Vampiric Undead

Vampiric Undead
Setting:	Age of Fantasy
Games:	Age of Fantasy, Age of Fantasy: Skirmish, Age of Fantasy: Regiments, Age of Fantasy: Quest
Species:	Vampires

The Vampiric Undead are legions of monsters and spirits led by powerful vampire Lords. These lords use their dark magic to raise and control the bodies and spirits of the dead, and lead them to battle.

The Vampire Lords are members of the nobility from the western steppes who embraced necromancy after they were abandoned by the Empire during the Havoc Wars. Once they understood the secret of immortality, they attempted to betray their patrons and were cursed with undeath. This curse has only made the Vampire Lords more bitter and cruel as they rule brutally over their fearful subjects.

History

The Origin of the Marches

The Western Marches emerged as a mountainous and forested region that served as a natural border between the early Human Empire, the southern sea, and the western steppes. Its rugged terrain and dense forests made settlement difficult, turning it into a refuge for displaced peoples, defeated tribes, and exiled communities.

Over the centuries, various groups settled in the area, including the Wurmvelk, Nedzorites, Black Wings, and Danvals, which led to recurring conflicts over territorial occupation. This process gave rise to a fragmented structure of small domains ruled by warlords, whose authority depended on military strength. Continuous territorial disputes consolidated a warlike culture and a reputation for violence.

The warriors of the Marches were distinguished by their use of intimidating symbols and by the spread of tales and songs that exalted the brutality of their leaders, many of whom remain in collective memory. At the same time, the forest assumed a central role: large-scale logging attempts failed due to its vastness, the presence of hostile creatures, and the shortage of labor. This led to a forced coexistence in which peasants avoided entering the woods while nobles patrolled its borders. However, not all adhered to these boundaries, as marginalized communities formed forest tribes known as the Volshoboz, or “Wolfkin”, who used the dense wilderness as both refuge and base of operations for raiding.

Establishment of the Viceroyalty

As the Western Marches struggled with internal conflicts, the Human Empire rose into a dominant power whose influence reached the region through trade. Eastern lords prospered from Imperial commerce, while others were left at a disadvantage, fueling raids and reprisals. This unrest provided the Empire with justification to intervene, and annexation soon followed, though local elites retained much of the administration while paying tribute to a distant sovereign.

Two centuries later, resistance emerged under Fevrig Nedzoroz, Margrave of Kamzan Lake. After years of secret preparations, he launched the "Dark Solstice", eliminating much of the pro-Imperial nobility and leading a three-year war that unified most of the Marches under his control.

At the same time, the Empire was weakened by rebellions and a massive daemonic invasion. Forced to negotiate, the Emperor granted the Marches autonomy in exchange for Fevrig’s support. Thus, the Western Marches became a self-governing state under Fevrig I, who then marched east with the largest army the Marches had ever assembled, heralding the beginning of the Havoc Wars.

The Rise of the Vampiric Marches

The people of the Western Marches were seasoned warriors, but the Havoc Wars brought unprecedented devastation. Fevrig I and his vassals fought alongside Imperial forces on the northern frontier, retaking cities, ambushing demons, and countering hostile northern tribes. Despite their brutal tactics and fearsome reputation, the Havoc forces continued to advance, leaving provinces in ruins and threatening the Marches further with Ogre invasions from the west.

During the Battle of the Red Road, Fevrig I was killed while leading a desperate charge, and his son assumed the title as Fevrig II. He immediately declared secession from the Empire, consolidating the remaining lords and focusing on eliminating demonic forces, though new threats loomed. At this critical moment, a mysterious wizard known as Shradzotezyaban, or “the Stranger,” arrived, offering his power to raise the dead in defense of the Marches.

With the Stranger’s necromantic army, Fevrig II repelled the Ogre horde in the Mortodzan Hecatomb and temporarily secured the Marches. However, the Stranger’s ultimate goal was to use the Marches in a ritual to grant eternal life for himself and his masters. Fevrig II betrayed him, killing the Stranger and corrupting the ritual, unleashing a curse that transformed nobles into Vampires, forest tribes into Werewolves, and the land itself into a realm of undeath.

This catastrophe marked the beginning of the Vremyasag, the Era of Thirst, during which the Western Marches became known as the Vampiric Marches. Fevrig III later rose to power, mastering the curse, consolidating the undead aristocracy, and stabilizing human populations through the ritual known as Kiralkya, or "the King’s Gift". He crowned himself King of the Vampiric Marches, establishing a new order while preparing for eventual expansion beyond the Marches.

Consolidation of the Undead Aristocracy

Fevrig III sought to bring stability to the cursed land and mold it into a formidable state. Protecting the dwindling Human population was crucial, both as subjects and as sustenance for the Vampires.

Together with his Necromancers, he devised the King’s Gift, a ritual allowing Vampires to share a fragment of undeath with mortal servants. The peasants, called Leczapoye, or "the Drained", wore collars through which their lords drew a blood tax. The annual Dogozmenye ceremony reinforced the bond between Drained and master.

Resistance arose, but most Vampires adopted the system, recognizing its benefits. Fevrig III granted his vassals autonomy, requiring only loyalty and the maintenance of standing armies. Even the Volshoboz fell under the King’s authority, regaining partial consciousness and organizing into packs, though they remained subservient to Vampires in war.

Through fear, force, and diplomacy, Fevrig III achieved unprecedented control over the aristocracy. Open rebellion was rare, but some nobles remained exiled or hidden in lands corrupted by the Curse, where necromantic energies ran unchecked. The King maintained authority by fostering intrigue and division among his vassals.

Expansion of the Vampiric Marches

Fevrig III’s ambitions extended beyond ruling the Marches; he aimed to rebuild and expand the Human Empire under his banner. He invested heavily in necromantic research, recruiting scholars and mages across Tyria to Kamzan Castle, which became a vast center of study, laboratories, and libraries dedicated to understanding and harnessing the Curse.

A key focus was the Monoliths established by the Stranger, investigating their role in amplifying undeath and shaping the land. While many experiments failed, destroying villages or creating unstable vortexes, some succeeded, establishing remote Vampiric Undead colonies. Arcane amulets and sarcophagi fashioned from Monolith stone allowed Vampires to channel the Curse in combat or for recovery.

Political realities tempered these ambitions. Vassals remained scheming, requiring the King to maintain a balance of fear, diplomacy, and ritual. Nevertheless, the Vampiric Marches became a land of undeath where Humans, Vampires, and Werewolves were bound by ritual, coercion, and dependence.

The Marches served as both a bastion and a laboratory for Fevrig III’s ultimate goal: a dominion of undeath from which he could extend his influence beyond the cursed borders, shaping Tyria according to his will.

Notable Conflicts

The Zhanye Pass Slaughter

The Zhanye Pass Slaughter stands as a defining moment in the annals of the Western Marches, symbolizing the first great triumph achieved by the Marchers themselves after the imposition of the Curse. Beyond its military importance, the battle affirmed that the transformations wrought by the Ritual, though grievous and irrevocable, were also the instruments of the Marchers’ enduring independence.

In the first winter following the Ritual, the Ogres of the steppes launched a renewed invasion under the command of Master Shaman Mazumeta Idemzi, seeking to claim the necromantic energies that saturated the land. Her campaign met the resistance of Werewolf Champion Gremyir Azetovoz, once a captain in Fevrig I’s service, and Lady Milyazha Imruskoza, the youthful Vampire sovereign of Telen Valley. United by kinship of blood and transformation, they formed a pact that would decide the fate of the region.

The confrontation reached its climax in the treacherous snows of Zhanye Pass, where Gremyir’s pack, guided by instinct and knowledge of the terrain, orchestrated a series of relentless ambushes. During a furious blizzard, the Ogres were driven into chaos, many plunging to their deaths from the cliffs, while their war chief, Atagar Tevitenöy, fell buying his mistress’s escape. Mazumeta herself reached Telen Castle alone, exhausted and wounded, only to meet her end at the hands of Lady Imruskoza, who claimed her life and blood in one final act of vampiric justice.

This victory, known thereafter as the Zhanye Pass Slaughter, was celebrated across the Marches as a moment of self-determination and unity against foreign incursion. Songs such as “Tumbling Down from Zhanye Pass” preserved the tale in popular memory, while Gremyir Azetovoz’s renown spread even among the noble houses that once scorned his kind. His pack grew in number and prestige, and he would later serve as one of the Vampire King’s most trusted generals.

Lady Imruskoza, now a figure of legend, withdrew into her ancestral fortress, ruling from solitude with only skeletal retainers for company. Yet her bond with Gremyir endured, and the valley once known as Telen became Wolf Valley, a realm shared by Vampire and Werewolf alike. Even now, travelers through its frozen heights speak of Ogre skeletons wandering the cliffs, restless echoes of an army that dared to challenge the sovereignty of the Marches.

The Temetoz Expedition

The Temetoz Expedition is documented in the annals of the Western Marches as a cautionary episode illustrating the dangers of mortal intrusion into domains bound by the Curse. Around the mid-Vremyasag period, the exiled Vinci inventor Satilla Scezzoni led a small expedition into the necropolis of Temetoz, situated along the northern frontier, after detecting fluctuations of necromantic energy. Unbeknownst to her, the site had long been occupied by Latmyir the Mad, a reclusive necromancer and former disciple of the Stranger, whose experiments in skeletal reanimation had persisted for centuries beyond his supposed death.

The Vinci expedition, driven by a blend of scientific curiosity and imperial arrogance, descended into the catacombs in search of the energy source. Their intrusion disrupted Latmyir’s dormant constructs, reawakening skeletal servitors and ghoulish guardians. Confrontations escalated rapidly within the subterranean corridors, culminating in the annihilation of the expedition. Surviving records indicate that Zaigino “Big Zai” Urulli, Scezzoni’s lieutenant, sacrificed himself to delay the undead assault, allowing his mistress to retreat deeper into the ruins. None of the Vinci returned alive, save for a single soldier whose fragmented testimony describes the chaos of collapsing tunnels, extinguished lanterns, and the relentless pursuit of Shetro the Blind, Latmyir’s winged ghoul.

Subsequent reports claim that Latmyir resurfaced a decade later, commanding an army of armored skeletons that briefly threatened the neighboring domains before inexplicably turning against him, an outcome often interpreted as the byproduct of flawed experimentation or premature attempts at sentient animation. Following this event, Latmyir disappeared once more, presumably returning to Temetoz.

Of Satilla Scezzoni, no verifiable trace was ever recovered. However, a fragment of mechanized armor bearing Vinci craftsmanship was later retrieved near the necropolis, suggesting that her fate was sealed within the same halls she sought to study. Among vampiric scholars, the incident is cited as an example of mortal hubris confronting the immutable sovereignty of undeath, a reminder that the necromantic energies of the Marches are not subjects for inquiry, but for reverence.

The Gründenite Crusade

The Gründenite Crusade marked one of the most tragic and transformative episodes on the eastern frontier of the Marches. It began in the county of Verdorv, ruled by Count Grevrig Svatovez and his consort Navleva, whose attempts to maintain harmony between the living and the undead were rare examples of coexistence in the aftermath of the Curse. Grevrig’s moderation, drinking only from criminals and preserving trade with the east, was misunderstood by the Human realms, which, in their fear and ignorance, recast him as the monstrous “Blood-Drinker of Verdorv.”

The preacher Father Gründen, claiming divine revelation and promising the rebirth of a “True Emperor,” rallied impoverished peasants and disillusioned soldiers into a fanatical host. Under the banner of purification, his crusade descended upon Verdorv, looting and burning indiscriminately. Despite Grevrig’s efforts to avoid bloodshed, the mob’s fervor forced him to defend his homeland. Guided by Navleva’s resolve, he drew upon the Monolith’s necromantic energies to raise an army of skeletal defenders and confront the invaders beyond the shattered gates of Verdorv.

The ensuing battle was fierce and chaotic. Grevrig led a disciplined counterattack, momentarily turning the tide, but his hesitation before the young zealot Yana of Rakk cost him his life, she struck him down with the crusaders’ banner. Enraged by the fall of her husband, Countess Navleva unleashed the full might of the Monolith, summoning the Winged Terror Ravanez and annihilating the crusader host in a storm of blood and despair. Verdorv was left in ruin, and the valley became a domain of silence and death.

In the aftermath, Navleva Svatoveza, thenceforth known as the Widow of Verdorv, abandoned her former ideals of coexistence. Her grief hardened into doctrine: mortals could no longer be trusted to share the lands of the Curse. She purged her county of the living and later razed the birthplace of Father Gründen himself, extinguishing the last embers of his creed.

Among vampiric scholars, the Gründenite Crusade is remembered not as a holy war, but as a cautionary testament to the volatility of mortal zeal and the futility of human faith before the permanence of undeath. Verdorv endures as a somber reminder that mercy, when extended to the living, often finds its reward in betrayal.

Raid on Eltoxato

The so-called Raid on Eltoxato remains one of the most infamous misadventures in the annals of the Marches, illustrating both the audacity and recklessness that marked the age of post-Rift exploration. Its protagonist, Ekvanyik “Blackfang” Tsaveskoz, was a lowborn knight ennobled by Fevrig II after the Battle of the Red Road. Despite his rise, Tsaveskoz never earned the acceptance of his peers; mocked for his ignorance and vulgar tastes, he sought validation through wealth and conquest. When trade collapsed after the Curse, he turned to piracy, preying upon coastal settlements until chance presented him with a fragmentary map said to reveal the location of the fabled Temple City of Eltoxato, a ruin long thought swallowed by time.

Gathering a motley crew of undead sailors and desperate Drained, Blackfang sailed south in search of glory. His fleet eventually reached a verdant island veiled in mist, which he eagerly proclaimed to be the legendary city’s resting place. In truth, the island was home to a reclusive Saurian civilization governed by Klilanatlenaxi, a Frog-Mage charged with safeguarding sacred relics of immense power. Despite warnings and omens, Blackfang’s forces forced entry into what they mistook for the city gates, unknowingly breaching the pens of the Saurians’ colossal beasts. The ensuing stampede decimated his army before the battle had even begun.

The Saurian defenders, led by Téxatl the Angry, mounted a desperate defence of their temple city. The Vampire, undeterred by losses, pressed the attack, wielding necromantic fury against beasts and lizardkin alike. Téxatl fought valiantly until grievously wounded by sorcery, and Blackfang stormed the central pyramid where Klilanatlenaxi awaited him. The Frog-Mage, accepting his prophesied death, offered no resistance as the Vampire’s blade fell. What remained of Blackfang’s army withdrew in chaos, hounded by enraged creatures and collapsing ruins. Of hundreds, only a handful returned to the ships, burdened with gold and a few strange artefacts.

Upon his return to Grazye, Blackfang displayed his plunder as trophies, adorning his hall with relics he neither understood nor respected. When Fevrig III demanded his rightful share, the arrogant knight destroyed the artefacts rather than surrender them. Pursued for this act of defiance, Blackfang fled into exile and embraced full piracy, his name thereafter cursed across the seas. In the centuries since, Saurian scholars have clarified that the temple he sacked was not Eltoxato at all, but a sacred sanctuary meant to contain relics of planetary preservation, now irrevocably lost through his ignorance.

Among Vampiric chroniclers, the Raid on Eltoxato is often cited as a parable of ambition untempered by wisdom. It demonstrates that even the undying are not immune to folly, that eternity magnifies pride as much as power. Today, the ruins of Klilanatlenaxi’s city remain a wound upon the jungle, and Téxatl the Angry, the last survivor of its defenders, is said to haunt the coasts, waging an endless and confused vendetta against the undead.

Notable Locations

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Society

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Military Overview

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Vampire Lords

Vampire Lords are extremely dangerous adversaries who, despite their human appearance, are infused with the cursed energy of the Curse, granting them strength, vitality, and arcane powers far beyond those of any mortal, including in some cases mastery of necromancy. Doomed to an insatiable thirst for blood, they unleash their ferocity on the battlefield, becoming relentless fighters, though this brutality is balanced by the cunning and experience gained over decades or even centuries of war. They often fight mounted to increase their impact and better control the battle, summoning reinforcements when needed. What makes them most unsettling is their ability to swiftly shift between bloodthirsty monsters and refined aristocrats, which, combined with their constant struggle against the madness of the Curse, makes them highly unpredictable.

Vampire Lord on Steed

They exude a sombre elegance and an intimidating presence, whether leading charges, coordinating troops, or challenging enemy leaders, embodying a land of warriors marked by the Curse. Their Undead Steed, carefully crafted by necromancers as an extension of its rider, never tires nor needs to feed, though it can deteriorate without proper care. Tales such as that of the Vampire Lord Donkiyshoz of Mankabrav illustrate the madness brought on by the Curse, while ancient aristocratic traditions like jousts and horsemanship contests still persist, albeit in far more dangerous and extreme forms.

Vampire Lord on Winged Steed

They inspire terror even before being seen, as the thunder of their approach is often followed by an ominous silence that signals their descent from the skies. Once a symbol of noble status, mounted warfare evolved after the decline of living horses, leading necromancers to create more advanced Undead steeds, culminating in the Winged Steed devised by the necromancer Bodyak Orsmanez, who fused the strength of a stallion with the flight of a bat. This creation was swiftly embraced by the Vampiric aristocracy, preserving tradition while harnessing necromantic innovation. In mountainous regions, they are often seen riding through storms, illuminated by lightning as they cross vast distances with unmatched speed.

Vampire Lord on Winged Terror

They descend from the skies as harbingers of destruction, prompting the wise to flee, as these massive creatures can tear apart foes with ease while their Vampire rider fights with deadly mastery and complete control. These fearsome Undead mounts, favored for devastating charges, were early necromantic attempts to recreate ancient dragons by combining remains into smaller but terrifying beasts. Though costly and complex to produce, they are more attainable than full Zombie Dragons and thus commonly used by powerful Vampire Lords. The unstable spirits that animate them make them irritable, difficult to contain, and exceptionally lethal once unleashed.

Vampire Lord on Skeletal Dragon

They are among the largest and most powerful beings in the Vampiric Marches, capable of devastating entire towns or destroying castle towers, their arrival heralded by an eerie howl produced by wind passing through their bones. Extremely rare and requiring decades to create, they are assembled from the remains of ancient dragons and bound with powerful enchantments, their spirits ritually subdued into loyal mounts. Unlike the more unstable Zombie Dragons, they are typically calm and obedient, a trait some necromancers attribute to the purity of bone over flesh. Legends even speak of a colossal specimen hidden beneath Kamzan Castle, awaiting the call of the Vampire King.

Vampire Lord with Stitched Horde

They emerge atop a literal wave of corpses, a nightmarish spectacle that inspires sheer terror, as enemies fear not only death but becoming part of the Undead mass. Though considered distasteful by many Vampires for relying on the lowest forms of Undead, this tactic is a powerful display of necromantic might. Its origins trace back to the aftermath of the Rift, when the Duke of Vrayodraz, devastated by a plague unleashed by Daemons, appeared to surrender, only to annihilate the invaders by controlling the countless dead as an extension of his own body.

Skeleton Champion

They stand out among the uniform ranks of Skeletons due to a faint trace of individuality, sometimes turning to face enemies or issuing challenges with unsettling intent. Formed from strong-willed spirits that resist complete domination, they retain fragments of their former personality, making them more powerful and capable of leadership, though less obedient than typical Skeletons. Despite this, they are far from human, driven by fractured remnants of their souls and often bound to a singular purpose, as exemplified by figures like Udrianka the Meagre, who acts only to defend her domain.

Skeleton Champion on Steed

When mounted on an Undead Steed, they become ominous harbingers of death, leading legions of the fallen into battle. Often drawn from ancient nobility predating the Ritual, many are ancestors of the Vampires they now serve. Only the noble dead are granted such mounts, while lesser individuals must earn knighthood and symbolic titles to ride. Though bound to undeath, some retain echoes of purpose, as seen in legends like Sir Galazad, who continues his forgotten quest and upholds a warped sense of honor by challenging foes and aiding the mistreated.

Skeleton Commander

They represent the pinnacle of their kind, retaining the cunning and martial skill of their former lives alongside unwavering loyalty and determination instilled through necromancy, making them relentless and difficult to destroy. Often serving as trusted lieutenants to Vampire Lords, they are tasked with commanding forces and executing orders with absolute discipline, free from personal ambition. Some, however, operate independently due to broken bonds or unique circumstances, driven by their own goals, as exemplified by figures like Ozhrgir Kryagrazoz, who continues his ancient quest for vengeance after being reawakened.

Skeleton Commander on Abyssal Beast

They dwarf even Undead Steeds with their massive, bone-built forms, combining immense resilience with claws powerful enough to tear through heavily armored targets. Rather than a single species, they are necromantic constructs assembled from the remains of large creatures, designed to support Skeleton Champions and hold the center of vampiric armies. Often chosen as mounts by high-ranking commanders, they serve both as symbols of status and as mobile anchors on the battlefield. Their origin traces back to the necromancer Bezhnik the Unwise, who created them from mismatched bones recovered during his obsessive expeditions into the Rift, giving rise to these monstrous amalgamations.

Similar To

• Warhammer Fantasy: Vampire Counts
• Age of Sigmar: Soulblight Gravelords
• Kings of War: Undead

Miniatures

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See Also: Vampiric Undead Miniatures

Vampiric Undead
Overview - Miniatures

Age of Fantasy factions

Beastmen - Chivalrous Kingdoms - Dark Elves - Deep-Sea Elves - Duchies of Vinci - Dwarves - Eternal Wardens Ghostly Undead - Giant Tribes - Goblins - Guilds of the Nexus - Halflings - Havoc Dwarves - Havoc Warriors High Elves - Human Empire - Kingdom of Angels - Mummified Undead - Ogres - Orcs - Ossified Undead - Ratmen Rift Daemons - Saurians - Shadow Stalkers - Sky-City Dwarves - Vampiric Undead - Volcanic Dwarves - Wood Elves