We know the story of Vlad Tepes, the so-called “historical Dracula”. But how did the 15th century Impaler really become known as the world’s most famous vampire?

Initiated into the Holy Roman Emperor’s crusading Order of the Dragon, Dracula is sent by his father to the legendary Scholomance to be educated in the black arts and fight the unholy Ottoman Turks. But Dracula uncovers the truth. The Scholomance is run by a Dragon - the Devil incarnate – who creates vampires to do his bidding on earth.

Dracula escapes with his little brother, only to be sent away again as a hostage to the Ottoman Sultan. The Scholomance’s newest vampire - one of Dracula's former fellow students - is secretly sent into Turkish captivity along with him.

The Order duplicitously hopes the vampire will plague the Turks. Instead the Sultan uses it to create an unholy army, weaned and addicted to vampire blood. His father assassinated by his own allies, the still mortal Dracula leads a Turkish vampiric army to avenge the death & claim the throne.

He succeeds in vengeance, but fails to recapture his birthright. Worse, he sees that he has unleashed an unstoppable horror on his people. A marauding army of Turkish undead. Dracula turns his back on magic & vampires, embraces his faith, and sets to re-conquer his homeland. With a peasant army and brilliant but deadly guerrilla tactics he leaves forests of impaled vampire foes in his wake.

Alas the very Church he fights for betrays him, condemning Dracula to hell for his deeds. Dracula seeks the alternative to Eternal Damnation – Earthly Immortality. Returning to The Scholomance he accepts the Dragon’s embrace, and becomes the most powerful vampire of them all.

After a bloody rain or terror, he is beheaded by the Sultan. But that is not enough to destroy him as his body slowly but surely pulls itself together.

He will return to stalk London centuries later. But if the Sultan could not kill him, will Van Helsing prove more successful?

First 8 pages of act 1