Paparazzi Glantri

Rumors About Boldavia

“Be careful of what ye hear about Boldavia, lad. The darker and more sinister, the truer it probably is.”

—Lord Eachainn McDougall, Duke of Hightower

The Paparazzi Glantri recently met with Sir Boris Gorevitch-Woszlany, brother to  Prince Morphail of Boldavia and Representative of House Igorov at Parliament, at a private dinner in Glantri City. Sir Boris obliged us with a candid interview, clarifying the many rumors about Prince Morphail, House Igorov, the allied Barons, and other things Boldavian.

Rumor: Prince Morphail is a vampire who has lived for hundreds of years since the founding of Boldavia.

Truth behind the Rumor: Prince Morphail today is the seventh in a line of long-lived Boldavian Princes, all of whom are traditionally named Morphail, after the founder of Boldavia.

Truth behind the Truth: The rumors are true. Prince Morphail is a vampire and the master of all Boldavian vampires. He was given this curse by the Immortal Alphaks over 300 years ago.

Rumor: All Barons of Boldavia are vampire pawns of Prince Morphail.

Truth behind the Rumor: Although the Boldavian Barons have remarkable loyalty to House Igorov, like none other in Glantrian politics, each baron has a distinct tale to tell why he or she is not one of the undead. In fact, several of them are staunch enemies of the nosferatu. 

Baron Youri Ivanov of Palatinsk is a well-known vampire killer. Baroness Natacha Datchenka of Pavlova hates vampires, as her family was massacred  by a mob led by vampires (who ironically accused the Datchenkas of being vampires themselves!). The aging Baron Piotr-Grygory Timenko of Kutchevski comes from a line of experts in vampire lore—particularly how to find them and kill them; but as he is rumored to be failing in health, he intends to pass this legacy to his son, Arminius. And lastly, Baroness Szasza Markovitch of Vladimirov has a number of lovers who know the Baroness intimately, and would swear that the she is a living creature of hot passionate flesh and blood.

Perhaps the only Baron under suspicion is Baron Sergei Wutyla of Mariksen, who has broken away from House Igorov. Lord Sergei is in league with evil clerics of Ethengar, with whom he is believed to have murdered his own brother, the previous Baron Laszlo. It is rumored that Lord Sergei has a special amulet of dark clerical magic that protects him from detection as a vampire.

Truth behind the Truth: The Barons of Boldavia are all vampires, mostly under Prince Morphail’s control, each with a different method of disguising his or her dark nature. Only Lord Sergei Wutyla, with the help of vampire-hunting Ethengar clerics and a special amulet against vampirism, remains out of the Dark Prince’s control, for which Prince Morphail has used black propaganda (such as this) against him—until he can be rid of permanently.

Rumor: Boldavia is rife with undead.

Truth behind the Rumor: “Not any more than the rest of Glantri,” says Sir Boris Gorevitch-Woszlany, who points out the d’Ambreville family’s common use of zombies and skeletons as butlers and maids. Sir Boris adds that the ranks of the dead—and therefore also the undead—would have swelled with the war with Ethengar and their unholy clerics, but “these exaggerated reports comes from our rival Klantyre, which is the true home of the dark arts.”

Truth behind the Truth: Boldavia is teeming with vampires, wraiths, zombies, ghouls, skeletons and other undead, more so after the Glantri-Ethengar War. Rival Klantyre has its share of undead—and necromancers as well—but Boldavia is still the true home of necromancy and undeath.

Rumor: A long-standing rivalry between Prince Étienne d’Ambreville and Prince Morphail have strained political relations between Boldavia and Nouvelle Averoigne.

Truth behind the Rumor: While Prince Étienne and the first Prince Morphail may have not seen eye to eye in the distant past, their rivalry did not extend to political matters—nor does it extend today to their successors, Princess Isidore and Prince Morphail VII. If anything, relations between House Sylaire and House Igorov are at its best due to a blooming romance between Lady Tatyana Gorevitch-Woszlany, Prince Morphail’s sister, and Claude d’Ambreville, Prince Étienne’s son.

Truth behind the Truth: Since before the Principalities, Prince Étienne and Prince Morphail have opposed each other in all quarters. Lady Tatyana is Prince Morphail’s hapless vampire pawn, through whom he made Claude d’Ambreville a vampire pawn as well, to spy on the d’Ambreville family.

Rumor: Sir Boris Gorevitch-Woszlany, though an eligible bachelor, is impotent and cannot have children.

Truth behind the Rumor: It is widely known (but not widely discussed) in the elite circles of Glantrian society that Sir Boris is a passionate and virile lover—of men, not of women. As he is not in the direct line of succession to the Boldavian throne, he has no responsibilities, nor intentions, to father children. (Sir Boris himself merely laughed at the suggestion of his lack of sexual prowess.)

Truth behind the Truth: Sir Boris is a vampire and therefore cannot have children. But he is a potent and passionate lover, and quite indiscriminate in his victims, be they man or woman, and does not really care what society thinks of him, as long as he has fun—and Morphail allows such fun.

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