Salty Monk Solo RPG
Table of contents

Drest of Aberlour

Portrait of Drest

This is my ongoing game of “A Thousand Year Old Vampire”. It will be updated from time to time. The date of the last update is at the bottom of the page.

Mark

  • Blue circular tattoos on both cheeks.
  • I see the Crow everywhere.

Skills

  • Moneylending, now being a banker
  • Cold rage
  • Riding !lost!
  • Persuading people to do my bidding.
  • Picking locks
  • Leading people
  • Hibernation
  • I know what’s real
  • Legal studies
  • Sacrifice everything, if necessary
  • It’s None of my Concern
  • Forging papers

Resources

  • A silver brooch, finely crafted with a long and sturdy pin.
  • A scroll with Stoic rules on one side and a painting of the Pictish Beast on the other side.
  • A small wooden chest, filled with silver pennies and small gold coins.
  • The wooden whistle of Mael’s father that is supposed to lure animals.
  • Sergios fine leather map with documents inside.
  • Diary - A lot of pages, loosely bound. Held together by a cover made of thin leather. Looks like hogs hide.
  • The deed to a significant amount of land in Italy.
  • The Bank of England and Rothschild and Sons
  • Automobile
  • Drivers licence

Characters

Mortal

  • Bede, a monk and scholar who taught me to read and write and think.
  • Mael Muire, my common law wife. She is a fisherwoman, outspoken and loud.
  • Malcolm, who is the smith on my town. He has a knack for creating locksmith-puzzles.
  • Crow, a Vampire hunter. A skilled rider like me and cunning.
  • Ezio, a descendent of Crow. He is a skilled bookbinder and betrothed to an even more skilled pianist.
  • Correcampo, my human servant.
  • Georg August
  • Marcus, an old philosopher whom I helped with legal matters.
  • James “Purly” Wilson

Immortal

  • Gildas, a haunted willowy figure. His eyes are always shining with fever, and his religious zeal is known throughout the highlands.
  • Lars, who is a mystery even to me. He is a foreigner, large and of golden hair. I offered him bread and work, despite the hostility my tribes people tend to show towards him. After meeting again in Italy, I make a Vampire of him.

Memories

Memory 1

I am a Pictish freeman living near the River Spey, where I tend to my small flock of cattle. Born in 704, I spent my youth learning everything I could and, through luck and circumstances, got to be moderately wealthy. While I detest war, I am an able swordsman, a skill not of my choosing but dictated by necessity.

I kill the Crow, who is the head Vampire hunter employed by the church; It makes my existence so much easier, knowing that he won’t be lurking around. And since he is the one knowing the other hunters and linking them to the church, I deal quite a blow to the local hunters who will need to reorganize, if they are able to.

Staying too long in a very small village in central Italy, I kill all the villagers after making their lives a lot easier with my money ; Sergio is the last one who dies before I can put my fangs into his neck. I take his very fine leather map with the papers inside, without even looking at them.

Memory 2

I travelled to Paris and found the silver needle that Lars gifted me in an antiques shop. Haven’t thought about Lars in ages. Had to leave my automobile behind when reacquiring the brooch.

Memory 3

After renting a Town House, just to have a roof over my head while making plans, I nearly got killed by the Butler who recognized me as a vampire. I survived under the dirt floor of the cellar between potatoes and carrots, but everything I had with me is lost to the flames. My diary. Lost. The Butler is regretting his actions right now, and the night is still so young.

I see the Crow everywhere, and actually killed the son of a Clergyman because of it. I wish I could forget him instead of all those other things.

Travelling by train is so nice, give a good tip to the conductor and no one will bother you during the day. Even better, this automobile that the German Benz invented. I need to travel to Germany.

Memory 4

After eating my way through Whitechapel, I risk all my money and resources in a ploy to stabilize the Bank of England, among other things by creating N M Rotschilds and Sons as a decoy; the gratitude of Georg August is quite a boon.

I meet Marcus, who reminds me of Bede; I wish I could remember more of Bede, but cherish every short evening with Marcus, the old philosopher.

Georg August is getting cold feed and tries to have me arrested, but all paperwork and all witnesses point to Marcus; I am saddened, but not enough to follow him into the Tower. Instead, I plan revenge on Georg August.

Memory 5

Back in Germany I realize that Möbellagerung is socially acceptable now, of you are a bank. So I am a banker now. Make very good business with Benz and this Jellinek who his way too fond of his daughter.

I learn to forge official documents and create identities in different countries. No government shall ever be interested in me. The church was bad enough.

Thanks to my abilities as a forger, now own a driver’s licence and even more important, an automobile. It feels strange to have physical things again, after such a long time of travelling light.

Memory 6 (Beauty, nature, or peace)

For unspeakable reasons I’m on a detour in Dartmoor and spend the nights under the stars, watching the colours of the morning sun bath the grey moor. Coming to England was the right decision.

I travel back to Scotland and heal at the large Lochs and looking down at beautiful Glens. I befriend Purly Wilson after occupying the abandoned Strathaven Castle and teach him a lot, but he got executed after partaking in an uprising or such a thing. Well, it’s none of my concern.

Drest sitting at Loch Lomond

My body is failing me, it can’t be denied. I travel back to the Highlands and spend precious days at Glen Urquhart. I’m going to see the sun again. Not hat promise of a bright day that I often get before digging myself in at the end of night, no, the full brightness of a brand-new day will be mine, finally. I’m going to see the sun again.

Research

Diary

Part 1

I need a hiding place, because I need to sleep during the day now. Spending money and effort, I create a cellar with a hidden room under my bedroom. I invite the people who built the hidden room and the genius alert system to dinner – my breakfast – and am sure that they will never tell anyone. Takes me a couple of weeks to find Correcampo, who has my height and stature. Compelling him and feeding him blood makes him my creature, who will sleep in my bedchamber during the day and be my servant in the night.

A strong hunger and a strong sharpening of my senses befall me; I get sloppy in my feeding frenzy and manage to hide a stash of my belongings in the nick of time. The townsfolk burn down my house and I drain oh so many off them. Then I drill myself into the forest earth and sleep.

Was I on Föhr? Did I forget how to ride, as I told all those years ago? Or could I never? Have I been a moneylender? And what does it have to do with me not being a Jew? I excuse myself with a fever that I develop in truth. The only thing that people readily believe is that I’m dangerous. Yes, I am dangerous. And I need a good meal.

Part 2

I awake from my hibernation, when Gildas digs me out. I learn from him that vampire sires can feel where their offspring is. Then I deduct that he was the mastermind behind the moneylenders that troubled me a while ago. I take my silver pin and ram it through his chest where a human would have his heart. He shrivels and turns to dust.

The world has gone on without me, and Gilda’s strange clothing is the least of all the changes. 100 years have gone by while I slept in the ground. After digging out caches to get money and acquaint myself with the new lifestyle, I finally find leisure to read in my diary. It’s my writing and I believe that the things happened, but I can’t remember anything of it. Worse, the oldest writing is damaged. I will never know again who sired me. Time to write down some memories nevertheless.

Things fall to dust, abilities dwindle. I started the same business and same lifestyle, I had before, but someone thwarted my plans. I don’t know who. My rescue was a deed to a lot of land that was hidden inside Sergio’s leather map. Who would have thought. I leave towards my land.

Lost Diary

Lost Diary

Part 1

Agitated ??? is, as always, explaining my wrongdoings to me. At last, he jumps me screaming that, if I don’t find ??? , ??? shall not find me either. He subdues me quickly and draws all blood from my body, then feeding it back to me while marking my cheeks with circle tattoos to warn every one of my pagan ways.

I start to drink the blood of animals that I hunt at night to sustain me, Mael gives me a wooden whistle to lure game; We are shocked, but we soon find out that I need the blood to survive, and she stands by me.

Like Gildas I become good at talking to people and bring me to my side; Maria tells me that I developed the same burning, feverish eyes, back that is a small price to pay for my new Talent of persuading people to do what I want.

Part 2

I am a Pictish freeman living near the River Spey, where I tend to my small flock of cattle. Born in 704, I spent my youth learning everything I could and, through luck and circumstances, got to be moderately wealthy. While I detest war, I am an able swordsman, a skill not of my choosing but dictated by necessity.

I kill the Crow, who is the head Vampire hunter employed by the church; It makes my existence so much easier, knowing that he won’t be lurking around. And since he is the one knowing the other hunters and linking them to the church, I deal quite a blow to the local hunters who will need to reorganize, if they are able to.

Staying too long in a very small village in central Italy, I kill all the villagers after making their lives a lot easier with my money ; Sergio is the last one who dies before I can put my fangs into his neck. I take his very fine leather map with the papers inside, without even looking at them.

Part 3

Bede’s eye-sight is getting worse, and I read pages of the diary of Marcus Aurelius to him. I feel sorrow for my friend.

I get locked up in the castle’s dungeons after Maels death; it got obvious that I’m different, and different is bad now in this Christian world. Malcolm, my friend, freed me, and I am on the run now. If they don’t let me live, why should I let them live?

Hunters jump me when I try to get Maels whistle from our home; I get wounded by silver weapons but can defeat them despite Crow, their leader, being an excellent rider. I torture another hunter for information and drink him dry.

Part 4

I settle down and have time to do some important things. Like copying my diary. My last one is crumbling all over.

I lose all my Land in Italy. Because i don’t understand alone and my lawyer apparently light to me i don’t want to dwell on this, and tomorrow, i will be on my way to Bologna to study law. Something like this won’t happen again.

Finally got my law degree, but was caught promoting prostitution. Of course, I got out of it, citing my Pictish heritage and the honour me people feel when bringing together loving couples. Of course, they believed me. I made them believe me. Now I will never be able to think of my beautiful homeland again, without remembering those weaklings who trapped me. Time to move on to London and greet the new century.

Forgotten Memories

Memory 2

Lars and I ride home from Dufftown; winter is coming, and we share a rabbit near our small fire, laughing and trading stories. He gifts me a beautiful silver brooch with a disturbingly long pin.

He finds me after two decades in Italy and our friendship rekindles; after an exceptionally noteworthy night of partying, I don’t drink enough of a lady’s blood and all hell breaks loose. To save the mortally wounded Lars, I bring him over to my side and even so my consciousness plagues me afterwards, I don’t destroy him, because he, who used to be my best friend, is now my only one.

The church is still on our heels and manages to entice a mob to bring us down. Lars and I split, but promise to meet again in the east. I travel to Northern Germany, where I take over the house of some poor bastards who speak my language and change my name to Heinrich, as my real name has been burned by the church. A local lad teaches me the language of the island, “Fering” and German. I kill the local priest on principal.

Memory 3

I make a lot of money from my sea-voyages and Mael, my wife, manages it extremely cunning; though it grates me that she doesn’t want to marry in front of a priest and hates the church with a vengeance.

The hunger nearly consumes me, my only solace is the peace of the sea and Mael my wife; she still loves me. But even when I am at peace in her arms, I think of food. But I will never taste her blood, never.

I graft a completely new Identity from my memories. Now I am Heinrich, the lucky Matthias. A wealthy seaman who is forgiven by the clergy after buying the local church a new roof. I buy the local lads a lot of rounds while celebrating my new connection to the church. I laugh so much that they call me the happy Matthias on this evening.

Memory 3

The fact that I have obviously forgotten how to ride is only the smallest of my problems; I wonder anyway why one has to own hunting horses on this small island. Much worse is that I have forgotten what I have been doing here for the last few weeks. I can reconstruct some things from my conversations. But people still think I am not well. After my fall from the horse, I announce that I want to see a doctor on the mainland.

After spending half a century in Eastern Europe. I settle back to Italy and came down in the Po level. I open a lending business and make quite a lot of money. One of the local lads I employ is a descendant of Crow, as I discover by accident. I help him and his fiancée, a very skilled pianist, to open a book binding business, because I have no trouble getting bad people out of the world, but I think that this mandates that I help good people as well.

Two older gentlemen, whom I helped rescuing their olive oil company, dabble in the moneylending business. Combining my knack for persuading and leading people, and picking a few locks on the way, I manage to get them “expelled”.

#TYOV #RPG

Update: 2023-11-26.

Weiter mit: Dark Fort.