When the barons of the Poor March broke ties with the Principality of Ulek in 463 CY, Sabina’s grandfather Gawain styled himself Prince of Ostrand and took the name von Strand. His son Arthog von Strand succeeded him and she was born in 490 CY as a princess who would one day inherit her father’s lands, which included the wealthy town of Stoneheim.
Things changed for the young princess when the Hateful Wars ended and the subsequent migrations of humanoids brought ruin to the Poor March. After descending upon Highport in 513 CY, they quickly set to conquering the rest of the domains. Prince Arthog was slain defending the city of Stoneheim after his mercenaries abandoned him, and his family in Ostrand Keep died during the siege of the castle. Sabina was spirited away by one of her father’s loyal men-at-arms when word of his death reached the Keep, and she managed to reach the coast and sail away before her home was captured.
She was to be taken to asylum in Keoland, but instead she was betrayed and taken to Greyhawk. It was here that she was found by the woman who would make her a vampire – Drelnza. The vampiress convinced her that she was giving her a way to win her home back, and that her gift should be used to amass enough power to do so.
Sabina accepted the dark embrace, and Drelnza taught her the ways of the night, and of the worship of the vampiric demigoddess Marena. Sabina was introduced to vampiric society and learned of the Order of Ghost Knights, to which her master belonged. For the next 30 years the two vampires made names for themselves and spoke of their desire for a realm ruled by vampires. Soon Sabina’s lust for vengeance on the orcs of the Pomarj spawned her idea to eliminate the orcs and establish a new nation on the Pomarj, ruled by vampires. Drelnza pitched the idea to their master Lucan, who realized its potential for success.
Sometime around 550 CY Drelnza was called by her mother Iggwilv to stand guard over her treasures in the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and left Sabina. Sabina left Greyhawk to adventure and traveled the Flanaess for about 20 years, until she got word that her master had perished.
When the Greyhawk Wars started and the half-orc warlord Turrosh Mak united the humanoids of the Pomarj and conquered the Wild Coast, Sabina came across some Pomarj Slavers. She hit on an idea, and infiltrated the Slaver’s organization to destroy it from within.
She gathered slaves in the hopes that some of the adventurers she captured would band together and take up arms against the Slave Lords. She hoped to manipulate the destruction of the Pomarj so that her master Lucan could claim the land for the undead.
Countess Sabina von Strand
XP
Female human vampire (Shroud-eater) sorcerer 11
NE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 16 ( +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural)
hp 42 (4d6 +28); fast healing 5
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +7; +2 against poison
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +6; DR 10/magic and silver; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10, electricity 10
Weaknesses vampire weaknesses
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee slam +7 (1d4 +5 plus energy drain)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks blood drain, children of the night, create spawn, dominate (DC 19, CL 12), energy drain (2 levels, DC 17)
Bloodline Spell-Like Ability (CL 4th, +7 melee touch attack)
9/day – grave touch
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 4th; concentration +10 or +14)
2nd (5/day) – invisibility
1st (8/day) – burning hands, chill touch, shield
0 (at will) – acid splash, detect magic, disrupt undead, message, prestidigitation, read magic
Bloodline Undead
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 18, Con 0, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 22
Base Atk +2; CMB +7; CMD 21
Traits All Flesh Fails, Princess
Feats AlertnessV, Combat Casting, Combat ReflexesV, DodgeV, Eschew MaterialsB, Improved InitiativeV, Lightning ReflexesV, Silent Spell, Still Spell, ToughnessV
Skills Appraise +7, Bluff +19, Diplomacy +15, Fly +8, Heal +8, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (local, Morgau and Doresh) +5, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Knowledge (religion) +7, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +10, Stealth +12, Use Magic Device +11
Languages Common, Darakhul, Infernal
Status 15
SQ bloodline arcana, change shape (dire bat or wolf, beast shape II), gaseous form, noble dead, shadowless, spider climb, sunlight resistance
Gear
SPECIAL ABILITIES
All Flesh Fails You are a member of the Cult of Marena. Your sensuality attracts others, providing a +1 trait bonus to Diplomacy. Your vast knowledge of the flesh grants a +1 trait bonus to Healing checks. Healing and Diplomacy are class skills for you.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell of the summoning subschool, the creatures summoned gain DR/good equal to 1/2 your sorcerer level (minimum 1). This does not stack with any DR the creature might have.
Change Shape (Su): A vampire can use change shape to assume the form of a dire bat or wolf, as beast shape II.
Exceptional Stats (Ex): Sabina was born an exceptional specimen of humanity. As a result, her ability scores were generated using 25 points, rather than using the standard 15 point buy used to create most NPCs. This modification increases her total CR by 1.
Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, a vampire can assume gaseous form at will (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.
Noble Dead (Su): Lady Sabina is a Shroud-eater, an ancient and legendary bloodline. She gains a +2 bonus on all Diplomacy checks, which increases to +4 if being utilized against another undead creature. In addition, she gains channel resistance +6, and the DC of her dominate ability increases by +2.
Princess You gain a +1 trait bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks, and one of these skills (Diplomacy) is always a class skill for you.
Shadowless (Ex): A vampire casts no shadows and shows no reflection in a mirror.
Spider Climb (Ex): A vampire can climb sheer surfaces as though under the effects of a spider climb spell.
Sunlight Resistance (Su): This ability provides a Shroud-eater a measure of resistance against sunlight. On the second and all later rounds of exposure to direct sunlight, the vampire takes damage equal to one-third of its maximum hit points and is destroyed if this brings it to 0 hit points. The vampire is staggered on any round it is exposed to direct sunlight.