das Dorf in den Bergen

The three load the corpse onto the cart carefully, preserving his posture as best they can.

The woodcutter wishes to place a cover of straw over the body.

"If the villagers see the body there will be panic, Herrschaften. Surely we must be discreet?"

Both Von Schwarzenwolff and Hilda consider their knowledge of vampir lore. Such creatures were once common in the region. And in recent times, attacks by the night prowlers have increased. Von Schwarzenwolff indeed has been dispatched home (ostensibly) to investigate these reports.

Within the Königreich, opinions vary concerning the existence of the monsters. The burghers in the lowland cities scoff at such mountain tales. But those who live in the alpine and remote wooded regions know that such creatures are real enough. And any scholar in Munich or Nuremberg who has looked into the matter cannot dismiss the evidence of countless histories of their ravages.

The two also know that there is another learned fellow in the village who might cast light on the matter. Leopold Wagner, the local school master. Always with his head stuck in a book! And no doubt possessing volumes that deal with such matters.

As the cart bears its sad burden through the village to Von Schwarzenwolff’s schloss, a few villagers approach to ask what has happened…

The villagers watch and make superstitious signs to ward misfortune. They are mollified by the Pfarrer’s words ( who after all has not lied). And respond obediently enough to Hilda by dispersing.

A few look back briefly at Von Schwarzenwolff to see whether he has any words of his own, but return to their tasks regardless.

The three investigators know that the village school master, Leopold Wagner, will be an important ally in this case. Apart from his considerable knowledge of religious and occult matters, he is also know for his skill in rifling through tomes and archives to discover knowledge.

Once Simon’s body has been reposed safely in the schloss’s cool cellar, they repair to the schoolhouse. The building is a tiny, wonky, timber-framed hall that has performed its role for generations. The children having left, Wagner is busying himself collecting books. The fellow is clumsy and slow, almost dropping the stack he has gathered.

He listens gravely to the news of the attack.

As Leopold descends into his dusty books, the world around him melts away…

As the day progresses, Leopold makes fair, if not spectacular progress.

Leopold discovers that the type of (multiple fang) attacks observed on Simon's body are somewhat rare. At first he finds evidence of such attacks only in the exotic accounts of Malaysian and Japanese vampires. Such 'flying head' monstrosities attempt to latch onto fleeing prey. He finds some local examples-- flying Todeskopf vampires that emerge from the tombs of beheaded villains.

As for accounts of local vampires, he sees that the region has always teemed with the monsters. Christian missionary saints encountered local pagan vampires. In the Middle Ages, vampire plagues occurred around Grundorf, Lindendorf and Waldorf as the result of witchcraft and unsafe burial practices.

But the most prolific period for vampire predation was the early 17th Century, when the region came under the sway of Baron von Drak. The 'Black Baron' was a local nobleman who succumbed to the curse of vampirism. The area prospered in many respects as the immortal Baron ruled through living representatives known as the 'Bailiffs'. But the region bore the dreadful cost of his predations and those of his risen minions! Good King Ludwig sent an army to hunt down the Baron and destroy his Castle (whose runs lie to the west of the village in what is now deep forest). Yet even after his supposed destruction attacks were still recorded. Likely conduced by the baron's surviving minions.
Evening descends slowly as the summer heat disperses. An owl begins to hoot in the woods above the village and foxes begin to screech in the twilight. Mist films over the lake.

The villagers retire early to their cottages, rather than sitting on doorsteps to chat and sing as on earlier evenings. Although they have no conscious sense of danger, ancestral instinct bids them to be cautious.

Soon after nightfall there is a hue and cry.

"Help us! The walking dead!"

The shouts come from the cottages close to the chapel.

Across the graveyard, Hilda sees swaying shadows cast by bobbing lanterns. It is hard to make out exactly what is going on across the obstructing gravestones, but the shadows and noise suggest that some villagers are tackling the undead visitors themselves. She glimpses the prongs of a pitchfork and a raised axe.

Onlookers are screaming, shaken by the horror of the spectacle.