Editing Ushoran (section)

===Mourkain: Rise and Fall===
Meanwhile a Necromancer called Kadon, who was the son of the chieftain and the shaman of the Lodringen tribe (which had been neglected by Sigmar's unification), found Nagash's Crown of Sorcery in the hands of the corpse of [[Alcadizaar]] washed up on the shore of a river. The crown instantly filled his mind with knowledge, and he used his newfound necromantic powers to reanimate the corpses of the dead to serve the living. A massive tomb was built for the body of Alcadizaar which also doubled as Kadon's palace and a place of burial for the Lodringen. Mourkain (known as "Morgheim" to the Empire) became the name of the capital city, while Strygos became the name of the people.

Ushoran and his followers at this point crossed the impassible mountains separating the land of the [[Tomb Kings]] from the [[Old World]] and after arriving in Mourkain, Ushoran immediately used his charm to become the main adviser to Kadon. The two of them made a powerful and expanding empire that rivaled that of the [[Empire]] of the time, and Kadon worked with Ushoran's more arcane-minded Vampire servants to create many powerful magical items as well as refine the magic of Nagash (giving rise to the Lore of Vampires used by the Vampire Count army).
[[Image:Mourkain palace.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Mourkain palace.]]

In the meantime, Ushoran rebuilt his Bloodline from the loyal citizens of Stygos. At some point after Kadon's death, Ushoran then channeled the most dangerous power in any Warhammer settings (common sense!) and instituted laws prohibiting his vampire minions from feeding on the general populace: they only drained the blood from willing servants, or criminals, prisoners of war and slaves. The protection of the Vampires combined with the growing power and luxury provided by the wise rulership made the people of Strygos very loyal to their rulers in a way that rivals that of current [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian Peasantry]].

Once the kingdom had grown enough in power, Ushoran sent messengers to the other Bloodline leaders with plans for a united Vampire race. Only [[W'soran/Melkhior|W'soran]] answered his invitations. The two of them further refined the Lore of Vampires and created many more magical objects, eventually unlocking the full power of the Crown of Sorcery for Ushoran's use.

So at this point, things were going fantastically for Ushoran and the Strygos. As one might expect, this is the point in the story where everything went to hell.

Neferata took the invitation of Ushoran as an implication that she was to serve him (and she might have been right). She was so incensed by the idea that another Vampire would rule over her like she had all of them only a short time ago (by Vampire reckoning), and that Ushoran was making such an offer after his role in the fall of Lahmia, she manipulated the young [[Empire]] into gathering an army and attacking Strygos. While he could have easily beaten them and added the Empire to his ranks, an [[Orcs and Goblins|Orc]] WAAAGH had gathered both due to Abhorash and the first Blood Dragons nearly wiping them out in the nearby mountains and the slow encroachment of the Strygos on their lands. The greenskins destroyed a straight path to the foot of Mourkain itself.

While Ushoran and Kadon devastated both armies, Kadon was slain and the Strygos and Strigoi forces took massive casualties to the point that the greenskins and Warboss that remained were able to smash through the city gates and destroy it. Ushoran and his remaining Bloodline held the line near the rear of the city so that the human population, fanatically loyal to him, could flee to the distant hills. At this point W'soran and his followers betrayed the Strigoi (according to the Necrarch account because the Crown of Sorcery had begun to take control of Ushoran and W'soran wanted to save the only man he had ever considered a friend, although this would hardly have been a bad end for them as he had worshiped Nagash as a god shortly before draws the story into doubt). W'soran weakened the Strigoi until they could no longer stand against the WAAAGH, and after being beaten by Ushoran fled for his life to the mountains.

The kingdom of Strigos fell and became know as the Badlands to the people of the [[Old World]].

Ushoran was separated from his kin during their retreat and seemingly crushed under a sea of green, so the remaining Strigoi Vampires broke ranks and fled in different directions. Without leadership, the Bloodline degenerated and most gave into their animalistic urges. Where before they had been restrained to non-lethal blood drinking or to consuming the dregs of society, they indulged themselves to the point that a single Strigoi was capable of consuming all living creatures from mice to giants for miles before rest.

The other Bloodlines became exceedingly hostile to the Strigoi. The appearance of a Strigoi in the midst of an area controlled by Lahmians brought Witch Hunters on their heads, so Lahmians were quick to personally kill them or hire mercenaries to put them out of their (their meaning the Lahmian's) misery. The von Carsteins saw them as beggars, and did to them as the inspiration for their Bloodline did (hint: it involves fire and impalement). The traitorous Necrarchs saw them as a source of crafting materials with which to make new monsters and dissected them with glee (although they DO still trade with them and make deals with them, as Necrarchs are smart not to burn their bridges entirely). The Blood Dragons saw them as mere beasts to slay and drink the blood of for a challenge. As a result, Strigoi Vampires became more and more a group of loners.

During the early centuries of the Empire, the threat of Vampires was considered very real. The first [[Witch Hunters]] relentlessly pursued the Strigoi Vampires, despite the ineffective forces knowing very little about them. More often they attacked the people of Strigos, who had since become Warhammer's gypsy analogue and lived on the outskirts of most towns and cities in the Empire.
As the years went on, the mistreatment of the Strigos grew until many (often those in positions of political clout amongst the isolated clans) began to behave as the Witch Hunters believed them to have always been: witches, necromancers, and seekers of Vampirism. Ironically, the attacks of the von Carsteins under Vlad made the Witch Hunters far less focused on Strigos, but FAR more effective at hunting the Vampires themselves. But the damage had been done, and the Strigos are oftentimes the allies of Vampires who in turn usually treat them with a degree of respect (to the point that a Strigoi Vampire may literally ONLY restrain his urges from preying upon the gypsy Strigos bands...and instead consuming every man, woman, child, and animal in the nearby Empire town then fleeing resulting in the Strigos moving in to loot and live, benefiting the still loyal Strigos greatly).

For his part, Ushoran did NOT die. He has lived primarily in isolation, learning that his kin from other Bloodlines were far less loyal than ordinary mortal humans and that his own Bloodline, however loyal when he was around, were weak willed without him.

During the time of the Three Emperors of the Empire, the Strigos were persecuted more than they ever were, to the point that when the (then) Elector Count of Averland formed a group to genocide the Strigos, much of the Empire considered him a hero. Needless to say, Ushoran was NOT impressed when he found out. He wiped out an entire greenskin WAAAGH that threatened the Strigany who had returned to Mourkain, then single-handedly wiped out the forces and leaders who had sought the destruction of his gypsy followers.

The Elector Count of Averland was turned and made one of the Strigoi Bloodline: Ushoran enjoyed watching the former tormentor struggle with his Vampirism, with the man only capable of restraining himself out of fear of becoming like the other Strigoi. Ushoran returned to Mourkain and sent a call for his Strigoi Vampire family and the Strigany humans to return to the city to rebuild.

As the [[Storm of Magic]] (or [[Warhammer Online|Age of Reckoning]]) grew in strength, the body of Kadon became reanimated as a [[Lich]] and sought to rebuild his former kingdom and reclaim the Crown of Sorcery.