Vlad (FC)

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This article, Vlad (FC), is part of Bleach: War for the King's Seal, which continues on from the opening segments of the site's former Fanon Canon project. Use of this page's contents is determined by the author of this page, unless otherwise specified.

"It wasn't often he bothered with spiritual matters, not these days. Not unless he was threatened first. There didn't seem to be the same interesting creatures and oddities these days as there used to be for him to waste his eternal time, but sometimes something still managed to come along and surprise him."

—Excerpt from Vampiric Entry, detailing some of Vlad's outlook.^[src]

Vlad (FC)
Name	Vlad
Kanji	武良努
Characteristics
Race	Vampire
Gender	Male
Professional Status
Affiliation	Myst Kagekyo Thirteen Dracula Fushi Coven
Previous Affiliation	Katsumi Scarlet
Occupation	Elder Head of House Tepes
Team	Thirteen Dracula
Partner	Zaleska Myst Kagekyo
Previous Partner	Katsumi Scarlet
Base of Operations	Naruki City
Personal Status
Status	Active
Zanpakutō
Kyūketsuki Sutēji
Release Name	Not yet revealed

Vlad (武良努), known fully as Vladimir Tepes, feared as The Impaler, and known by the alternative name of Dracula, is an ancient Reikon Kyuuban, an advisor to Queen Myst Kagekyo, and one of the oldest of the Elders in the modern age. Additionally, he holds the title of Ruler amongst the Thirteen Dracula and, for a time, was the unnofficial leader of the Fushi Coven.

Vlad is the Head of the old and prestigious House Tepes and fully intended for his son, Gengetsu, to succeed him, plans he put into motion during the Reikon Kyuuban-Shinigami War when is wife, Carmilla, was lost. Following his son's death, however, Vlad's daughter, Zaleska, inherited the position of Heiress. At present, he calls Naruki City home, with Myst referring to Naruki as "Vlad's city". He is one of the few Reikon Kyuuban to strictly refer to himself as a Vampire.

In a twist of fate even he found odd, Vlad became something akin to a confidant to Akira Hiroshi, with the young Visored coming to him for knowledge and advice, even though he was terrified of Vlad himself.

Appearance

Vlad's appearance has been described as average, for he is a man who appears to be in his late twenties, despite those knowing of his status as an immoral describing him as being "ancient as the world itself". For example, he hasn't a grey hair in sight, sports a strong, albeit wiry, physique, and is tall and slim. Additionally, he was a young man when he was first turned, indicated by a portrait that hung above the fire-place of his Naruki City mansion, which has survived into the modern age. Akira Hiroshi recognized him through a mere casual meeting, indicating that Vlad shares many features with his counterpart, with whom Akira is familiar. His clothing, however, is far from average, for he dresses in high-fashion. This includes designer dress shirts, black suit trousers, and expensive suits. This is a trait he seems to share with his fellow Elders, most of whom Katsumi described as "patrons of the arts".

Personality

"I am no voyeur, and if you insult me in my own home again, I’ll feed on you for real! Know that it leaves me hungry, and you leave me irritable. Not a safe combination for you, young Akira."

—Vlad, after looking through Akira's memories, and the young man insinuating that Vlad saw Asuka and he when they were being intimate.^[src]

Despite father and son sharing a scholarly outlook, Vlad had a very forceful personality. Akira pointedly told him that he was "an asshole", and he was known to harbour very deep grudges. This extended to his fellow Elders and to the older members of the Presas, with one Presas, Ylva, being described by Vlad as a "very old, very hated name". His views earned him the respect of his peers, however. Following the sealing of Isshuku and the peaceful resolution of the Reikon Kyuuban-Shinigami War, Vlad was able to prevent the Fushi Coven from completely fragmenting, and was one of the few able to rebuff the commands of the then-ruling Dark Council, an act that would usually have resulted in execution.

Vlad, as an immortal being of advanced age, has a rather unique place not only in Reikon Kyuuban society, for he is old even amongst the Elders, but in the world stage at large. By his own admission, the age and experience of himself and the other Elders have allowed them to accumulate a part of the world's knowledge and history. He shares this trait with his counterpart, whom Akira is at least familiar with. Vlad was often seen as a source of knowledge, his experience extending to a number of subjects, though he wasn't always willing to share his wealth of information with others. This version of Vlad shares many of the same traits, albeit less pronounced. He willingly shares information with Akira Hiroshi because he finds someone as young as him seeking knowledge rather than power refreshing.

Vlad had a bad habit of identifying those outside of the Elders as "the young". This manifested in a low tolerance for their antics, especially those of Akira, with Vlad pointedly telling the young man that he made him feel irritable. In fact, when Akira inferred that Vlad was a pervert, Vlad threatened to feed on the young man for real. He likewise had a low opinion of the young Visored, telling Anika that he lacked a backbone and that he had a tendency to speak without thinking.

He has something of a unique and complex relationship with Myst Kagekyo, current Queen of Reikon Kyuuban society. On one hand, he was the lover of Katsumi Scarlet, who Myst succeeded as Queen, and on the other hand, he is frustrated by her seeming attraction to danger. He has admitted that both of them are "adjusting" to the new norm.

Interestingly, Vlad has somewhat mixed views regarding the immortality his race is known for. Whilst it allowed him to accumulate a vast wealth of knowledge and material goods, for he owns a mansion on the outskirts of Naruki City and lives in splendour, Myst even referring to Naruki itself as "Vlad's city", it has caused him a degree of anguish as well, something his counterpart experienced as well. He holds deep grudges with a number of his fellow Elders and does little to hide it, a stance that annoys Myst, and has gone as far as to describe his accumulated anger over countless years as an "old gnarled root" coiled around his Soul. His long life has also permitted him to live through some of the darkest eras of Reikon Kyuuban society, some happening so long ago that Myst herself was unaware of them until Vlad informed her, which have forever coloured his dealings with the rest of the spiritual community. One such instance was when the Shinigami, who at the time were known as "The Balancers", ritualistically burned Reikon Kyuuban alive to 'cleanse' them using Fushichō, which was one of the fabled Kyūtai. Additionally, these events have taken their toll on him, and at times Akira has described him as "looking like an old man". Siegfried has observed this in him as well, and went a step further, claiming that Vlad looked "beaten" following Gengetsu's death.

Vlad, as an immortal, has a large multitude of hobbies. He used to spend a great deal of his time familiarizing himself with and studying the various oddities and unique specimens he observed as he interacted with the spiritual community. Additionally, he is a scholar, a trait he shared with Gengetsu. Outside the acquirement of knowledge, Vlad enjoys sampling wine. He grew noticeably cross when Akira helped himself to a glass from his personal stock, and refused to drink it afterwards, claiming that Akira's lips had "befouled" it.

History

Vlad's history is intertwined closely with the mythology and interpretations of Vampires in popular culture, to the point they have become impossible to differentiate between, with his former life lost to the mists of time. Many believe that Vlad, as Dracula, was responsible for propagating the various different and fantastical versions of Vampire culture explored on the written page and on television throughout the years.

Personally, Vlad was the lover of Katsumi Scarlet, the first Queen of the Reikon Kyuuban, and appears to have avoided his counterpart's fate, for she never sealed Vlad away in what could best be described as a lover's tiff as she did to his counterpart in Akira's world. As such, House Tepes, which Vlad was the Head of, never lost its prestigious position, and since Vlad himself was never sealed away, Gengetsu, Vlad's son, did not indirectly cause the Shirono Massacre by turning Shiki Shirono. In turn, his daughter, Zaleska, wasn't hunted down and killed when Katsumi exiled his descendants. He accepted Myst Kagekyo as the new Queen because he trusted Katsumi, but admitted that Myst, and he, had some adjusting to do.

Reikon Kyuuban-Shinigami War

Vlad knew the Shinigami when they still called themselves "The Balancers", and described them as little more than butchers, in a time before the Gotei 13 was even conceptualized. This familiarity was born on the battlefields of the Reikon Kyuuban-Shinigami War, and it was during this war that he became familiar with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. He continued to watch Yamamoto and knew, for example, that Yamamoto had fought, and was defeated by, Ikomikidomoe.

Initially opposed to the war, Vlad ultimately followed the directive of the Dark Council, as he saw the damage weapons such as the Kyūtai could cause. During the war Vlad led his own forces, with enough success, that when Isshuku was sealed away through forbidden Kidō, he was able to salvage the situation and sue for a peaceful resolution with the help of Anika Shihōin. In the war's aftermath, however, his work was nearly undone. A rogue sect of Balancers began to hunt and kill the Reikon Kyuuban for sport, with those taken alive being subjected to the flames of Fushichō in a ritualistic 'cleansing', in a show of brutality that ultimately led to Vlad's involvement in the war in the first place. By ancient covenant, and after many deaths on both sides, the ancestors of the Shihōin clan took guardianship of Fushichō and locked it away, an event Vlad himself was present to witness. According to Vlad, the Clan head of the Shihōin at this time was Anika, and they, together with other Elders, wrested Fushichō from its owner and taken into Anika's guardianship. The Balancer who wielded the Kyūtai was slain personally by Vlad.

The Elders and Vlad himself, who lived into the modern age, remember this event with deep anger and hatred, and it has coloured their view of Shinigami many centuries later. Additionally, Vlad lost his wife, Carmilla, in the war, and bitterly blamed the Shinigami for her fate.

Synopsis

Main article -- Bleach: War for the King's Seal.

Bleach: War for the King's Seal

Hueco Mundo arc

• Hunger and Greed: Predation (mentioned)
• Hunger and Greed: Cat Amongst the Pigeons (implied)
• Vampiric Entry (first appearance)
• Hunger and Greed: Doubling Down
• Hunger and Greed: Rallying Ants

Powers and Abilities

"For the second time in as many days, the temperature plummeted, and I found myself experiencing the unrestrained might of Vlad, old amongst the Elders, and feared as The Impaler. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was almost like it possessed a personality of its own. Like the man himself, his reiatsu felt ancient, otherworldly. His reiatsu was old, very old. Full of memory. And anger…!"

—Akira describes Vlad's reiatsu.^[src]

Immense Spiritual Energy: Vlad belonged to the first generation of Reikon Kyuuban, and was an example of an old Elder who had neither been killed nor sealed away by his contemporaries or outside forces, right through to the modern age. A testament to Vlad's power was the fact he fought in, and survived, the Reikon Kyuuban-Shinigami War, sharing a battlefield with the likes of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Yachiru Unohana. In fact, following the sealing of Isshuku, it was Vlad who commanded his brethren, even to the point of disobeying the Dark Council. Ordinarily, this was considered high treason. Even Myst, whom Vlad was loyal to, extended Vlad and those of his generation a healthy degree of respect. Akira described his reiatsu as being "otherworldly" and completely unlike anything he had sensed before, claiming even his reiatsu felt old. Siegfried, who can discern the strength of Reikon Kyuuban reiatsu in shades of purple, noted that Vlad's was the darkest black.

Enhanced Sensory Perception: Vlad is highly attuned to various aspects of the spiritual community around him. He recognized Akira Hiroshi as a Visored, without the young man donning his Mask or engaging him in battle, after only a brief interaction with him. Furthermore, he identified Siegfried as a descendant of Ylva with a mere casual glance, showing the precision required to sieve through his Quincy reiatsu and focus solely on his Presas nature.

Blood-related Powers: Blood is to a Reikon Kyuuban as reishi is to the Quincy. As such, they have a number of abilities relating to blood that are wholly unique to them.

• Chinoke: the most basic ability of the Reikon Kyuuban is the drinking of one's blood to replenish their own powers. Vlad has the necessary restraint not to feed on an unwilling victim for matters of information gathering through Kiouku.

• Shurashōhi: a more advanced variation of Chinoke, which allows the Reikon Kyuuban to essentially "eat" foreign forms of reiatsu, such as Cero.

• Kiouku: To a Reikon Kyuuban, blood is life, and in blood lies a chronicle of an individual's entire life, from their earliest steps to their last breath. Vlad can read a person's memories, respecting their privacy in intimate moments, as he did with Akira when he ascertained that the young Visored was, in fact, from another world.

Hakuda: Vlad has shown himself a capable warrior even when unarmed, easily rendering the likes of Akira powerless.

Chimai Mastery: Vlad is deceptively fast. He moved so quickly that Akira just barely registered his movements, and although he managed to initially react, Vlad was described to "dance" clear.

Knowledge: In many cases, knowledge is power. Vlad is knowledgable regarding a number of topics, from ancient artefacts to mostly-forgotten pieces of history and lore. He is intimately aware of the Kyūtai and can identify Visored with a mere glance. Additionally, he owns a large collection of tomes, which are kept in his Naruki City mansion. These tomes hold information from the earliest eras of the spiritual community at large, including vague references to Averian and his history.

Weaknesses: Despite their immortality and regenerative healing factor, Reikon Kyuuban are by no means invincible. They can be killed as surely as any other spiritual being, and possess a number of crippling weaknesses shared amongst the entire race. That said, Vlad, and the other Elders as well, have found various means to lessen their innate weaknesses to be less hampered by them.

• Sunlight Aversion: As is the case in all Reikon Kyuuban, but not to the extent shown in modern media, Vlad possesses an aversion to direct sunlight. Exposure won't kill him, but it will hamper his abilities. His home in Naruki City is designed specifically with dark colours and protection from the sun in mind, and remains cool and shaded even throughout the day.

• Kuzureyume: a technique unique to the Thirteen Dracula and a direct answer to their weakness to sunlight. This ability shrouds an unspecified area in complete darkness, necessitating those trapped inside to seek alternate light sources or risk being plunged into complete darkness.

• Loss of Blood: The most noteworthy weakness of the Reikon Kyuuban is their reliance on blood. Without sufficient quantities, their bodily functions shut down, their power weakens, and death becomes a real possibility. Having already gone a while without feeding when he performed Kiouku on Akira, the young Visored noted that, for the first time, he thought of Vlad as an old man, for he was slumped over the hearth of his fireplace.

• Silver: A weakness inherited directly from Katsumi Scarlet. A silver blade would cause a greater severity of wound than a normal sword, for the silver serves to impede and work against a Reikon Kyuuban's natural healing factor. Sufficient wounds, from a silver weapon, ineviatably prove fatal.

Kyūketsuki Sutēji

Vlad's awakening.

• The Impaler (インパラ, Inpara): whilst a commonality amongst the Reikon Kyuuban, no two Kyūketsuki Sutēji are identical, and Vlad is no exception. His release is what caused him to be feared as The Impaler in the first place, and represents his bloody past, to the point his Kyūketsuki Sutēji evolved and changed to reflect the association, resulting in its current form. The prior name and form his release took are unknown, with presumably only Katsumi and his fellow Elders recalling specifically. The release of The Impaler enriches Vlad's own blood, greatly increasing his bodies natural capacity and ability to replenish it, with the excess amount forming as two large blood-red bat-like wings. Additionally, Vlad himself appears to bleed profusely, his appearance said to be akin to "sweating blood".

Special Ability: Vlad's The Impaler is comparable to the reishi dominance of the outdated Quincy Letzt Stil technique, whilst providing enhanced physical and spiritual abilities across the board. Amongst the Reikon Kyuuban, enhanced spiritual power and physicality is not an uncommon trait. When activated, The Impaler enslaves ambient reishi in the atmosphere, converts it into a spiritually-enriched blood-like substitute, which Vlad can use to power his basic abilities, all without expending his own blood as fuel. As such, Vlad's Kyūketsuki Sutēji becomes stronger in areas with richer reishi reserves, such as Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. In effect, this also serves to heighten the usability of the basic Reikon Kyuban techniques and associated traits by a large margin, with techniques such as Tekketsujū usually draining a Reikon Kyuuban substantially. Additionally, the wings enable full-flight, providing Vlad with heightened mobility.

Vlad controlling streams of blood.

• Blood manipulation: the simplest application of The Impaler is also its most powerful. Whilst creatures inherently linked to blood, Vlad's Kyūketsuki Sutēji allows him to weaponize the blood that his release creates, completely altering his fighting-style. This altered fighting-style involves vicious long-range attacks, crushing his opposition in torrents of blood more akin to waves, with Vlad himself mostly remaining stationary.

Vlad conjuring tempests of blood.

• Blood Tempest: one of Vlad's strongest and most dangerous blood-related feats. By focusing his own blood and forcibly converting reishi in the atmosphere to fuel grander and more widespread effects, Vlad creates massive, twisting columns of blood, appearing similar to waterspouts over land. These tempests can clear an area swiftly and cause widespread damage when used in urban areas, to the point Vlad would rather not use it unless pressed. As is the case with Quincy, the scope of this technique increases massively when used in areas rich with spiritual energy.

• Blood Weaponry: one of Vlad's mid-tier, yet preferred, blood-related feats. By focusing his own blood and forcibly converting reishi in the atmosphere, Vlad creates various forms of weaponry, either to arm himself for close-quarters combat, or as a means of assaulting his foe from a significant distant. In close-quarters, he favours a so-called "Blood Sword", which has enough durability to clash with Zanpakutō and their analogues.

• Enhanced physicality: One trait the Kyūketsuki Sutēji seemingly shares amongst Reikon Kyuuban is some form of physical enhancement, and The Impaler is no different.

• Enhanced Spiritual Energy: One trait the Kyūketsuki Sutēji seemingly shares amongst Reikon Kyuuban is some form of spiritual enhancement, and The Impaler is no different.

House Tepes

As the Head of a Great House, Vlad has a wealth of resources and manpower at his beck and call. This includes warriors, spies, and servants.

Servants

• Kayne (ケイン) -- an elderly man who resides in Vlad's Naruki City mansion. He is the Head of Vlad's servants, and is intimately acquainted with a number of notable Reikon Kyuuban, chief amongst them Myst Kagekyo. Additionally, he can tell what Vlad desires through mere body language. Kayne has served his master the longest and is highly trusted by Vlad in turn, though his combat ability appears to be lacking, especially in comparison to the likes of Kismet.

• Kismet (キズメット) -- Kismet is a young Reikon Kyuuban, female, and one of Vlad's warriors. She was one of the warriors sent out by Vlad to kidnap Akira Hiroshi, a task she and her contemporaries completed swiftly, descending on the young Visored amidst a power cut in bat form. Additionally, she serves Vlad personally on occasion, but lacks Kayne's manners, and, in Akira's words, she regarded him "as warmly as one would the excrement on their shoe". Kayne described her as "trouble" and, judging by her interactions with Siegfried, she is playful and flirtatious.

Facilities

As an Elder of an immortal race, not to mention one who is considered old even amongst his contemporaries, Vlad has a large collection of property and facilities. For example, Myst referred to Naruki City as being "Vlad's city".

• Naruki City mansion -- an opulent mansion on the outskirts of Naruki City, and Vlad's primary residence. The mansion is home to many of his personal servants, and is traditionally used by Vlad as a secure meeting place.

• Soul Society facility -- vaguely commented upon. Vlad has spies in seemingly every level of society to monitor the Shinigami, all coordinated from a secure and secret facility in Soul Society. One of these facilities is in Hashima, of Eastern Rukongai.

Author's notes

Behind the Scenes

• Of the author's characters ported over to the old Fanon Canon project and Bleach: War for the King's Seal, Vlad remains virtually unchanged from his prior incarnation. The only difference is that this Vlad was never sealed away by Katsumi in what could best be described as a lover's tiff. The consequences of this alteration are felt prominently by Vlad's children, specifically Gengetsu. Likewise, he never had a daughter in the author's primary work.

• This character is loosely based on the historic nobleman Vlad the Impaler. His status as a Reikon Kyuuban was largely inspired by the 2014 Dracula Untold film, with the character of Vlad being played by Luke Evans. His intimidating personality, on the other hand, was inspired by Viktor from the Underworld series.

• Vlad was originally an Elder unaffiliated with the leadership of the established Reikon Kyuuban. He was eventually merged with Vladimir Tepes, who served as Katsumi's lover and guard as well as a member of the Thirteen Dracula, at the direction of APS. As such, he began to incorperate wider aspects of Reikon Kyuuban society.