The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

((Set in midevil times, some what based off of Terry Goodkinds sword of truth series))



In the prosperous city of Mriswith there were whispers of darkness, and black magick among all the taverns and inns. Talk of a woman, cloaked in shadow, pale as moonlight, and as evil as The Keeper himself. ((Keeper of The Underworld)) The towns people had hired a man by the name of Cannon Xavier to protect their city from this female menace, this succubus, this demon in the flesh....



Late one afternoon, an hour or so before sun down a woman comes to the Mirswith gates on the back of a black war-horse. She carries herself straight and proud as she stops at the gate.



"State your business M'Lady and you may pass." One of the guardsmen asks as he saunters up to her casually. She peers out from under her hood to glance at the man before straightening, and dismounting her horse.

"I'm passing through and wish to stay at an Inn, and buy provisions." She replies in a smooth, sultry voice. Her words are calm, collected and carry a sense of intellagence and power. The guard arches an eye brow, and bends down low to get a look at her face, but in vein. The waning sunlight, and hooded cloak hide her features from him.

"Remove your hood Madam, so that I might see our guest before allowing her entry" his hand slowly moves closer to his sword. The woman sighs heavily and nods.

"Very well Sir. I suppose I cannot blame you. There is alot of talk of strange things lately. Demon woman, succubi, vampires, and all that." She slowly reaches up, so as to not cause the man to be any more tense, and pushes her hood back. The last bit of sunlight reveals her long flowing crimson red hair, startling ice blue eyes, moonlight pale skin, rounded jaw structure, pouting pink lips, and gracefully arched eye brows. The guardsmen is slightly taken aback by the womans startlingly unique appearance, but quickly regains his composure.

"Forgive our suspicions m'lady, cant be too careful these days. You may enter. I recomend the Estates Inn, about A 45 minute walk straight ahead." She waves off the suggestion and smiles gently,

"Actually...I have very little money at the moment. Id prefer to stay some where a little more...humble." She smiles her embarassment and looks down. The guardsmen blushes, ashamed to have embarassed her.

"My appologies..." He scratches his head for a moment, thinking. "Id have to say the Drunken' Bones Inn then. Its about a hour and a half long walk." He points at the wall the right of them. "Fallow this wall until it intersects with the next one. In the corner of the south and west walls you'll find it." He appraises the woman for a moment before adding, "If you dont have a weapon on you, I suggest getting one before getting a room. The doors there dont lock and...Lets just say the other guests arent very...noble..." The woman nods her tanks, pulls up her hood, and mounts her horse, and trots through the partially opened gate.



She did as the man said and found the Inn. There was a stable adjoining to the Inn, with a young stable boy, about 16 years old, tending to some other horses. She dismounts and strides over to the young man. "How much to keep my horse for a night or two?" The boy stops brushing the great chestnut collored stallion and looks at her for a long moment, trying to get a look at her face, like every other man in the world.

"A half silver peice m'lady. Will you be staying alone, or do you have some one else along with you?" She tosses him a whole silver, hands him the reigns and walks away without a word. Upon entering the Inn she's over-whelmed by drunken noises. Almost all the table are occupied by men, and their whores. Carefully she picks a path to the bar. The bar keep eyes her suspiciously for a moment as she sits between two guardsmen who've just got off duty for the night. The bar keep turns his full attention to her whilst polishing a glass with his dirty apron.

"Can I help ye' lass?" He asks in an overly deep and coarse voice.

"I'd like a room Sir." she states flattly without emotion. His eyes get so wide they nearly pop out of his head.

"Ye' should know lass, the doors do not lock here." He studies her closely to make sure she gets his point. Leaning a little closer and beconing him closer she whispers,

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself Sir. You've my word on that." He nods, seemingly satisfied with the statement.

"It be two silver for a night. That includes dinner, and breakfast." She nods and slides two silver coins across the counter. The bar keep studies them for a moment.

"This not be currancy Ive seen sense I was a wee lad. Tis' from the Northeast, Brenidin, I believe. You've traveled a long way from home me girl." Had she not been wearing a hood, he'd have seen her expression darken.

"I have no home." She hisses and strides away up to her room, knocking a petite whore to the ground.

"Dinner be 2 hours after sundown lass!" The keep calls after here. She ignores him and continues on up to her room.



An hour and 45 minutes later she re-emerges with a growling stomach and heads down stairs to find fewer men, but the remaining are drunker, and louder than before. Ignoring them she finds a table in a dark corner and beckons over one of the serving wenches.

"Can I get you some dinner and some ale miss?" she asks, trying her best to mask her curiousity.

"What is for dinner tonight?" The girl, barely 18, smiles.

"Its roasted duck, boiled potatos, and carrots. I made it tonight. All the girls take turns cooking." The woman couldnt help but hope they washed their hands considering their other occupation.

"That sounds wonderful...Whats your name?"

"Melissa" The woman nods.

"Alright. That sounds wonderful Melissa. No ale though. Just tea please." Melissa nods and hurries off to fetch the strange woman a plate. About 20 minutes later she returns with the plate and a hot pot of tea.

"Anything else Miss...Im sorry, I didnt catch your name." the girl smiles meakly. The woman drops her hood, revealing her face to the girl. Melissa has the same reaction as the guardsmen at the gate...The same as everyone who's never seen her kind before.

"I am called many things, but more often than not...I am called Druka." After announcing her name Melissa pales considerably, and several conversations near her stop mid-word.

"Dr...Druka...Isnt than Ancient D'Haran for death?" Melissa asks in barely a whisper. Druka does her best at smiling harmlessly.

"My mother was ill the day I was born, and gave her last breath, while giving me my first. My father blamed me and cruely named me Druka. Ive thought to change it. To lie about it, but...Even though I didnt mean my mother harm, or know I was doing it...I did technically kill her. So Druka I am called." Melissa regains her sense of self and straighten.

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense. I was starting to think you were the Keeper in flesh coming to take us all to the Underworld." She giggles nervously as she walks away. Several men around are staring at her, weather in fear, or for the sake of giving lecherous glances it didn't matter. It angered her.

Oh yes, tonight Abraxis would feed. and feast like a king at that.



If only she'd known that Cannon Xavier, the one man who could bring her to ruin was approaching for a relaxing night-cap.



Cannon strolls in casually, being greeted by several of the town guardsmen. He smiles and claps a few men on the shoulder as he continues to the bar. The bar keep is grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the young man.

“Well if it isn’t Cannon, my favorite customer!” Cannon seems equally as enthused to see the bar keep.

“How ya’ doing Bill? The ale still as dark and strong as I remember it bein’?” The bar keep Bill throws his head back and laughs.

“Of course it is me boy! Of course it is! You know we here have the best ale in all of Mriswith!” Cannon claps the man on the back from across the counter while he takes a seat. The serving girl Melissa comes out with Cannons’ plate before he can even ask for it, and a tanker of ale.

“Thank you Melissa, you spoil me.” He grins at her, and she blushes and looks at the ground.

“I’d spoil you even more if you would except some of my other services.” She stirs her foot in a small circle while carefully studying the ground, refusing to meet his eyes. He turns fully to her and grabs your gently by the chin., raising her face to meet his.

“You know that I do not think a lady like you should be treated like property, and that I don’t care for what you do for a living. If I were a stronger hearted man, or weaker of will, id scoop you up and run away with you to live happily ever after…” He sighs over dramatically and releases her face “..But alas M’Lady, I cannot.” Druka snorts a small laugh and hunkers closer to her tea, trying to ignore the men and their talk. The whole conversations consists of life in the town, crops, weather, and women, mostly things men like to talk about, until Cannon spoke loud enough for the entire Inn to hear him.

“So, Bill…. Have you any strange customers this evening?” Bill seems taken aback by the question at first, and then points in Drukas’ direction.

“Just her is all Ive had wanting a room tonight. Doesn’t talk much, but she seems like a normal lass to me.” Cannon asks him to recite as much of the short conversation as possible, and as always Bill remembers everything word for work. The bounty hunter Cannon, turns to her, peering dangerously from across the room. He gets a refill on his ale and starts across the room. When he reaches her table he sets his ale down and stares down at the top of her hood.

“Excuse my intrusion Miss, but I need to ask you a few questions before I let you stay here in our fare city.”

She takes a deep breath before lowering her hoor and looking up at the man. He’d grown up sense she last saw him. When he sees her he knows who and what she is instantly, and reaches for his sword. Before he can blink her hand shoots out and stops him. Grabbing his cloak she jerks him closer to her, face to face.

“Unless you want ever single person in this Inn to die right now I suggest you calm yourself and have a seat.” His eyes are wide, his hand slowly falls away from his sword, he gives a single nod and sits. Druka eyes him for a long moment before releasing him. Breathing deeply she sits back, and tries to regain her calm. “Its been a long time Cannon. You were but a child when I last saw you, training with the Blue Sages.”

“That was a long time ago Druka, I’m not that helpless child anymore.” His tone is firm and defiant, like a child’s, it makes her smile, and remember him as a boy, insisting that he was strong enough to beat her then. He was wrong then, and probably wrong now too.

“You know you’ll always be a child to me Cannon. Ive lived hundreds of your life times.”

“And you’ll not live much longer. This is where it ends Druka. I cannot let you continue what you have been doing.”

Taking a deep breath and letting it out she smiles. “You don’t know the reasons.”

“And I don’t care to know! What you’ve been doing is wrong! Its against the Creator!” At that she shoots to her feet and starts screaming at him.

“The Creator be damned! What did he ever do for me in my time of need!? I am showing those men, those foolish and blinded people that he will no come to them in their time of need! They he is just something to fool them into obeying this farce you call a government!” The entire inn goes still as death. They all stare at her in blank horror, and Cannon sighs heavily and looks away whilst mumbling, “Druka…Your glowing….” Her eyes go wide as she looks down to discover her cloak glowing an angry scarlet hue, along with her hair and eyes. Leaning close to Cannon she whispers, “I will kill every person in this city if you make me fight you here. If you want a fight, I’ll give you one. I’ll have a camp, on the far side of the lake, about half a mile from the city to the west. Find me there, and you’ll have your glorious battle.”

Just then several guardsmen stand and draw swords. “That’s her! That’s The Red Witch!” They all starts screaming for the able bodied men to prepare for the fight of their lives. Druka sneers at them, before raising one hand over her head, then lowering it to her belly, and then making a swift motion across the crowd of men.

“Die.” She hisses angrily. At that all the men drop dead in hundreds of bite-sized bloody bits of flesh and bone. She turns abruptly to Cannon. “Your not the only one who’s grown more powerful Cannon. Think about that before you decide to take me on. Farewell.”

Cannon wanted desperately to get up and chase her, but felt a serious responsibility to the fallen men around him, and stayed while watching the last red wisp of her cloak vanish out of the door.