The ancient legends of Old Earth were for long ages discredited as invention, folk-lore and myth. The reality however, was to prove far more disturbing. Vampires are polymorthic entities able to change their metabolism in order to resemble the creatures amongst whom they live. Their natural shape (if such it can be called) is bat-like, although approximately human-sized. Vampires exist within the societies of most established intelligent races, and often assume positions of authority. They naturally crave for power amongst the intelligent races, regarding even fellow Vampires as threatening rivals. They have no home world. Where they evolved, and why they have come to occupy a parasitic position within alien species is unknown.
Vampires live amongst their chosen race after the manner of that race, and cannot be easily singled out. They have psychic powers of a level comparable to humans. Vampires maintain their lives by absorbing the life-force of other creatures, achieved by prolonged physical contact (a simple combat blow will not surfice)

Karloth Valois floh in jüngeren Jahren in die Schuttwüsten am Makropolboden da er als ungeschulter Psioniker nicht in der Lage war die Emotionen und Gedanken anderer Menschen auszublenden. Hungrig und dem Tode nah wurde Karloth von einer Gruppe Seuchenzombies angegriffen. Er versuchte zu fliehen, fiel aber vor Schwäche zu Boden. Die Zombies scharten sich um ihn und begannen um das noch lebende Fleisch zu streiten. Karloth spürte die primitiven Emotionen der Zombies und es gelang ihm dank seiner psionischen Kräfte die Zombies zu bändigen. Sie standen reglos da und Karloth lag noch immer am Boden, zu schwach sich zu erheben. Die Zombieseuche, welche auch ihn befallen hatte, fraß sich langsam durch sein Hirn, aber Karloth Valois klammerte sich mit letzter Kraft am Leben fest. Er begann den Zombies die letzten Reste ihrer Lebensenergie auszusaugen und schaffte es so, sein eigenes Leben zu erhalten. Die Wirkung der Seuche verflog nach einiger Zeit und Karloth bemerkte zu seiner eigenen Überraschung, daß er noch am Leben war - auf eine gewisse Weise. Seine psionischen Kräfte hatten sich durch die Seuche verändert: Er vermochte es ab nun, Zombies durch die Kraft seiner Gedanken zu kontrollieren und konnte anderen das Leben entziehen um sich davon zu ernähren. Dies würde von nun an seine einzige Nahrung sein und er schwor dem Tod niemals in die Hände zu fallen, denn er wusste, dass das Dasein als Seuchenzombie, dem er mit der Seuche in sich unweigerlich geweiht sein würde, ewige Schmerzen, furchtbare Folter und unendliches Entsetzen bedeuten würde.

Von diesem Zeitpunkt an trieb er sein Unwesen in den Badzones der Primus-Makropole und überfiel die dort lebenden Menschen. Manche verzweifelte Gangs schlossen sogar unheilige Allianzen mit dem Zombieherrscher, da sie sich Vorteile erhofften, während Kopfgeldjäger den gefürchteten Outlaw jagten, ohne daß es einem gelungen währe, sich die Prämie auf seinen Skalp zu verdienen. Die Menschen begannen zu munkeln die dunklen Götter würden schützend die Hände über Karloth Valois halten.

Nun trat die Redemption auf den Plan um Karloth und seine Zombies in einem heiligen Kreuzzug zu vernichten. Die Redemptionisten schafften es, Karloth und seine Zombielegionen in die untersten Ebenen der gesetzlosen Unterwelt zu verdrängen. Karloth entkam jedoch in das vergiftete Labyrinth und nährte seinen geschwächten Körper von den dortigen Scavvies, während die Redemptionspriester ihm auf der Spur blieben. Sie stellte Karloth Valois mehrfach, und obwohl er schon oft für tot erklärt wurde, kehrte er noch jedes Mal aus dem Abgrund, welcher tief in die Sümpfe reicht, zurück.

Unter anderem zog er den grenzenlosen Hass des Redeemers auf sich, als er sich mit dem als The Caller bekannten Rattenpropheten verbündete, der mit seinem Rattengott und seiner Armee abtrünniger Ratskins die Makropole zu Fall bringen wollte.

The New Romance wrote:Karloth Valois escaped to the debris wastes at the bottom of the hive city when he was young, as he – being an untrained psyker – wasn't able to block emotions and thoughts of other human beings. Hungry and nearly dead, he was attacked by a group of plague zombies. He tried to escape but fell to the ground, exhausted. The zombies gathered around him and began fighting over the still living flesh. Karloth felt the zombie's primitive emotions and managed to tame the zombies with his psionic powers. They stood there, motionless, while Karloth was still on the ground, unable to rise. The zombie plague, which had infected him too, was slowly eating through his brain, but Karloth Valois clung to life with the last of his strength. He began to suck the remainder of the zombie's life energy and thus managed to preserve his own life. The plague's effect wore off after some time and Karloth noticed to his own surprise that he was still alive – in a certain way. His psionic powers were changed by the plague. He was now able to control zombies only by the force of his thoughts and also was capable of removing other's life in order to feed on it. From now on, this would be his sole source of food, and he swore to never fall into death's hands since the existence of a plague zombie, which having the plague in him was his certain fate, would mean eternal pain, terrible torment and unending terror.

From that day, he stalked the badzones of hive city Primus and raided the inhabitants. Several desperate gangs even made unholy alliances with the zombie lord from which they hoped to gain advantages, while bounty hunters chased the feared outlaw without one ever being able to claim the award on his head. People began to rumour that the Dark Gods where protecting Karloth Valois.

Then, the redemption [I guess this is some sort of Inquisition?] appeared on the scene in a holy crusade, trying to annihilate Karloth and his zombies. The redemptionists managed to push Karloth and his zombie legions into the lowest levels of the lawless underworld. However, Karloth escaped into the poisoned labyrinth and nourished his weakened body from the Scavvies there while redemption priests stayed on his track. They confronted him several times, and although he had already been declared dead he returned from the abyss which extended deep into the swamps every single time.

Amongst other things he attracted the boundless hate of the Redeemer as he allied with the rat prophet known as The Caller, who wanted to bring down the hive city along with this rat god and an army of renegade ratskins.

Ketara wrote:That's interesting. Thanks for the translation! A skillful job, it must be said!