Sighing, the Vampire went about her daily duties. The day passed in a blurred haze of stormy skies, solitude, the dull work of controlling familiars to get the house in order again, investigating what remained of her father's old archives, studying bits of interesting magic, and so on and so forth. No matter what she did, however, she could not take her mind off of the past, of the dream she had experienced once again that morning, and of the empty, soulless doll slumbering in the upper room, a beloved being which not even her potent abilities could yet revive. As day turned to night once more, and a red moon rose over that dark, desolate manor, as it was ought to do in the presence of her powerful crimson magic, she felt life surging into her - but to what purpose? What point was there to have power when one had nothing to live for, and an endless time on Earth? Even the power she had yet amassed was insufficient to accomplish her one goal, so what was she to do with that power which could not achieve what she needed it to? Useless. Everything was useless.
Seating herself at the massive dining table in the great hall beyond the entrance way - the grand portal to that titanic banquet chamber situated squarely between the half-circle staircases from the entrance hall to the upstairs, and to the studies, libraries, and bedrooms - Evangeline alone occupied that massive hall, food whisked to her plate from the seemingly empty kitchens through unknown and invisible means. The gallery doors into the servant chambers from the sides of the entryway lay locked and unused, their former inhabitants long since dead, and yet something attended to the Vampire's every need, placing a rather rarely cooked steak before her, along with an exquisitely prepared salad, mashed potatoes and well-spiced gravy, completing the meal with a few rolls of white bread, their taste enhanced to perfection through the application of various delectable herbs and cheeses to please the mistress of the house's sensitive palate. For a beverage, the master of the night was given a simple cup of red wine, spiced with blood she had collected a long time ago and had never gotten around to drinking. It certainly did enhance the drink's exquisite taste.
Eva sat alone, sinking into the luxuriously padded chair at the head of the dining table, the other chairs and plates, long ago set out for a meal that had never been served, lying empty along the grand table. Expertly woven tapestries and hangings decorated the walls, crimson light punctuated by the silvery flashes of lightning outside pouring through the giant window positioned directly behind Evangeline's chair. The only sounds in the hall were the rolling of thunder, the constant falling of rain on the roof high above, and the ticking of a gigantic clock, the only thing in that ageless and otherworldly manor that seemed to be affected by the passage of time.
"Bless this meal," The Vampire prayed, clasping her hands together as she was taught. Then, a wry grin formed over her face, her fangs peering out from behind her lips, and she gave a hollow, empty laugh.
"Actually, on second thought, don't," She added sarcastically, taking a sip of her wine before she took up her fork and knife, and elegantly perused her various courses with an impeccable air of nobility and good taste. Even if it didn't matter any more, old habits died hard. Besides, if she didn't eat slowly, her steak might leave bloodstains in her blouse, and she knew from experience how difficult those were to clean out.
The passage of time was meaningless to her, aside from the occasional necessary or interesting event, such as sleeping, eating, or, in most unusual cases, a foolhardy and ill-thought out visit. Although such visits were few and far between, when they did occur, they served as a diversion of sorts, if only a very brief one. Well, Eva mused, it seemed that she would have at least something interesting to do tonight. Three intruders had just entered the main hall, two clad in more armor and carrying more weapons than most knights, and one other adventurer, wearing dark robes and lighter armor. From all of them, she felt an unusual and almost inhuman power. Well, if they'd come to slay her, they needn't have tried. She couldn't see any holy objects or weapons made from yew wood on them - her two main weaknesses - and the moon outside was full and red as blood. The night had already begun, and this was her domain. Attempting to kill her now with nothing to prevent her from regenerating would be an exercise in futility.
By the look of things, one of them was trying to call out to her, and the others were desperately trying to stop him. Well, if they were hoping to sneak in unnoticed, then they had failed. All souls entering or leaving her home were under her watchful eye, no matter how stealthy they tried to be. They had walked right in the front door, anyway, so how exactly were they hoping to remain unseen. Sending out a few of her invisible familiars to serve as her hands, she lounged comfortably in her throne, swinging the thick double doors to the great hall open slowly, giving a loud creak as they slid apart, revealing her, bathed in the scarlet moonlight streaming from above and behind her, silhouetting her against the dim torchlight illuminating the rest of the room. She spread her wings wide about her, her aura forming around them and, replicating their shape, creating a pair of gigantic red wings that spread like arms that would snatch the heavens and drag them to the earth.
"Well, I must admit, I was not expecting Humans to come here and visit me on a stormy night. You are too well armed to be simple travelers who have lost your way, and too powerful to be mere fools in search of glory by slaying me. Why have you come? Speak, or forever hold your peace in the slumber of the grave." As the Vampire spoke, she sipped her wine casually, swirling it in the glass. But her threats were by no means casual, or unfounded, for as she spoke, she flared her power, channeling a great deal of energy to the innumerable tiny familiars filling the entrance hall, reshaping their forms as she did so. As they grew in power, they became visible, forming countless shafts of red light, like the spears of some otherworldly phalanx prepared to lunge forward and end the lives of the brave fools who had trespassed into her domain. They appeared on all sides, all pointed inward like a great wave looming over a ship before the inevitable striking downward, dragging the vessel and its crew into oblivion. Arcane runes, circles, and symbols flared to life on the walls, ceiling and floor, bathing the entire entrance hall in that hellish scarlet light in a single instant. The Vampire gave a laugh, a cold, heartless thing, and smirked, baring her fangs at the intruders. Now to see what their move would be. Whatever it was, it was bound to be interesting. Either way, if they tried their luck or her patience, she didn't intend to let them escape. They had power - a great deal of it - and at the moment, power was the one thing she desired above all else.
The Vampire's meal may have ended, but the banquet of Evangeline Starrk, Witch of Blood, had only just begun.
