Destined to become the most powerful and important Vampire Bloodline in the history of the Old World, the origins of the von Carsteins is shrouded in mystery and legend. Sylvania lies within the realm of Men known as the Empire. Even before the arrival of Vlad and before the beginning of historical record the land was referred to as a cursed and evil place. The dead long had the reputation of not resting easily there, and so the Sylvanian tradition is to bury their dead deeply and face down so it was difficult for them to dig their way to the surface. It is known though that their zenith came when Vlad von Carstein took over rulership of Sylvania. For over two hundred years Vlad ruled his land in an iron grip. In 2010 he struck at his closest neighbour Stirland at the head of a huge horde made of the Sylvanian regular army and countless legions of the living dead. He rampaged his way into the heart of the Empire, and laid siege to the greatest city of the Empire, Altdorf.

Von Carstein Vampire Counts

The siege lasted for several months and as it looked like all hope was lost for the humans, the Great Theogonist Wilhelm the Third sacrificed himself to Vlad. As he was dying of a blade wound given by Vlad, he used his last ounce of strength to grab Vlad and threw them both over the battlements to impale themselves on one of the stakes that surrounded the city. Without their leader, the remaining von Carsteins fled back to Sylvania where they hid to lick their wounds, and once again plot a time when their numbers are great enough to attack the realms of Men. The von Carstein armies are unique because the peasants of Sylvania still consider them as their legitimate rulers and gladly fight for them. This can create a mixture of living and Undead troops in the core of their armies. The eldritch powers of the von Carsteins attract large numbers of Bats and Dire Wolves to their warhosts and it is rumoured that more than one Black Coach has been seen following their armies.