Madame Ophelia Darkstar

"My father was blinded by his lust for a woman who wouldn't love him back. I don't have such a weakness."

Madame Ophelia Darkstar von Zarovich

There are few legends that frighten the people of Veridia more than the tales of Vampires. Many often place garlic throughout their homes and only welcome those they trust inside. The origins of vampirism remains a mystery to many Veridians, but most believe there was once a prime vampire who shared his blood like an infection...
That being said, no one would suspect anything of Madame Ophelia, the adopted daughter of the noble lord and lady of Sacrosanct. After all, no one would ever believe that a 10 year old girl could be capable of remarkable evil... right?
The truth is, Ophelia Darkstar is far more than meets the eye. She may appear to be an innocent 10 year old child with unusually pale skin and a grim outlook on life (nothing out of the ordinary, especially in Sacrosanct), but Ophelia is rather nearly a millennium old High Vampire. A step above normal vampires, Ophelia has had time to grow her vampiric strength and to ascend past the limitations of other vampires - the most obvious being the weakness to sunlight. Ophelia can stand outside all day in bright sunlight, and can walk into your home without an invitation. She is the strongest vampire of them all, and brought vampirism to this world. For all intents and purposes, she is the prime vampire.

Divine Domains

Undying, undeath

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Not a native to Veridia, Ophelia was an orphan in the dread realm of Barovia. With no one to turn to, she found herself at the doorstep of Castle Ravenloft, home of the Vampire Lord Strahd von Zarovich. For whatever reason, perhaps out of empathy, or perhaps out of boredom, Strahd took pity on the orphan, and, considering he had no children of his own, decided to name her his adopted daughter. Throughout the whole time, he indoctrinated her into his ways as a vampire, convincing her of the power she could obtain, and gaslighting her that he saved her from the heartless people of Barovia. Desperate and easily persuaded, Ophelia accepted his gift, and Strahd turned her into his vampire spawn. Not only that, but Strahd even shared his own blood with her, making her the only person he did so with, and thus turning Ophelia into a true vampire.
Being turned into a vampire at a young age has the side effect of halting one's body's aging process. Thus, as the years went by, Ophelia remained in the same adolescent body that she had when she was first turned. Ophelia very quickly learned how to use this to her advantage. "Oh what an adorable little dearie you are! Would you like some sweets, child? Oh my... what teeth you have... Oh gods!" Ophelia was very intelligent and used the resources in Castle Ravenloft to further her own strengths. At first, Strahd was impressed that his daughter was growing up to become such a formidable force he can use to enforce his will. However, Strahd began to consider what would happen if his daughter were to surpass his own strength. Already her ambitions were far more than his own, and their relationship worsened because of it. He secretly feared his daughter would try to usurp him, and he was right. Ophelia began to loathe her father's inaction. While she wanted to become even stronger and surpass the limitations of her vampire form, her father was blinded by his obsession with a woman who would never love him back. Strahd decided to act first, convincing Ophelia to leave Barovia in search of more adventurers to bring into his realm. She accepted, yet it was too late when she realized it was a ploy, for when she tried to return to the Dread Realm, she discovered that she was locked out forever.  
"I don't need him anyways!" she thought to herself, as she sought her own path in the world she found herself in. To survive, she would need a secure home. So she searched for decades, before claiming an abandoned estate in Toussal. To grow in power, she would need numbers; an army perhaps. So she got to work turning people across the world, not just turning them into spawn, but into true vampires. In her eyes, these new vampires would not be competitors, but family, and they would help each other to survive. Lastly, she wanted a sanctuary, a place her new family could gather no matter where they are, where they could feed without consequence. With luck, Ophelia discovered an abandoned cathedral in the quiet town of Sacrosanct. Her reputation among mortals and vampires alike grew as her own strength grew. Before long, she discovered that she was much stronger than any vampire she created, far superior to the man she considered her father. She could bask in the sun without fear. She could enter homes uninvited. A stake to the heart is just a mere inconvenience to her. She became the first Higher Vampire in Veridia.
Content with her power, Ophelia now focuses on expanding her ever growing family. She encourages her "children" to turn others into true vampires to share the blessing. She offers her help to her own when they request it, and defends her brood fiercely, like a protective mother. She has also turned her attention to the presence underneath Sacrosanct, delving within its depths to try and uncover what may be buried here. Unfortunately, this attracted an unwelcome presence into Sacrosanct...

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Ophelia wishes to grow her own power, but also to protect the family she created. She never had a true family growing up, so she wishes to grant her brood what she never had.

Social

Family Ties

As the adopted daughter of Strahd von Zarovich, Ophelia carries his name in addition to her own. She has cut off all connections to the vampire lord and instead started her own family of vampires, freely giving her blood to her spawn, turning them into true vampires. Considering that Ophelia had no family of her own, she tries to give her spawn what she lacked in her life.

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Current Location

Sacrosanct

Year of Birth

516 CE 921 Years old

Birthplace

Barovia

Current Residence

Toussal

Gender

Female

Eyes

Bloodthirsty red

Hair

Short, ghostly grey

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Bone white

Height

5'