Tasty, Tasty Blood (SC'20)

Written by Steve Tremblay

It is a rare occasion that humans or other humanoids are considered livestock to be trafficked in Theria for anything other than Slavery.
There is one exception.
In the city of Donhurst, for many, many decades the humans who called it home have lived unaware of their fate. They lived a normal life in a thriving town even though it was generally at "war" with a large orc clan nearby. The city's walls kept the citizens safe. Aside from those who left the protection to work at the local mine, under the watch of guards in case of orc attack, many felt Donhurst was a safe and relatively peaceful home.
While a portion were aware of a threat but never knew it affected the general population. High up on a hill overlooking the city sits a castle. The rumors of its inhabitants have swirled longer than many people have been alive. "The Countess" they say, is a monster. A vampire. That she sneaks into the city at night, feeds on the unwary and retreats to her home. They say she is evil, unreasonable and will one day descend on the town to destroy them all.
What they don't know is that they are right. Venistrasa Lararath, "The Countess" IS a vampire. A very old one at that. The rumors are all true...kind of.
She has intentionally kept her distance and does not turn others frequently to keep the number of hungry mouths to a minimum. She also sends her associates out to help deal with orc forces who are not prepared for a battle with so many undead attacking under cover of darkness. She helps to keep the town safe and prosperous to keep her food supply close. She is smart enough to only have her brood take someone if they are unlikely to be missed; sometimes a person who has recently lost their only remaining family member or someone who intentionally wanders into the woods alone.
In the last year, Donhurst has had a bit of a problem which is deeply troubling to The Countess. A man named Mox used an ancient relic to attempt to resurrect his lost love and in the process opened a rift that brought demons and ruin to Donhurst. The population was killed or fled and now that blood has become an issue, a new plan has been put into effect.
A group of thugs called The Fang rode into town and took it for themselves. Now, undeterred, The Countess and her brood walked into town, spoke with the leader of the gang, Ripley Noonan and made him a deal: turn half of the men, the rest are food. Ripley decided then and there who would live and die. Of course, he would be turned and continue to lead and many of his former gang were thrown in cages near the castle as future food for the now growing number of vampires.
A group of adventurers was sent to investigate what happened at Donhurst and was granted an audience with Venistrasa. Her offer, tell the people to come back to the city and every year, a number of them would offer themselves up as willing sacrifices to save the rest of the people. If a deal is not struck, anyone traveling near the area is at risk of meeting a violent end.

The Countess by Adam Kovar