Katarina Heydrich

The younger sister of the Vampire Lord Count Reiner Heydrich, Katarina Heydrich is a major antagonist in Vault of the Vampire and Revenge of the Vampire, the two Fighting Fantasy gamebooks that feature her brother as the main villain, especially in the first one. Katarina is a very powerful and beautiful witch, somehow based on Countess Erzébeth Bathory, as she uses the blood of young maidens to remain young forever.

About Katarina Heydrich
Katarina is the third born, and the only daughter, among the four children of the unnamed Count Heydrich, ruler of the county of Mortvania located in Mauristasia: a country in the far north of the continent of the Old World. Katarina soon became an accomplished witch and a skilled fighter. Whether she learnt magic on her own or was taught to is not known though. As such, she had little to fear from her brother, even after Reiner became a vampire.

At some point, her elder brother Siegfried Heydrich became count, until he got murdered by Reiner, the second son, who claimed the title. Katarina, who is as ambitious, malevolent and dangerous as Reiner got along quite well with him and therefore, she could enjoy a luxurious life in the castle, while the entire population of Mortvania, including their last-born brother Gunthar Heydrich, suffered Reiner's awful tyranny.

While Reiner swarmed the castle with monsters, tyranized his county and abducted young people on a regular basis to drink their blood, Katarina lived in her own quarters, sacrificing the young captives that Reiner gave her and using their blood for practices of Dark Magic, so as to retain her youth and her astonishing beauty. Because of this, at seventy-six years old, she still looks like a beautiful woman in her early thirties.

Knowing full well that she cannot do anything against her vampire brother, who is much more powerful than her, she contented herself with her life, keeping good relations with her brother while secretely waiting for someone who could slay him, so that she could claim the title of countess.

Katarina is a highly powerful witch, mighty enough to not be harmed by any conventional weapon, to sense magic and spells being cast, to curse anyone by speaking to them, to appear and disappear out of nowhere and to animate objects, among other things. Her most prominent power is her hypnotic gaze which she often use to compel people to carry her dirty work (or to take full control of their mind).

She is also highly intelligent, deceptive and manipulative. She offers to help those who can serve her interests while making no mysteries of her real intentions and she always tries to trick her foes into helping her, or at least to take control of them, fighting only when she has no other choice. Yet, Katarina does know how to fight and never refuses a challenge. She uses a dagger in battle, with enough skill to fight on par with the most trained swordsmen.

In Vault of the Vampire
Katarina Heydrich is a major antagonist in Vault of the Vampire, in which she plays a role as big as her brother's. The gamebook sets the relation between the two equally evil siblings, with courtesy and siblings' friendship on one hand, ambition and defiance on the other hand.

The player of the gamebook is an adventurer who sneaks into the castle in order to kill Count Reiner Heydrich and save Nastassia: a young, recently abducted townsgirl whom the Count intends to offer to Katarina. During this quest, the player can meet Katarina's personal alchemist, the one in charge of her "youth treatment", and hear about her if he or she asks the sage of the castle about the Count's family; learning from their words that she is a force to be reckoned with. All ambiguity is dropped as both Gunthar Heydrich and Lothar the castellan, two friendly characters who prove very helpful to the player, warn him/her to avoid contact with Katarina at any cost. Gunthar even reveals that he never dares to use his powerful healing magic out of fear of his sister, as Katarina would immediately sense it and would very likely curse him (or worse) in retaliation.

When the player comes close to Katarina's quarters he/she can either avoid to enter, or meet the seductive but dangerous witch. Katarina greets him/her amiably and offers to help him/her to kill Reiner, though he/she must remain wary. If the player reveals his/her mission to save Nastassia, she flies in a rage and forces him/her to flee to avoid getting cursed. If the player owns the Book of Swords in which Reiner magically sealed Nightstar, Siegfried's magical sword, she offers to unseal it in exchange of killing Lothar the castellan for her, as she cannot stand the presence of such benevolent man under her roof. If the player does not own the Book of Swords, she will tell him/her to get the holy stake that Lothar owns, lying about the fact that Lothar would never give it willingly and must be killed.

If the player refuses to kill Lothar, Katarina will try to compel him/her magically. If the player loses a test of faith, he/she will have no other choice than to go and kill Lothar. If the player only feigns to accept, he/she will fall prey to Katarina's curse, losing 4 stamina points (life-points) upon speaking to Lothar (and maybe worse had the spell not gotten cancelled in time), given that no-one betrays the witch without paying the heavy price.


 * If the player attacks Katarina, he/she needs a magical sword, otherwise he/she is doomed. Katarina is a powerful enemy with 10 points of skill, (level of power) who vanishes after being struck four times, but if the player wins this battle, he/she will gain a life-potion.

It must be noted that the player gains nothing in accepting Katarina's bargain, as Reiner's counterspell proves too much even for Katarina's vast knowledge of dark magic and the Book of Swords will vanish, destroying any hope for the player to ever gain Nightstar.

The Final Battle
When the player successfully destroys the fearsome Count Reiner Heydrich, Katarina appears before him/her, intending to get rid of him/her and claim the title of countess of Mortvania. She tries to brainwash the player and make him/her her slave, and once again only a successful test of Faith can prevent this. At this point of the game, the player should have enough Faith points not to be bothered, but if Katarina has previously succeded in compelling him/her, she will be advantaged. On the other hand, if the player managed to resist once, resisting once again proves easier.

Katarina is nowhere as dangerous as her vampire brother (who had 13 in skill, one point over the maximum) but she is still a powerful enemy with 10 in skill and 10 in stamina. Moreover, she takes advantage of the player's weakened state after the tremendous battle against Reiner. As a living being, Katarina fears neither holy water nor the powerful Jandor's Bolt spell, and the power-up provided by the sword Nighstar is lower against her. If the player has gained Siegfried's magical sword and chainmail, Katarina will pose little threat. Should Katarina drive the player into a corner, Nastassia will grab a magic dagger and fight alongside him/her. However, she has only 6 in skill, not enough to be of much help.

Upon dying, Katarina reverts to her real aspect of an ugly old hag, deprived of her artificial youth.

In Revenge of the Vampire
Katarina plays a minor villainous role in the second gamebook. She is mentioned several times in the story, and the player can learn that Reiner Heydrich's personal scientist is tasked to resurrect her under the shape of a vampiress, so that she would serve as Reiner's right-hand-woman and help the Vampire Lord in his schemes to take over the continent of the Old World. When sneaking into Mortus Mansion, Reiner's main hideout, he/she can find a vault which likely belongs to Katarina, hinting that she has been or will soon be brought back.

The Final Battle
Katarina appears in person during the final showdown, which takes place in Heydrich's final hideout; the Ghoulcrypts where he plans to absorb the energy of the late Great Elders Vampires, in order to gain unrivalled power and become invincible.

If the player manages to defeat the Vampire Lord at full might and kills him, Katarina Heydrich, now a vampire, will attack the player with 9 in skill and 9 in stamina. If the player lets Reiner Heydrich escape and follows him, he/she encounter Katarina Heydrich under a human shape while Reiner is resting.

Katarina will pretend to be an enslaved young girl before fighting. If the player attacks Katarina immediately, she will have 9 in skill and 9 in stamina. If the player listens to her, she will strike him/her costing 2 stamina points, and have 10 in skill and 11 in stamina. When Katarina is slain, Reiner rises again and engages the very last battle of the gamebook.

Once again Katarina (and even Reiner if he is fought again, though he remains much more dangerous than his sister) is far less of a threat than Reiner, but she gains advantage from the player's weakened state.