Morning light washes the living room in pale gold. Thadeus settles the Grimoire back open, its page glow dim against the quiet house.
He scans the entry again, slower this time. Erzsebet Báthory. Vampire. Niece of Count Dracula, according to the book.
The next lines tighten the room. 1914. An attempt to raise Dracula. Two men destroy her before the rite can finish.
Thadeus Jovanović
Elizabeth has to hear this from me, not from the page.
Elizabeth stands nearby in the kitchen doorway, quiet and still, watching Thadeus instead of the book.
Elizabeth Bathory
He found it. I can see it on his face.
Thadeus closes one hand over the Grimoire, then opens it again on the same line, as if making sure the words do not change.
He turns toward Elizabeth, careful and unhurried, giving her the chance to breathe before he speaks.
“Before Thadeus can speak, Elizabeth says, "So, you found the story. Of my mother, Erzsebet." She clenches her fists, starting to get worked up. Thadeus raises his hand, trying to calm Elizabeth, "Yes, I did. I do have a question." Elizabeth starts to feel her heart sink, thinking "Oh no, please don't leave, or hate me." Thadeus asks, "How old are you? I think that may complicate our relationship." Thadeus starts to laugh, and Elizabeth turns beat red, taking off one of her heels and chucking it at Thadeus. "You read the story about my mother and that's the first thing you ask?!?" She tries to stay angry at his question, but she just can't. She tackles him to the ground and kisses him.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Elizabeth Bathory
So, you found the story. About my mother, Erzsebet.
Elizabeth Bathory
Oh no, please don't leave, or hate me.
Thadeus Jovanović
Yes, I did. I have a question.
Thadeus Jovanović
How old are you? I think that may complicate our relationship.
Thadeus laughs, and the sound breaks the tension cleanly. Elizabeth goes bright red, then yanks off one heel and throws it at him. It thumps off the couch and lands crooked on the floor, harmless but loud.
Elizabeth Bathory
You read about my mother, and that is the first thing you ask?
She gives up on staying angry. A heartbeat later, she lunges into him, knocking them both down beside the couch, and the kiss lands sudden and clumsy. When she pulls back, both of them are breathing hard, and one heel lies on its side near the rug.
“Before Thadeus can speak, Elizabeth says, "So, you found the story. Of my mother, Erzsebet." She clenches her fists, starting to get worked up. Thadeus raises his hand, trying to calm Elizabeth, "Yes, I did. I do have a question." Elizabeth starts to feel her heart sink, thinking "Oh no, please don't leave, or hate me." Thadeus asks, "How old are you? I think that may complicate our relationship." Thadeus starts to laugh, and Elizabeth turns beat red, taking off one of her heels and chucking it at Thadeus. "You read the story about my mother and that's the first thing you ask?!?" She tries to stay angry at his question, but she just can't. She tackles him to the ground and kisses him.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Her breath catches, and the anger in her shoulders starts to unravel. The room stays quiet, the crooked heel near the rug and the glowing book on the table holding the moment still.
Thadeus Jovanović
Yes, I did. I have one question.
Thadeus raises a hand, easy and open, and the tension in Elizabeth's face slips into worry before he even finishes.
Elizabeth Bathory
Oh no, please do not leave, or hate me.
Thadeus Jovanović
How old are you? I think that may complicate our relationship.
He laughs, and the sound cuts straight through her panic. Elizabeth goes scarlet, snatches off one heel, and hurls it at him.
Elizabeth Bathory
You read about my mother, and that is the first thing you ask?
She tries to hold onto the outrage, fails, and lunges into him. They hit the floor together beside the couch, and her kiss lands hard enough to steal the rest of the argument.
Director's note
Elizabeth puts her heels back on
“Composing themselves, Thadeus and Elizabeth get up off the floor and sit down on the couch. Thadeus tells Elizabeth, "You really should know by now that I trust you completely." Elizabeth, looking a bit sheepish, responds, "You have to understand, I've been dreading the day that you would find out about my lineage. Erzsebet Báthory did some terrible things in her time. I didn't think you would be able to see past that." Thadeus shrugs, "Sins of the mother don't get passed to the daughter. But I do have to ask, when were you born?" Elizabeth looks down, "January 28th, 1916." Thadeus looks Elizabeth up and down, responding, "Well, you would've fooled me."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
They ease up from the floor and settle onto the couch, still close. Elizabeth’s heel rests back on her foot, and the room finally breathes again.
Thadeus Jovanović
You really should know by now that I trust you completely.
Elizabeth Bathory
I have been dreading the day you would find out about my lineage. Erzsebet Báthory did terrible things, and I thought you might not see past that.
Thadeus Jovanović
Sins of the mother do not get passed to the daughter.
Thadeus Jovanović
But I do have to ask, when were you born?
Elizabeth Bathory
January 28th, 1916.
Thadeus Jovanović
Well, you would have fooled me.
That lands softer than the book on the table, and Elizabeth’s shoulders loosen at last. The glowing emblem on the Grimoire still stains the wood with light, while the overturned heel and open cabinet keep the house looking half-ruined, half-safe.
✓ Quest Accepted
Uncover the truth about Elizabeth's lineage
“Thadeus asks bluntly, "With all due seriousness and respect, how do you look like do? If you were really born in 1916, that would make you 110 years old. How is that even possible." Elizabeth looks cautiously at Thadeus, "I'm what is called a dhampir." Thadeus knows the term. Dhampir is a being that is half-human, half-vampire. Thadeus looks briefly at the Grimoire, then back at Elizabeth, "So your mother..." Elizabeths frowns, "Yes, she had a relationship with a human during her campaign through Europe. She had me when she arrived in Wallachia, then left to continue the resurrection of Dracula. The thing is, she never returned home. A wealthy family that was trying to escape the war found me and raised me as one of their own."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Thadeus asks carefully, then directly, how Elizabeth can look this way after so many years.
Elizabeth Bathory
I am a dhampir.
The word lands cleanly. Thadeus recognizes it at once, and his eyes cut to the glowing Grimoire before returning to her.
Thadeus Jovanović
So your mother...
Elizabeth Bathory
Yes. She had me in Wallachia, then she left to continue after Dracula. She never came back.
Elizabeth Bathory
A wealthy family fleeing the war found me and raised me as their own.
The room stays quiet around the revelation, the book still glowing on the table while the overturned heel and open cabinet make the house feel lived in, battered, and safe enough to keep talking.
Quest Complete
Uncover the truth about Elizabeth's lineage