| Gertrude Rosenfeld | |
|---|---|
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| Physical Information | |
| Species | Vampire |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5’11” |
| Hair color | Silver |
| Eye color | Red |
Gertrude Rosenfeld is the vampire guardian of Ylatt Tower who protects its inhabitants from the eyes of non-magicians. As her domain is located in the middle of a populous city, she holds regular meetings with other guardians to update them on potential threats in modern society.
Gertrude was contacted by Alba about letting Ainsley Wintertide and Mary Demore visit the famous alchemist Idonea Culpepper. Knowing Alba wouldn’t recommend just anyone, she accepted.
When the girls entered her office, Gertrude introduced herself before sucking their blood. Afterward, she explained that drinking blood allows her to learn about people, which she uses to determine whether people are trustworthy, helping her protect her domain. She talked about how the alchemist was sought after, how she fled to Gertrude seeking protection, and her acceptance in exchange for her services.
Gertrude was dealing with a series of murders where victims were drained of blood. Unable to find any leads, combined with other guardians’ growing distrust of her, she self-imposed house arrest. Still needing to investigate the crimes, she searched for people that could help. At first she was able to recruit Sally. Then, after learning about Jane O’Young, Aislinn, Gina Evelyn, and Nashwa from Ainsley and how the girls applied to a university in her domain, she sent them an invitation to meet.
When they arrived, Gertrude asked for their supernatural help in resolving an issue, in return for fully paying their tuition. While Jane declined, Gina needed the money so she accepted. Gertrude introduced her to the murder case where, bringing in Sally who would assist her. Gina wished to alert Gertrude whenever a murder occurred, leading Nashwa to create an orb that projected the location of murders in the city. At Gertrude’s behest, Gina, Jane, and Sally were located in a luxurious penthouse near campus.
While Gina and Char Fairfield performed their investigation, Gertrude assisted when she could. She told Gina about the history of the city she protected from demons long ago, as well as some magicians she knew who used to live nearby. She also recruited forensics experts to examine the artifact that she and Sally discovered. And when the investigators were attacked at the penthouse, she arranged to move them Ylatt Tower, fortify the penthouse with enchantments, and protect Jane with bodyguards.
As Gina and Char encountered a huge demon where the artifact was discovered, Gertrude realized her name now in the clear and joined them in combat, and eventually they fought back the demon and destroyed the artifacts in the mausoleum and the underground bunker. Eventually they found the demon and the mastermind, who explained how he used the demon to murder those who he felt had wronged him. However, the demon unexpectedly drained him of his blood, powering him up and leading to a final battle. At the end, the demon cursed Gertrude, causing her to go crazy and attack Gina and Char. Just as they were about to meet their end, Jane and Aislinn entered, spreading sleep and paralysis powder to neutralize the vampire.
Under Idonea’s command, she was taken back to the tower where she and Sally’s parents researched an antidote and cured her. Gertrude reported the incident to other guardians, exonerating herself, and happily extended Gina’s full ride scholarship for the duration of her stay.
Gertrude is calculating and often doesn’t do anything until she understands its benefits. It’s this facet of her personality that led her to protect magicians like Idonea in exchange for a lifelong supply of blood. Her cold exterior intimidates her subordinates who strive hard to please her.
She is also forward-thinking and invests in developments to monitor her surroundings and consolidate her power, such as maintaining a deep surveillance network to keep abreast of the latest news in her city.
“Blood spear” in German isn’t that creative, yeah, I know.↩︎