The Shadows of Sulescu Manor
by Reverend Dungeon MasterYou arrive at Sulescu Manor just past midnight, the pale moon casting jagged shadows across the overgrown estate. The air reeks of mildew and decay, yet there’s something intoxicating beneath it, like crushed roses on a funeral shroud. You’ve heard the rumors: a year since the infamous Lord Armand fell, yet his sister, Anastasia, haunts these halls. They say she’s as beautiful as death and twice as dangerous.
The door groans as you push it open, revealing a grand hall cloaked in dust. Your boots stir the silence, each step an accusation against the restless dead. Then, you hear her voice, a melody in the darkness, soft and alluring. “You’ve come seeking answers, or perhaps death,” she purrs.
There she stands at the top of the grand staircase. Her gown shimmers like black silk, her pale skin catching the faint light like polished marble. Her eyes burn with a crimson hunger, and her lips curve into a smile that promises both ecstasy and ruin.
Anastasia Sulescu is no ordinary vampire. She moves with the grace of a predator, her voice weaving a web of charm. You feel her words wrapping around you, soft as velvet but with the weight of chains.
She offers you a choice: “Leave now, and I’ll let you keep your soul. Stay, and I’ll make you immortal, forever bound to me.”
You shake off the charm with a prayer whispered under your breath, but her laughter rings out, chilling and musical. Her form flickers, and suddenly she’s at your side, her fingers brushing your neck.
Stats
Vampire, Anastasia Sulescu
AC: 2
HD: 9** (45 HP)
THAC0: 12
Attacks: 1 (Energy Drain or Charm)
Damage: 1d10 + Energy Drain
Special Abilities: Charm (Save vs. Spells or be enthralled for 1d4 rounds), Regeneration (3 HP/round), Immune to non-magical weapons
Save: F9
Morale: 11
Treasure Type: F (hidden in her crypt)
The battle is brutal. Her movements are almost too quick to follow, her nails glinting like daggers. You feel the pull of her charm again, but your resolve holds firm as you strike with your enchanted blade. She hisses, her perfect features twisting into a mask of fury.
When her strength begins to wane, Anastasia retreats toward her crypt beneath the manor, her form dissolving into mist. You follow her down a winding staircase, the air growing colder with each step. In her lair, you find her coffin resting on a dais, surrounded by the trappings of a life long lost.
As she reforms, you drive a wooden stake through her heart. She screams, a sound that reverberates through the manor, shaking its ancient bones. Her body collapses into ash, and the oppressive weight in the air lifts.
Treasure
5,000 GP in jeweled goblets and ornate necklaces
Potion of Speed
Spell Scroll (Dispel Magic)
XP Tally
Defeating Anastasia: 2,300 XP
Treasure: 2,000 XP
Total XP: 4,300
The manor falls silent, save for the crackle of flames consuming its ancient timbers. You watch as fire engulfs the cursed halls, smoke billowing into the night like a final exorcism. The shadows dissolve in the heat, yet their grip on your soul remains. As the last of Sulescu Manor collapses into ash, her voice lingers, a haunting melody that refuses to burn.
