Blood of Dracul - Role-playing practise

A thread used for practicing RPing. My initial RPing posts will be posted here for my own training, and other people can follow along as well.

(This opening post serves as an example, including a bio prompt of a character, and then an intro of all content relating to the character. Note that users are free to describe their character and relating features any way they please, and do not have to follow the prompt below or my style of introducing the character.)



Mieczyslaw Krzywczynski

Physical appearance: Rather unremarkable in everything, but fit and strong despite being in his mid-forties. Has short black hair and green eyes, a large black moustache, thick black eyebrows, and the sides of his head are shaved, as was common hairstyle of his day.

Personality: Unremarkable in everything, a rather stoic and lenient fellow, neither quick to rage nor peace. He just goes with the flow.

Equipment & Abilities: Armoured as a Winged Hussar but the armour is black, and the towering feathers are black. Instead of a leopard skin, he wears the pelt of a black panther over his armour, so that the snarling head is over his helm. Armed with a battleaxe, szabla, a pouch at his side holding a composite bow and quiver, and two reiter pistols. His blackened armour, towering feathers, and snarling black panther pelt gives him an imposing appearance. Like other nobles, rides a horse, named Kruk, a pitch-black stallion.

History: A nobleman from Poland, who decided he had enough of invaders, and set out on his own adventure to fight the enemy, but quickly strayed off-course and just did whatever he wanted. He was an easily recognizable warrior, nicknamed Czarna Pantera (“Black Panther”) in his native country for his black armour and pelt. During his adventures, he fought various enemies, from Swedes to Tartars, Ottomans to Wallachians, and is an experienced, but minor, commander.

With him are a ragtag entourage of about a hundred mercenaries, consisting of Germans, Ruthenians, Swedes, Lithuanians, and some hajduks from the Balkans. For cavalry, he has twenty lisowczycy and ten Tartars. In total, he commands 130 soldiers: 100 infantry and 30 cavalry.



Mieczyslaw Krzywczynski, Romania

The ragtag entourage of mercenaries travelled through an unspecified area in Romania during an unspecified time, allowing them to suddenly cross paths with someone else.

Whatever was going on, the travelling was simple, with the twenty lisowczycy (Polish horsearchers also armed with sabres and war hammers) currently trotting a mile or so away somewhere, and the ten Tartar horsearchers scouting elsewhere as well, leaving behind the hundred mercenary infantry to march loosely. The various and diverse European footmen spoke in their own languages mostly. Most infantrymen were armed with breech-loaders and sabres, but a few Poles and Lithuanians carried war scythes instead of a gun, and if so had a holstered firelock pistol.

Mieczyslaw himself marched on foot at the right flank, his horse trotting along after him. Being heavily equipped, he did not want to tire his horse out, just in case something happened, and then...



(when I end a post with ... it means I am waiting for other users in relation to the area to post. For example, the next person who posts, may end up meeting what I just typed out)

Corvin Castle

A beautiful castle, where Vlad the Impaler was said to have been imprisoned during his reign. A vampire lord is terrorizing the surrounding area, presumably due to revenge for Dracula's humiliating incarceration a few centuries ago. The Order of the Dragon have a presence here as well. Hungarian and Romanian soldiers are protecting the castle, awaiting an assault as sunset approaches, expecting either Ottomans or evil forces.

(you can look-up Corvin castle on the web to find images of it.)

Currently, various musketeers with breech-loaders are on the battlements, but there are also patrols along the bridge, walls, and marching along the castle grounds. Every patrol consists of five soldiers: four musketeers and an armoured halberdier. Overall, the guards are a little jumpy, as they know a vampire lord is in the area.

As one patrol walked passed under the bridge, they heard a call from above. A halberdier atop the bridge leaned over the railings.

“Eh! You are not the previous patrol, I think we are missing a patrol. Can you kindly turn back and go the other way? I think it's Ulaszlo's group missing.” the halberdier from atop the bridge called, which was more than enough to spur some worry.

The patrol down below looked around a bit anxiously, hearing the shrubs and trees sway in the gentle breeze, and always seeing things in the vegetation that refused to materialize. Looking up, the sunset was quite pretty, making an orange hue.

“What do you think, boys?” one of the musketeers below he bridge remarked.

“Have to do something, just in case. No man gets left behind. How hard can it be to just take a look? Maybe nothing happened, maybe the previous patrol just got lost.” the halberdier said, turning around, armour clinking, and he made his way from where he came.

The four musketeers near him looked at each other, then walked after their friend, gripping their muskets tightly, not knowing what to expect. They overheard footfall from above the bridge, the halberdier up there going across it with nineteen other musketeers, getting ready to make a potential search and rescue operation before the sun set and nightfall came, and...



Poenari Castle

A ruined and small but strong castle situated along very high, steep cliffs. It's an intimidating place to reach. Speculation suggest that this was Castle Dracula, but it looks rather simple, hardly a place for a vampire prince to reside in! Nevertheless, Vlad the Impaler did indeed repair the castle and used it for military purposes.

Currently, there are some Romanian soldiers and a small detachment of knights from the Order of the Dragon stationed in the castle, preparing for Ottoman or vampiric incursions. Although in ruins, it is just enough to serve as a base of operations. The sun is setting.

As would be expected, the battlements are manned by musketeers, but they have nothing to do. Since reaching the castle is done via steep slopes or a stairway, chances are nothing will appear unnoticed, and so is an instant no-man's land. Knowing that, the soldiers are bored and careless.

One soldier was leaning over the walls, smoking a cigar, and elbows on the walls and face resting in his hands. He looked quite bored, and yawned, and so his cigar fell out his mouth. He nearly dove to snatch his cigar, but like that'd ever happen. He watched the cigar fall, hitting the crags and then rolling down, some cinders sparking out.

“That's a big fall, you sure you want to be sleepy up here?” a soldier asked, walking to the scene, putting his musket down so that it leaned against the wall. He pulled out two cigars, gave his friend one, biting the tip off and then lit a match. “But yeah, it is boring up here.” he continued, lighting his cigar while puffing it, then lighting his friend's cigar. The two exhaled mouthfuls of smoke, then saw a hooting owl fly by.

“That's never a good sign.” the soldier who had lost his previous cigar remarked, then the two overheard someone else sneeze elsewhere around the castle, but didn't care. The two soldiers glanced at the stairway leading up to the castle, seeing several other soldiers with muskets and a few with berdiches walking up the stairs.

“Nothing will get up here easily. Nothing likes walking upwards.” the previous soldier remarked.

“Eh, us Transylvanians are used to steepness.” and at that, they continued smoking. Nothing seemed to be going on...



Bran Castle

The fabled castle where Vlad the Impaler supposedly resided himself. Although most people do not know this, originally, the fortress was built by Teutonic Knights in the early 13th century, but it was destroyed by the Mongols. Eventually, Transylvanian Saxons would rebuild the castle upon that same spot.

Overall, this does not seem to be where Dracula himself would reside but it is still quite a beautiful fortress, but is it worth taking a closer look? It seems to be occupied by Romanian monarchs; it used to belong to Hungarian kings, but they failed to pay debts, and so it was regained by the Romanians.

However, Bran Castle is one of the main fortresses where the members of the Order of the Dragon reside, knights loyal to Vlad III who swear to defend Christendom against the Ottomans, but will they have forgotten about their ancestors' oath a few hundred years ago? There are some Teutonic Knights present here as well; who knows what they are planning.

Since the castle is right in the middle of Romania and built upon a slight rocky hill, it is not easily threatened, and various towns and villages can be seen from the castle walls. It was a good spot for defending against Ottoman incursions, with patrolling horsemen moving from road to road. Militias guarded the villages, but everyone was getting ready for the end of the day, as the sun was setting. Not much was going on outside.

Meanwhile, inside the castle's main hall, a meeting took place. Several Teutonic Knights waited, all of them wearing white full plate armour and horned great helms, but having black crosses engraved on their breastplates, the crosses then gilded around the edges or in patterns. They had longswords and daggers sheathed at their sides.

Most sat at the table, slightly leaning forwards so that the bottoms of their backplates didn't rub against the chair, helms off and on the table, and drinking wine and eating biscuits, but one was standing before the fireplace, looking into the flames, flickering fire causing his armour to glimmer. This knight wore a cape, a necklace with a cross on it, and his gauntlets were also engraved with gilded black crosses, probably the leader of the group. With them was a butler and a few servants of the castle.

Soon, several other knights appeared, knights of the Order of the Dragon, also in full plate armour, but plain, and engraved with the image of a dragon swallowing its own tail. They wore armets, visors open, and all had sheathed longswords and daggers at their sides, common sidearms easily carried. The Dragon Knights, knowing the history of the Teutonic Knights, decided that it was best to stay armed at all times. One of the Dragon Knights wore Gothic-style armour, and seemed to be the grandmaster.

“About time you arrived.” the Teutonic Knight at the fireplace remarked, and turned around to look at his hosts. The other black-and-white knights also turned in their chairs to look at their hosts.

“The castle is lovely, and thank-you for wine and biscuits!” one of the Teutonic Knights remarked optimistically and happily, taking a bite out a biscuit, crumbs falling over his armour.

“You are welcome, and welcome to Bran Castle.” the Dragon Knight in Gothic armour replied, he and the other Dragon Knights taking their seat at the table, as did the standing Teutonic Knight. He waved an arm at the butler, and the butler and servants went off to get more stuff or something.

“So, you do know that Vlad III came back from the dead, right?” a Teutonic Knight asked.

“And now he's a vampire who already took his country back. Oh yes, we did notice, how could Romanians not notice something like that?” a Dragon Knight replied as if it were obvious.

“Ha ha! Ya... So, your prince, this Dracula, this Devil, you tolerate him?” the caped Teutonic Knight asked.

“Yes, we are loyal to our prince, this is the reason why the Order of the Dragon exists, but also to defend Romania from the Muslim hordes. I take it you ask because you are cautious of us?” one of the Dragon Knights asked.

“You could say that. We know that the House of Basarab wants to overthrow Dracula, effectively putting the two greatest families of Romania against each other.” a Teutonic Knight said.

“The Order of the Dragon is its own. We are not part of either house. We are loyal to Dracula, but not his House, his House is not our business.” the Gothic Dragon Knight assured.

“Not all of us; some of us are concerned to be loyal to a vampire even if he is our prince. Look at what he has done: vampires, witches, sorcerers and God knows what else roam the streets, and God knows what they do to true Romanians. He even has spies watching his own people.” one of the Dragon Knights remarked.

“And that is why we are here. Maximilian Joseph, Archduke of Austria-Este, the Hochmeister of our Order, wants to know what the Order of the Dragon is up to. He also wants Teutonic Knights to have greater influence in this region, to better... protect Christians from certain threats. Romania is frequently raided by the Asian hordes, and Teutonic Knights are eager to fight the common enemy, but we know that Dracula would never allow us. However, we can start with your Order, at least starting a friendship.” the caped Teutonic Knight said, and at that, the conversation continued, and...