Inheritance (Warhammer novel)

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Inheritance
Author	Steven Savile
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	The Von Carstein Trilogy
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Black Library
Publication date	2006
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	416 pp
ISBN	ISBN 1-8441-6291-5
Followed by	Dominion

Inheritance is a novel written by Steven Savile within the fictional Warhammer Fantasy setting. It is the first book of the Von Carstein Trilogy and it follows the life of Vlad von Carstein as he wages war against the Empire. It is published by The Black Library, an imprint of BL Publishing and was first released in March 2006.^[1]

[edit] Plot summary

It is not known when the von Carsteins came into existence, although their power reached its zenith when Vlad von Carstein took over rulership of the Imperial province of Sylvania.

Sylvania had, since the beginning of Imperial record, been an inhospitable and dangerous place, with the majority of the land covered in dark and ominous forests. Its soil was poor and the land barely produced enough food to feed the people who lived there. At the time of Vlad's arrival, the province of Sylvania was ruled over by the evil and corrupt Otto von Drak, the head of the von Drak family and the father of Vlad's future wife.

In the year 1797 the Count died without a male heir, at which point Vlad stepped forth and married Isabella, the Count's daughter, thus seizing the province. Most of the other noble families objected to the thought of having an outsider rule them, but these dissidents were quickly silenced, and under Vlad's iron grip, the province of Sylvania started to prosper.

The other Counts looked on with indifference at the changes, since the von Carstein seemed a far better ruler than the old von Drak family, who were suspected of the crime of using black magic and daemon worship, and for two hundred years, Vlad ruled over Sylvania, using different names so that no one would become suspicious of him.

Sometime around this period, Isabella fell ill from wasting sickness, and Vlad became struck with grief at the thought of losing his wife. Isabella suggested that Vlad give her the Blood Kiss, so that they could be together for eternity. Vlad, however, was disgusted at the suggestion, since he didn't want to turn his wife into a monster like himself. As Isabella's condition got worse, Vlad started to realise that he couldent go on throughout eternity without his wife, and so granted Isabella the Blood Kiss, turning her into a Vampire, saving her, and at the same time damning her.

In the year 2010, Vlad deemed his forces strong enough to take over the Empire, and at the head of an immense horde, he attacked Stirland, destroying both Stirland and Ostermark. After these victories, Vlad turned his gaze toward the heart of the Empire, Reikland, and for forty years, his armies rampaged their way across the land.

In 2051, Vlad laid siege to Altdorf, his armies having grown enormous during the long years of fighting the Imperial armies. The siege lasted for many months, and the Imperials were slowly losing hope. However, the Grand Theogonist Wilhelm the Third had no thoughts about giving up without a fight, and spurned the soldiers to fight one more battle against the Undead. When Vlad launched his final attack against the city, the Grand Theogonist meet the Vampire Lord on the walls of the city, and sacrificing himself, the Theogonist managed to destroy the vampire by dragging Vlad with him off the wall, impaling them both on one of the many stakes that surrounded the city.

With Vlad and many of the other vampires dead, the undead army crumbled to dust, and the few surrviving vampires quickly fled back to Sylvania, fearing the reprisal of the Empire's forces. The last casualty of the Siege of Altdorf was Isabella, who, rather than carrying on through eternity without her husband, impaled herself on a stake and shriveled to dust, right in front of the eyes of the soon-to-be-Emperor Ludwig and his bodyguards.