Reikhafen

### Geography

Shores on the west. Mountains on the north, east, and south. Plains at the center. Forest outlining the borders.

### Population

7,500 - Vampires
2 million - Humans

### Cities

Eschenport
Grimwald
Fort Posner

### Towns

Wyndrom
 Galstein
 Ghoul's Den
 Kirko Askal

### Foundation

200 BDK

Reikhafen is a kingdom located of the western shores of Arestoneiam. The kingdom is well-known for its immense vampire population and use of humans as slaves.

## History

The
 lands of Reikhafen were a strange and malicious place long before any
of the vampires arrived to seize power. The earliest recorded history of
 Reikhafen was found in ancient ruins of a civilization that had sunken
into the tar swamps that dot the land. On large slabs of rock, images
were drawn of men with horns committing foul rituals with bloody human
sacrifice, strange creatures dance across the etchings and it is said
that on the following day, three of the peasants that uncovered the
ancient writing died from unknown causes.

Just over one thousand years ago the first known Vampire in Reikhafen,
Vladimir, discovered the preserved corpse of an ancient vampire in one
of the ruins deep inside the mountains that run along the country’s
border. After attempting to translate a scroll he found inside of the
ruins for several months, Vladimir ascertained that he could become
immortal if he drank the blood of the strange preserved corpse. After
doing so, Vladimir successfully transformed into the first vampire to
ever live in Reikhafen in written history. What is known after this is
all rumor and no historian from Reikhafen has ever found documentation
certifying any of these rumors. Constantin Vladimirescu, as he is now
known, was very close to Vladimir, either as his son or apprentice in
archeology and magic.

Upon Vladimir’s return to his castle, Constantin was shocked at the
wicked transformation that Vladimir had undergone. Once Vladimir
explained to him the wonderful power and immortal life that he had
gained from drinking the blood of a vampire, Constantin immediately grew
 ambitious and began to have dreams of grandeur. Vladimir explained to
Constantin that he burned the corpse of the vampire whose blood he
drank, that way nobody else could gain immortality except for him.
Constantin, driven mad by the desire to gain immortality, beheaded
Vladimir and drank his blood to gain immortality. Constantin was
disappointed to discover that nothing about him changed, although he
became painfully ill and died within days of consuming Vladimir’s blood.
 Constantin was resurrected by the disease hidden in Vladimir’s blood
and discovered he was now more powerful than ever, although the sunlight
 burned him and he had a particular aversion to fire.

Constantin created a scheme to poison the nobles of the land with drops
of Vladimir’s blood to turn them all into vampires, whom he would rule
over as the head vampire count. Constantin succeeded in his plan and
then disappeared for one hundred years to gather powerful artefacts that
 would aid him in securing his rule of Reikhafen. Upon his return, the
land was riddled with infighting and power struggle. With his artefacts
and new dragon ally, Gheleist, Constantin united Reikhafen under one
banner of vampiric rule. There were several human rebellions after this,
 but the superior wit and strength of the vampires, combined with
magical prowess, put down the human rebellions. After this, every human
was branded with a rune that would instantly kill them if the left the
lands of Reikhafen, which were now marked by wicked and corrupt borders.

## Cities and Towns

### Cities

The
 city of **Drakken** is the capital city of Reikhafen, it is home to the
majority of the country’s industry, such as carpentry, stone cutting,
gem cutting, furniture making, etc. The city is ruled from Castle
Drakken at the very center, atop a huge man made hill, surrounded by
moats. High Count Constantin rules from within its blackened stone
walls. There are approximately 250,000 human slaves that live here in
housing that ranges from hovels to mansions, depending on their class.
One thousand vampires live here as well, acting as direct servants to
the High Count.

**Eschenport**
 is the only location in Reikhafen that is accessible by sea. Man-made
sea walls create an artificial chokepoint that limits the number of
ships that can enter the port at once. Eschenport is home to a massive
drydock facility where military and trade ships are created. It is the
second largest trade hub in Reikhafen due to its sea access. There is a
fishing industry in Eschenport as well, but the boats are searched
before they go out and before they come in and a member of the
Eschenport Customs Office has to be present on each fishing journey.
Special un-branded slaves man these boats since all of the other slaves
would die the moment they got onto the water. The human population of
Eschenport is 150,000 and the Vampire population is 600.

**Fort**
 Posner **is the home of the Knights of the Black Sky. It is here that**
every one of these knights resides when they are off duty, which is
almost never. Kaiser \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is the vampire lord who owns the
grounds of Fort Posner, he also is the head of the knightly order and
personally promotes every knight in the order. Outside of housing the
Knights of the Black Sky, Fort Posner also serves as a training grounds
for landless knight orders and the Dominated. It stands at the base of
one of the very few mountain passes into Reikhafen and would be the
first line of defense if any enemies chose to take that path. There are
very negligible amounts of human slaves that serve here and only the
Knights of the Black Sky live in the castle, though there is room for
many more defenders if the need ever arose.

**Grimwald**
 is a city of slave merchants. This is the only place in the kingdom
where foreigners are permitted, though under close supervision by
natives. This is the slave trading hub of the kingdom, where Vampire
nobles and landed gentry come to buy slaves from all over the world. The
 city is walled and the gates are heavily guarded by The Dominated.
Everything that goes in and out is inspected to ensure no slaves are
escaping. The population of this city is fluid, as slaves temporarily
live here until they are sold. It is estimated that there are 100,000
permanent human residents and between 500-650 permanent Vampire
residents. Grimwald is ruled from Castle Krifgen, where \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
oversees the ever important slave trade operations.

**Bastyl**
 is rumored to be the happiest city in Reikhafen. The slaves tell tales
of family members who were sold to Bastyl and write of what a wonderful
city it is, they say the best architecture in the land makes its home in
 Bastyl and that the city is full of master craftsman. The reality of
Bastyl is quite similar to the myth. It is in fact the happiest city in
Reikhafen for both the Vampires and the Slaves. Slaves are treated very
well and allowed a large degree of autonomy, making them very content
and subservient. The truth behind this change in culture is not as
cheery as it might seem. In the drinking water that Bastyl draws from,
there is a naturally occurring chemical compound that helps to create
dopamine and stimulate parts of the brain that cause the emotions of
joy, happiness, and contentment. This chemical agent is also a known
carcinogen that can cause schizophrenia and several other mental
disorders to arise in those who consume it. Although the vampires know
this, many of them still choose to live their lives in bliss. The ‘manic
 city’ of Reikhafen houses 450 Vampires and 170,000 slaves.

### Towns

Wyndrom
 is a town that has existed since before the Vampires reigned in
Reikhafen. The people that live there are a backwards and simple folk
that care not for grand politics. They are content to live out their
lives in the swamp and the Vampires hardly ever bother them. Because of
the ever changing swamp soil, the citizens of Wyndrom live on raised
wooden buildings. These are sometimes called 'stilt cities' by outsiders
 as they rise far above the muck of the swamp on crude braces.

**Galstein**
 is a moderate woodcutting village that sits just outside of Galstein
forest. Both the village and the forest are named after their ruling
count, Freidrich Galstein, he has ruled there since Constantin took
power. Because of the intense and year-long darkness the village faces,
they are also expert torch makers. Most of the village makes a decent
living off of crafting elaborate braziers, lamps, and torch holders for
wealthy clients in the Reik. The lumberjacks of
Galstein are also known to be decent hunters and warriors, as the
Galstein woods are home to all manner of dangerous beasts that love the
taste of man flesh.

**Khoren**
 Quarry **is a tribal village among the border mountains of Reikhafen.**
They are a warrior people who worship strength and prowess in battle
above all else. It is because of this that they willingly follow the
Vampire rule. Long ago Constantin and a few of his original knights of
the black sky bested the armed mob of Khoren by themselves. The
remaining survivors pledged their loyalty to the vampires for all of
time and they worship them as Gods. Since then the Khoren have
multiplied to be ten times the population that they originally were and
they stalk the mountain passes of Reikhafen for wild beast or wandering
slave, acting as the first line of defense against invasion as well.