(( OOC NOTE:

There has seemed to be a rise in popularity of the Vampire citizenry of RhyDin. "Dreams and Nightmares" has not been very active lately, yet it seems to be a good choice for a folder to place the Vampire stories/thoughts/diaries that might not fit anywhere else.

Vampires of the realm, feel free to post here.

Count Talomar Longden's mundane ))

Sunday, October 30th

It was time for me to once again make the journey to the Inn, a place I greatly detested. Too many of the common people gathered there and I hated to listen to their sniveling and whining; besides which, the place stunk. Particularly annoying were the complaints heard from the women whenever men argued amongst themselves, and with any luck, actually got into bit of a fight. The women say things like ?the testosterone level is getting high? or ?Children? or ?boys will be boys? or some other such nonsense, when in fact what they are really announcing to the world is, ?Hey, none of the men are paying attention to me so I had better make some dumb-ass comment to let them know I?m still alive.?

Anyway, I had allowed enough time for the silly elf from Middle Earth to win Eiellani?s heart and to take her away. As I might have expected, he failed miserably at both. What bothered me was that as long as she was within reach, I wanted her. That is why I went to the Inn. I thought perhaps I could frighten her away, and thus end my desire for her. It was a simple matter to climb to her window, break it and toss in a little greeting.

She still didn?t depart from Rhydin. However, the interesting thing was that I learned that she and Earendur were having relationship problems and that perhaps they weren?t truly married. I was determined to pursue a course of action based upon that information.

I must admit, it was fun scaring the crap out of her little lover. I heard he may have even cut his hand on the shards of glass.

TL

Wednesday, Nov. 3rd.

?The lady is sound asleep in her suite, m?lord. She must have had an emotionally tiring day.? Philippe de Bouillon, his faithful valet, brought over the port wine in the crystal decanter as he spoke.

He refreshed the glass that Lord Talomar was holding out to him, then bowed, took a step backwards, then returned the decanter to it?s precise place on the dry bar in Talomar?s study.

Talomar had his black silk robe pulled over his evening clothes. ?I can?t believe the rudeness; the inurbane, incondite, mannerless, uncouth behavior of that pig of an elf. The way he treated Lani was inexcusable.?

?I?m sure it was, m?lord,? Philippe replied as he flicked a speck of dust off his otherwise impeccable butler?s uniform.

Talomar sipped his port and leaned back in his leather chair. ?He and that friend of his, what?s his name??

?I'm not sure, sir. I can find out if you like."

?No, don't bother. Anyway, what a pair of twits.?

?Two of a kind, m?lord??

?Yeah,? Talomar huffed, ?like two balls in the same scrotum.? He took another long sip of his port. ?For a while I thought they might both attack me at once. I was actually pleased that they elected not to, for I might have had to reveal more about myself than I would like to at this time.?

?That would have been unfortunate indeed, m?lord.? Philippe took the empty wine glass from Talomar?s hand.

?Yes?it would. I don?t believe that m?lady Lani is ready to know much more at this time. Little by little, Philippe. That?s the way she should hear of the Longden secrets.?

?Of course, m?lord. There?s no hurry.?

Talomar nodded, deep in thought. ?Those two went off together, practically hand-in-hand. Do you think Earen and his friend are gay, Philippe??

Philippe allowed just the slightest smirk to crease his lips. ?I would not be surprised, m?lord.?

?I think they are,? Talomar said as he lit up his last cigar of the day. ?In fact, I?m sure of it. No wonder m?lady Eiellani couldn?t stand being with him; he had more affection for other men than for women. No doubt that?s why her pregnancy disturbed him so. You never know about those elves, Philippe.?

?Queer little creatures,? he responded.

?I?ll have my 'night drink' now, Philippe. Then you may retire.?

?Of course, m?lord.? Philippe went to a secret place in the book shelf and tilting a certain book, one of the wooden wall panels slid aside to reveal a large safe. Philippe rotated the combination lock to the correct numbers, then inserted a key that he kept on a chain around his neck. The safe door opened, and he reached for the decanter of Talomar?s ?night drink?. He poured a small amount into a shot glass, returned the bottle, closed the safe, and returned the book and wall panel to their proper positions.

?For you, m?lord.? Philippe held out the glass.

Talomar took it and swallowed the contents in one gulp and handed the glass back to his valet. ?Good night, Philippe.?

?Good night, m?lord.? Philippe departed Talomar?s study.

TL

Saturday, Nov. 26th

The day for the wedding approaches quickly. My betrothed works furiously with the servants to make all preparations. I've given her free rein to plan the wedding of her dreams.

It's the least I can do.

Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather of this time of year, we shall have to use the castle chapel. It is my least favorite of all the castle rooms, for it is there where my humanity was compromised; and it is there where I last beheld Dominique.

She resides there still. I can feel her, and she calls to be released. Her fury is raging because I'm marrying another and a child is coming. Dominique will not kill this offspring, for she is powerless in her prison. Let her rant and rave all she wants.

Which reminds me, I'm having Dominique's bookcases duplicated and the originals returned to he study. I have no idea what curse she may have placed upon them, but I shall take no risks with this child.

I've instructed Philippe to get a priest here to Longden Castle. The Chapel shall have a priest once more.

My lady wishes it.

T.L.

Monday, March 6th

Who has time for writing these days? Sure as hell not me. I must admit it?s been quite some time since I?ve picked up this quill to scribble some thoughts in this diary, but some of us in Rhydin actually have a life and can?t sit around the Inn all day, scribbling silly notes. It seems that since my marriage to Lani Wintermorn I haven?t had a moment?s peace. Not that Lani?s at fault, but the marriage seemed to set off a series of events that has affected everyone around me.

Of course, I?m above distraction and remain perfectly at peace.

So many people have come and gone in the last few months. I?ll make a brief mention of the important ones. All the unimportant ones are dead or pretty much dead, and soon to be forgotten if they haven?t been already.



PHILIPPE DE BOUILLON ? the Deceased Valet
The night of my wedding, my personal valet, Phillipe de Bouillon was careless. Not long after the last of the wedding guests had departed from the Chapel, I went to the hallways behind the altar and I discovered his very dead body hanging from one of the two arms of a rusty wall sconce, the arm of the sconce driven through his back and into his heart. My dear Philippe was a powerful vampear, but he was no match for Dominique and her rage over the fact that I was marrying once again. I took down his bloody body and laid my dearly departed Philippe in a vault in the lowest level of the castle. May he rest in peace.



COUNTESS LANI WINTERMORN ? the Wife
My wife and I couldn?t be more different. We?re so different I don?t think we?re even on the same fuckin? planet. She talks to birds, I bite their heads off. She enjoys ice carvings, I would rather cut the arms off the damn carver for creating that garbage. She decorates and I destroy. She likes to help people and I prefer to damage them. So, why the hell did I marry her? Who knows, maybe because I felt sorry for raping and branding her. Or, maybe it?s because she?s pregnant with a child who just may be mine. No. That?s not it at all. I think I momentarily lost my mind. I?m getting a divorce as soon as the legalities can be settled.

Oh fuck.

There?s someone at my damn door.

Whoever said that keeping diaries is good for one?s temperament is full of shit.

I?ll be back. . .

Okay, now where was I in this piece of shit diary of scattered thoughts? Oh yes, I was just making mention of the significant (and not so significant) others in my sordid life.

MARIA COPPERFIELD ? My Ex Personal Valet
I never thought I?d be able to replace a valet such as Philippe, but Philippe couldn?t begin to hold a candle to Maria. I fell in love with her the moment she walked into my life. She has not only been the perfect valet, but also the perfect companion, lover, protector, and friend. She has been like a wife to me in every way. She has an appetite for sex that might even be said to match my own, and a body that makes that appetite into a masterpiece of delight. She has shared my bed nearly every night since I?ve been married to Lani, and every night I?ve wished I was married to her instead.

I was particularly impressed with the way she fought Lord Ayreg, the Death Knight. From what I?ve heard from those who watched the match, old Ayreg suffered the greater wounds. Maria did ask three times if he wanted to end the duel before he finally conceded; yet that was because of the cold and not because he was punishing her with his skillful swordplay. Yes, Maria did well for herself and I?m quite proud of her.

But that was then and this is now, time moves onward, change is here to stay, and all that other trite crap. Let me just say that I met Tara Rynieyn, we fought, we lusted, we fell in love and decided to marry. When one is to marry someone you really love, you can?t have Maria around as your personal valet and feeder. She?s just too damn sexy for any man to resist (perhaps with the exception of Lord Ayreg who seems to have the enviable ability to resist anything in skirts). Heaven knows, I tried to keep Maria, but there?s too much intimacy between us to just turn the feelings off. So I?ve sent her away to a friend who could use her many skills ? a Baron Merrick du Lac. I would wager that he should henceforth be forever in my debt.


WILLIAM ?WIL? SAMUEL SAVAGE ? Colonel, I.I.S.C. Agent
Wil is my inside agent with the Interstellar Intelligence and Security Commission (I.I.S.C.) and is instrumental in obtaining my trade lanes in the other three quadrants of the galaxy. An "interstellar gopher" would be an apt description of him, yet I would never give him such a derogatory label for there?s none finer at getting things done, no matter what those ?things? might be. Espionage, murder, negotiations ? Wil is unequaled and fully dependable.

With Savage on my team, I?ve got the entire resources of the I.I.S.C. at my disposal, including their Decimator Class ships which are utilized to remove obstructing planets and other undesirable large masses of rock from my trade lanes. With such a ship at my disposal, I could hold all of Rhydin captive with the threat of annihilation. It?s an interesting alternative that I?ve been pondering.

My main operation was on a planet called ARES II, and we grew so large that I saw the need for some legitimacy. I formed the Space Equipment and Commodity Trade ORganization, or S.E.C.T.O.R. I became the C.E.O. and I was now doing less of the pirating myself, and assumed the role of the visionary of the organization.

The ?commodities? we traded gradually came to be where the greatest income was made ? pharmaceuticals (also known as drugs), defensive equipment (also known as weapons), and personnel (commonly referred to as slaves).

Trade routes began to develop between planets and I used my power and fleet of fighter craft to dominate these trade routes and limit the competition. The political forces on various planets soon caught on to the fact that if they were located on a trade route, it would mean tremendous wealth for that planet.

So I got paybacks - big paybacks. I didn?t accept every request from a planet. It had to make sense. But if a planet wanted to be part of a trade route and that route made good business sense, the amount of upfront money I received and the paybacks for every ounce of trade conducted on that planet gave me more money than I ever dreamed.

And still I kept looking for higher mountains.

I had eventually discovered a new nexus in space that brought me to Rhydin. I was investigating the wealth and possible trade options with this planet when I met a woman at a slave sale in old Rhydin. We found ourselves continually doing business with slaves (me selling and she buying), and it drew us together. Such a romantic way to fall in love.

Her name was Dominique. I had never seen such beauty and strength in all my days. No woman could compare to her. What I didn't realize was that she was a very prominent vampiress of great powers.

We married my wealth and her powers together in a magnificent romance, and it was Dominique who turned me into one of the unalive ? a master vampire who walks in daylight. That in itself is a story for another day, but I was twenty-eight at the time.

That was nearly 278 years ago. Since that time I?ve put many others in charge of the day to day affairs of S.E.C.T.O.R. and I?ve retreated to the castle that Dominique and I shared. I?m no longer a space pirate. I have others doing that for me. I no longer handle the daily affairs. Others are doing that.

I?m the visionary. I keep searching for taller and taller mountains, for I need to be on top. Nearly seventy years ago something terrible happened to Dominique, and she was taken away from me. Someday, when I'm in the mood, I'll record that story in this diary. For now all I will say is that she is still powerful and she still loves me, even from the spirit world.

Anyway, after she died I concentrated on the business and built S.E.C.T.O.R. into the largest and wealthiest organization in the galaxy. In my depression over the loss of Dominique, I appointed a General Jimar Sinareth to oversee the day to day business, and I stayed here in this Rhydin castle that Dominique and I had purchased together.

I felt closer to her being here, so my travels to other places had become a rare thing. That's why I hired Wil Savage. He represents me at meetings and in negotiations, and he's got the connections with the Interstellar Intelligence and Security Commission.

The other pages of this diary will finish the story, but for now I must stop. . .

. . . and feed

. . . and sleep.