Lord Bramwell's page

If there's one thing the people of Ustalav know for a fact is that terror lurks in the shadows. Citizens of a land plagued by the horrendous legacy of the Whispering Tyrant, any Ustalavian can quickly name at least a couple of haunted places close to home, to be avoided at all costs. If you ask the insular folk of Ravengro, chances are the Bramwell Estate will figure in such citations. At the opposite margin of Lake Lias, the lands of the Bramwell family housed hundreds of farmers and a bountiful grain production a mere generation ago. That's not the case anymore.

The twilight of House Bramwell began with the birth of their first an only son, Gideon Bramwell, a good nine decades ago. The infant was strange from birth, and hairless and pale throughout his whole childhood, which did not prevent his parents from loving him and protecting him from the prejudices of their tenants. When puberty hit young Gideon, the changes turned the strange boy into a veritable monster: his ears grew pointy, and his tongue long; his original set of teeth fell down, replaced by sharp ones, and as he gained in height, his posture was marred by a sleight hunchback. Gideon was terrified, and so were his parents; but the peasants—the peasants were utterly repulsed, to the point of rioting.

Bloodthirsty, a mob with torches and farmer's tools attempted to burn down the manor to kill the accursed Bramwells, only to be massacred by soldiers and guards loyal to the patriarch. Survivors were sent away, and old Lord Bramwell issued a call inviting new folk to work the land. No one answered.

From then on, the estate plunged into ruin. One after another, as gold stopped flowing in, the house guards and servants were dismissed, as Lord Bramwell could not afford to pay for their services. In a decade, Lady and Lord Bramwell, along with their son Gideon, were the only ones left, obtaining what little sustainance they could from the land, which whitered along with the rest of the family. One night, watching the wasteland his farm had become from the manor tower, Lord Bramwell stepped out the window and embraced the ground below. Having fulfilled her duty and reoprted her husband's death to all relatives and acquaintances in the nobility (or, better still, former acquaintances), Lady Bramwell died shortly after, unable to cope with the tragedy that had befallen her family. Gideon became the new Lord Bramwell, to rule over a forsaken land, crossed off the map.

Gideon led a secluded life, undisturbed by neighbors, who gradually moved further and further away as rumors and tales about the place spread. Aside from the occasional trespassers, his only visitor was Leandra, an old woman who did not look her age and, unlike others, was actually drawn by the horror stories. She was a druid from Virlych, and for many years she came and went to offer Gideon some company and comfort. She also helped him come to terms with his monstrous nature, showing him that death and decay are part of the world, and becoming her mentor over the next decades. Leandra was Gideon's only friend and contact with the outside world—that is, until the arrival of Petros Lorrimor.

Gideon was hunting in the woods when he heard shouting and the noise of wolves. Puzzled by the presence of a potential traveler, he followed the source of the uproar and found a pack of wolves surrounding a dead horse and a wooden cart, on top of which a young man fought bravely not to be brought down by the hungry beasts. Gideon rushed to the man's aid, and his very presence disturbed the wolves enough to let him through. He grabbed the man and fled back to his decrepit manor. There, the visitor introduced himself as Petros Lorrimor, not yet a professor, but soon to be.

Still a student, Lorrimor had heard the tales of the Bramwell Estate and set out to find out more about it. He was fascinated by Gideon: the more they spoke, the more they found out they liked speaking to each other. One night's visit turned to a week's as Gideon explained all about his condition. It was Lorrimor who told Gideon what he was: a dhampir, the offspring of a vampire. Throughout the years, the two became good friends, and Lorrimor would stop by whenever he went to Ravengro. It was with a heavy heart that Gideon received the news of Lorrimor's passing, and although he would greatly prefer to stay home, he could not refuse his friend's calling. Thus, for the first time in almost a century, an acting Lord Bramwell has left his domains to visit the town of Ravengro.