The Campaign Against the Vampire King

    To the North of Falkirk stretches the Bleak Tundra. In the West of the Bleak Tundra is Voranov, demesne of the Vampire King. In the centre is Sarmat, where Queen Temyris the Magnificent has her seat. In the East, nestled against the mountains of Ymir's Teeth is the Necropolis.

    The Necropolis is the burial place of untold numbers of mighty rulers, and their magical items.

    The Vampire King (Ravenloft with all the cruft excised) has a castle, and an artifact which allows him to summon arbitrarily large hosts of skeletons (given time and corpses), and solicitors. The Vampire King wants the Necropolis, for corpses to swell his undead armies, and for potent artifacts. In his way is the vast expanse of tundra. Any march across it would expose his flanks to Sarmat, Falkirk, or both.

        Queen Temyris the Magnificent commands the Bleak Tundra, from her seat at Sarmat, by virtue of her cavalry army, the Akithians. Aside from the goods of steppe life, she wants to prevent the Necropolis from being taken by the Vampire King. But given the Vampire King's army was defeated close to a century ago, does not know that he is active.

    Falkirk is a town which, on account of it's large adventurer population lurches continually from crisis to crisis.

May 861
    The Vampire King contracts the Falkirk Thieves Guild to rob the crypts under St. Cuthbert's and ship those corpses (in crates marked "Experimental Earth") to Voranov by way of the "Purple Kine Cargo" Company.
    
June 861    
    This grave-robbing stirs up a ghoul problem in the crypts under St. Cuthbert's causing the rector Br. Payne to discover the malfeasance and call in some adventurers. (Session 6)
    Said adventurers manage to eliminate the ghoul infestation (Sessions 7 and following), but drop the ball on the grave robbing investigation. As the grave-robbing stops, the adventurers declare the problem solved and collect their fee.

July 861
    Pleased with the results of the Falkirk contract, the Vampire King sends his solicitor Quincy Morris to Mayburgh to organise a much larger contract with the Mayburgh Thieves Guild and the "Blue Ox Cargo" company for more corpses (roughly 2000)

Sept 861
    Two Highwaymen capture a shipment Voranov-bound from Mayburgh with associated paperwork. They discover the crates marked "Experimental Earth" are in fact filled with mouldering corpses
    To facilitate rapid communication w/ agents in Falkirk and beyond, the Vampire King constructs 2 "Pony Express" messenger relay stations between Falkirk and Voranov.

Oct 861
    A combined goblin-orcish army (partially bankrolled by the Vampire King) burns Falkirk to the ground. The orcs then betray the goblins, and as a result, both parties withdraw without either occupying Falkirk.
    More than 4000 of Falkirk's citizen's are left dead.

Nov 861
    Publicly, emissaries of Voranov offer aid to help Falkirk recover. Paying for the reconstruction of St. Cuthbert's, a Voranov Embassy, and Purple Kine Cargo, and the collection/burial of those killed, as well as sending food and other supplies.
    Less publicly, the Vampire King has purchased Purple Kine Cargo, and is shipping the "collected" bodies back to Voranov rather than burying them. (Between Nov 861 and May 862, more than 4000 bodies will be shipped to Voranov)
    A notice goes up in Falkirk offering a reward for information about the Akithians, and/or the head of their leader.

Dec 861
    A spy, attempting to collect this reward, is captured in Sarmat and turns coat in exchange for his life. Queen Temyris now knows that the Vampire King is active.

Jan 862
    Queen Temyris rides into Falkirk, drags out the contact listed on the notice posted in Nov 861, and carries him off to Sarmat. (He will be executed, and emissaries from Falkirk to Sarmat will later accede to the Queen's demands of suzerainty over Falkirk.)

Feb 862
    Queen Temyris arrives in Falkirk to accept the submission of the city.
    The Swolceror arrives in Falkirk to begin talks to develop an Anti-Vampire King Coalition    
    Here reports differ. Some say that the initial talks between Queen and Swolceror went poorly, the Queen speaking contemptuously of the Swolceror's Giant-Invisible-Wooden-Hippopotamus-Chariot and that no agreement was reached before the Swolceror left Falkirk in indignation. Others claim that this was a ruse, and the foundation of far-reaching planse were laid during this first meeting. I honestly say, I do not know the truth of it.

Mar 862
    Temyris and the Swolceror make preparations for a march against Voranov. Adventurers make diplomatic missions attempting to enlist other members into the coalition.

Apr 02 861
    The Vampire King steals a march on the allies, setting forth across the Tundra towards the Necropolis.

Good Friday
    Having enlisted the service of some Frost Giants encountered on the march, the Vampire King kills the inhabitants of the Necropolis, seizing control of the location.

April 23
    The failure of a reconnaissance mission to Voranov to report back, sets in motion a rescue plan. Which plan, upon completion, appraises the allies of the march of the Vampire King from Voranov on the 2nd

May 5
    Sir Donald of Featherstone keep, and the Mayburgh contingent arrive in Falkirk.

May 6
    The allied army marches out of Falkirk to retake the Necropolis.

May 17
    The allies crush the army of the Vampire King (See here) but are unable to capture him.

May 19
    After securing the Necropolis, the allies march toward Voranov, to crush the Vampire in his lair.

Jun 2
    The allies invest Castle Voranov.

Jun 19
    Fell beasts issue forth from Castle Voranov, putting the allied army to flight.


Since the 19th nothing has been heard from the Vampire King.