En/Transylvania

*Swedish version*

Transylvania is a country in the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe, famous for its high peaks and deep chasms. Bertalan von Bognar and Eleanor von Simeon descended from Transylvanian cartwrigths.

## History

### Roman times

Transylvania was part of the Roman province Dacia. In the late days of the Roman Empire, Dacia and the neighboring Pannonia were conquered by the Huns led first by Warlord Rugila, then his nephew Attila. Following Attila's death, his sons divided his empire. The easter part that became Transylvania was ruled by Attila's son Prince Csaba.

### Arthurian times

Around the time when King Arthur was crowned the house Gorzo von Bilkei conquered the former Hunnic states and founded the Empire of Hungary. One of the army's generals, Vlad Dracul "the Dragon", killed Prince Csaba and became the Count of Transylvania as a vassal state under the Emperor of Hungary. After Vlad Dracul's death, his son, Count Vlad Drakula “The Impaler”, became the country's new leader. He was a tyrant of fearsome reputation who resided in the Castle of Bran. Under Vlad's rule, the country was defended by the Black Army, a group of knights clad in all-black armor. As Transylvania was a vassal state, the Black Army regularly fought as a division of the Imperial Army of Hungary. The Black Army was also responsible for maintaining law and order in the country, imprisoning anyone who was disobedient. The prisoners are usually tortured by Vlad himself. Transylvania was one of the few states in the Empire of Hungary that did not follow Christianity. Instead, they worshipped Chernabog, the pagan God of Darkness. In fact, depiction of crucifixes was forbidden in the Castle of Bran. Education in Transylvania was limited to a few select students who study at Scholomance, a university founded by the Drakula family. It was rumored that education in Scholomance focuses on the Dark Arts and other forms of magic, but there are very few historical records.

In the later years of Vlad's rule, Transylvania hit a hard time. Not only were they regularly under attack from the Golden Horde, but there were also rebellions all over a country, led by Lord Kozma Domonkos, a Dominican cleric who opposed both Vlad's brutality and belief in the Pagan gods. Vlad tried his best to visit courts and make political alliances, forming the Order of the Dragon, which successfully defended the country against the Golden Horde until they changed strategy and took the Empress of Hungary hostage, forcing Vlad to surrender eventually. Vlad was at the mercy of Kozma, who put him on a trial. Vlad was found guilty of torture of innocent peasants and was sentenced to resign from his position as the country's ruler and be imprisoned there for a lifetime. Some say that a hundred years later he is still alive, attributing his immortality to either a Druidic curse or a pact with Chernabog, but is unable to leave his castle.

### Post-Arthurian times

After Vlad's terror ended, Transylvania was ruled by Kozma Domonkos, who converted the country to Christianity. It was a prosperous time until the year 600, when a terrible famine hit the country. Baroness Eleanor von Simeon travelled to Transylvania to provide the people with bread and solve the crisis.