One turn, freshly ( ok maybe a bit late ) delivered!
Putting the short sword inside your coat, you call to your new companions.
"It's time to leave."
They are painfully slower than you, but eventually, all of you reach the sanctuary of your castle.
Walking inside the door, you notice that there are less leaks in the roof. You see Kevin sweeping some dust in the kitchen.
"Good job, Kevin, however, you've got a long way to go."
"Yes, boss."
You preferred it when he called you "master". "Boss" is just...too informal. But you don't have the time for such trivialities.
This was an exciting experience. Hiring a non-hunchbacked servant, hiring a, in Ben's terms, "blood cow", and basically enslaving a werewolf. For most of your ten-year long undead existence, you were mostly shut up inside the castle, learning from your maker, Francis. He took you out to hunt, but only for that. And those were just for blood. The True Hunt, the oldest of vampiric traditions, was an event which you only did once or twice.
Now that you think about it, this adventure, which was just supposed to be a simple feeding, was the most contact you've had with the outside world. You need to know more about this land, and its people, if you are to become a successful vampire. Francis would have wanted that.
You go into your ( previously Francis' ) private study. There are a multitude of books, some written in languages that you can't read. You select one. It says, "History of the Malanor Empire". You flip through it, then stop. The current king, apparently, is Emperor Frederick the 9th. Francis left quite a few handwritten notes inside this book, often denouncing the emperor as "weak" and "spineless". From how ineffective the emperor was at his rule, you were inclined to agree.
According to the tome, Emperor Frederick the 9th completely failed to handle a rebellion in the province of Morghat, which resulted in it seceding from the empire. Only with the diplomatic and military aid of the church did Morghat surrender. But the troubles of a king did not concern you. You're more concerned on the lord of this province.
Ah, here it is. Lord Jameson the beaut, a handsome and womanizing noble, is the rightful lord of Teltovar, the province you are in. A decent ruler, but often considered to be reckless and irresponsible, especially when it comes to women. This is all good information, but what will you use it for?
Some exposition on the layout of the empire and your province. Hope you find it useful.
Goodnight, and don't let the vampires suck every drop of blood in your body.
Keep posting, and have fun.