Unnamed Vampire (Traditions)

As was traditional, a vampire killed Constans, the count of Sirmion. However, there was a slight break from tradition. While previous counts had been allowed to live to a ripe old age and meet a painless end, the vampire killed Constans while he was using the garderobe during a feast he'd given for his neighbors, leaving a husk of a corpse.

Determined to end the tradition, thereby saving himself and his son, the new count, Manes set out to kill the vampire. He was accompanied by the scholar Valerian, and several hunters.

After Manes was able to find destroy all of the hiding places the vampire had established in the county, the vampire was force to hide in holes in the ground during the day. Still, the vampire was able to keep one step ahead of Manes and his hunters.

Two weeks after a lunar eclipse, Valerian convinced the hunters that there would a solar eclipse that day, and hunting was a terrible idea. The chief hunter declined to let any of his men hunt that day. Angered, Manes stalked off on the hunt, dragging Valerian with him. They finally caught up to the vampire, who was hiding under a black cape in a clearing in an otherwise canopied forest. As they approached, the sun was eclipsed by the moon, and the sky went black as night. The vampire arose, naked, pale, and safe from the sun. After telling, "Close my friends, but not close enough", the vampire killed them both.