaiden. It is well-known that Count Bachmann has the queen's ear and many nobles have first come to him before pressing their case before the queen.

What is not known to any but a select few is that Bachmann died while he was still a squire. When him and Sir Alexander attacked the werewolves in their lair there was something far darker that had called the weres to this spot. The spirit of a dark vampire had gathered at this profane glade. When Bachmann was killed during the attack the vampire consumed the young squire's spirit and revitalized his new body. In this body the vampire helped the werewolves defeat Sir Alexander, only to turn and slay all of the werewolves and consume their power. It was easy enough to insure that Sir Alexander would live to long enough to reach Arnstadt, but not live long enough to tell anybody of what happened.

No longer the young man that journeyed across the world on holy quests. He is now a refined gentlemen who stands as the very essence of nobility. His black hair is turning gray at the temples and side, but shows little sign of retreating. He has not lost his trim body or strength of arm that carried him during those dark times. Instead, he has put on just enough padding to seem more the statesmen than warrior. Still, nobody that looks into his eyes will ever see any weakness coming; although his eyes are now wrinkled around the edges.

As during his questing days, Count Bachmann favors black with silver and gold threadwork throughout. Additionally, he will often use red or white highlights to accent his physique. While capes are rarely in style he is almost never without one and uses it to grand tradition for his most noble coat of arms. He favors heavy and fairly chunky jewelry during those rare occasions he attends a full court affair. All told, he is one of the more dashing nobles at court — and being an unmarried knight of renown plays the game of courtly love well. So well that no husband has yet to have cause when he is noticed by their wives.

Phoenix Force buried Lord Bachmann under the earth. Gul closed the ground behind him. They had the assistance of Risha.

He controls the lands north of Phoenix Hold and has flopped between supporting Phoenix Force and opposing them. The characters suspect that he is a creature of evil hiding in the guise of a man, but even they do not understand his actions or perceive his true motives. For this reason they oppose him on many occasions, but must always react to his actions because they have not been able to anticipate his next move. This is made even more complicated because some of his actions seem directly opposed to the goals Phoenix Force have attached to him. He supports a powerful church and pious subjects, which would make it far more difficult for him to travel to Celinus for court.

No other PCs should interact with Lord Bachmann, but if they manage to get caught up in his web they would find themselves nearly helpless to stop his machine from pushing them to a foregone conclusion. The true depth of his personal and political power is immense and even dukes have been known to avoid moving against him for fear of being drawn under by his many supporters. GM Information

Nobody is currently aware that Lord Bachmann is not what he appears to be, which is a dashing nobleman. The ladies of court swoon over him and the men enjoy his companionship and respect the strength of his words. In reality he is a creature called a Dark Vampire. Dark Vampires are the root of all vampires. Even the most powerful vampires are but a shadow of the power held by a Dark Vampire. Dark Vampires can cross holy ground and stand in the full power of the sun without fear. Such limitations are the providence of their offspring, not them. For a more complete description please see the Miranda Bestiary.