Vampires v3

Vampires

An undead creature that looks almost identical to a human past the oddly colored irises, large leathery bat wings, retractable long canines, pointed ears, supernatural attractiveness, and a highly pale complexion. These monsters can be found anywhere humans can but the greatest known population lies secretly within the Duchy of Umacta. Due to their unique abilities and the fact that some have an instinctive aptitude for commanding lesser undead, vampires consider themselves nobility to the living and undead alike.

Characteristics

Vampires have been noted to display supernatural strength, flight, incredible fortitude, and great magical ability, bringing them almost to the apex of the undead world which does nothing to temper their pride. All vampires have an instinctive grasp of blood magic that allows them to use the blood they have consumed to fuel spells, force a hypnotic effect through their eyes and voice, and even hide their inhumanity by reverting their features temporarily to how they were in life.

 Unfortunately, great weaknesses come with being a vampire. Unlike other undead, vampires are plagued by the loss of all their monstrous abilities during the day that puts them roughly at the same threat level of the form the Demon Lord has forced upon them all; that of a young woman. Garlic can temporarily strip away the reasoning of a vampire to leave them befuddled or as mindless as a common zombie when ingested. Direct contact with freshwater brings a powerful numbing sensation that could render these revenants weak at the knees. Just like other undead, contact with divine influence will bring great pain and sometimes sudden combustion.

After an indeterminate amount of time, vampires start to feel fatigue that draws them into a seemingly endless sleep that has been tentatively dubbed the Sleep of Corpses, coining the phrase from a bygone poet of the Maubeuge Family. While it can be staved off through blood consumption and willpower, this is not a long-term solution and forces one to get their affairs in order before they are drawn to sleep, preferably someplace quiet, cold, and safe. Husbands to vampires also feel this fatigue and will retire to a coffin with their wife though it is noted that their sleep is interspersed by periods of wakefulness that allows them to guard their dreaming wives should an enemy try to take advantage of this hibernation period. Waking from this age long sleep usually leaves a vampire severely weakened and often a bit amnesiac, prompting vampires to keep records and diaries within easy reach of their coffins before they succumb.

Sustenance

Blood is the only real substance these undead can stomach, anything else tasting too disgusting for most of them to stomach. Once ingested, blood roils in the body to automatically enhance beauty, increase charm and good humour and even improving mental acuity according to some. Feeding upon blood is intoxicating to vampires and it is reported that they feel a sort of connection to their prey, feeling every beat of the heart, stuttering breath, or tremble of the flesh like it was their own body.

While human blood is preferred, the blood of monsters can act as a substitute in a pinch and is said to have a unique flavor. Should a vampire go without blood for too long, she runs the risk of losing her reasoning and reverting to a maddened state that lacks any of the nobility these monsters pride themselves in, glutting herself on blood until she is sated and regains her senses. Should she receive no sustenance even after this, it is likely that she will lie as dormant as a corpse until those with fresh red blood in their veins are unlucky enough to stumble across her in her thirst.

It has been a long time mystery as to how blood can be drained from prey as most vampires find themselves too enraptured by feeding to actually wonder as to how blood does not just dribble out from a bite but is drawn to the blood drinker in a red tide. It is speculated that hemomancy is instinctively called upon to force the victims spirit energy rich blood to move towards the thirsty undead by using the vampire's own profane mana as a channel. Once, this would allow a vampire to suck their victim dry in seconds but lately that has become infrequent, only really happening to inexperienced fledglings and vampires driven berserk by thirst. This is suspected to be a "fail safe" forced by the Demon Lord though there is debate on whether such a thing was actually intentional.

Corruption

The warping effects of corruption drive the haughty vampires to mania and obsession that supersedes all else in their minds. Afflicted vampires have what they enjoyed most before falling to corruption heavily warped, martially inclined vampires become battle crazed berserkers, gastronomes become gluttonous fiends enamored with exotic blood, and those with romantic leanings might be confused for succubi. While not universal, Scars created by corruption could lead to a more monster-like appearance and force the afflicted to grow claws, invert the colour of their sclera, and even grow horns reminiscent of a demon or small vestigial wings on their heads. While it has been noted that corrupted vampires seem far stronger than they should be, their obsessive qualities can be used against them, evidenced in the tale of a Knight of Saint Grigori who distracted a former accountant by flinging a purse of gold to the ground before he was overwhelmed.

Reproduction

Creating a new vampire is a task that requires great deliberation and care as well as a truly worthy prospect. Not many would choose to become a vampire of their own free will and its true that more often than not the choice is made for them.

The first step in making a new vampire would be the consumption of the prospect's blood until the vampire feels the flow begin to slow. This makes sure the mother-to-be has the energy necessary as well as ensures the victim is too anemic to struggle and complicate matters.

The second step is said to be the most crucial, necessitating that the vampire have their victim drink of her own blood. Lacking the taste for the stuff vampires have, this is usually a trying time filled with coughing and miserable begging but is vital to ensuring the prospect doesn't simply die of blood loss. When sufficient blood is forced on the prospect, the change should come over them immediately. Most vampires lack clear memories about what happened but it's generally agreed to be a truly rapturous experience that leaves them twitching weakly as they visibly pale and their heart stops.

The third step does not measure up to the other two in urgency as the prospect can be said to be a true fledgling vampire at this juncture. This step is their first true meal as an undead, usually a warm swig of blood that the mother has prepared beforehand that is ravenously devoured by the thirsty fledgling after such an ordeal. This is when the distinctive irises develop.

For unexplained reasons, fledglings are highly suggestible in this state and can remain so for up to a year, giving the new mother plenty of time to ingratiate herself to her new child. So long as the older vampire is truly careful, her fledgling will no doubt lose much of the apprehension they might have held in life and treat them as a true parent.

Vampires begin undeath as fledglings. Barely better than humans in ability and still acclimating to being not quite dead. Their wings, fangs, and ears haven't grown in yet and besides the fact that they can hold as still as the grave, they appear to be just unnaturally pale humans. They spend much of their time growing used to their now unfamiliar bodies, urges, and growing senses in this period and are nurtured by their vampiric mother. By the first year, their fangs should be peeking out beyond their control and a pair of paper thin wings should adorn their back. It will be another two years before those wings will become strong enough to support their first awkward attempts at flight, a full two decades before they can truly be called adults. It is during this period that they are retaught how to live among mortals which necessitates being reminded to breathe even when not speaking, not jumping at every little sound they hear, and reigning in their appetite so as to not frighten potential prey.

Adult vampires have come into their own, fully able to manifest vampiric abilities and hunt with fully retractable fangs and properly developed wings. The vast majority of vampires are within this grouping, having been undead for twenty to a hundred years. The greatest concern for these vampires would no doubt be to leave their mother to spread their influence, find new prey, discover new lands, and truly test this newfound "immortality". Given the time to reach over a century of age, these vampires should have collected enough resources and experience to become proper elders.

Elder vampires have lived for more than a century and have a great deal of experience under their belts. By this point, their ears should have developed a point and their senses have evolved far past anything close to how they were in life or as adults. The long years should have started to wear away at them in this age group, having seen mortals born and die like leaves with the seasons and increasing their emotional callousness. The Sleep of Corpses might rear it's head at this point but that is exceedingly rare.

Ancients are vampires of staggering age and power, the blood of thousands having nourished them for uncountable years, there are few monsters that can face them openly at night. Some have even seen the rise and fall of civilizations personally. Few ancients remain awake, many still locked in hidden vaults while dreaming in the Sleep of Corpses and the few that are active are usually cold and distant. It's not uncommon for ancients to immerse themselves in hobbies that are absurdly time consuming in order to keep themselves entertained, developing eccentricities that further mark them apart from younger members of their species.

Origins

No one is entirely certain as to how vampires came to be and even the oldest vampires of the current day have found their memories tampered with by long periods of sleep when asked about the subject. It is suspected by many that the vampiric condition was brought about by hemomancy and would explain the affinity for this profane magic that vampires display but that is still largely guesswork. Every vampire of sufficient age has theories about the origins of their species but those are mostly used to prove the "legitimacy" of their power within cults, armies, and nations.

Oddities

The strangest things about vampires is their ability to give birth to a rare mutation; a dhampir. These monsters seem more human than they should but inherit many of the qualities of their mother's species. Enhanced athleticism, charm, and magical aptitude can be expected but what makes them truly unique is their ability to exude an aura that weakens vampires too near to it, stripping away powers and reasoning like sunlight and garlic would. The potential to be rendered as helpless as any mortal girl does not endear dhampirs to their trueborn kin, ostracism and hostility is almost always shown to these "mutts". The fact that they can give birth to such a monster at all is strange to the extreme.
Dhampirs aside, there is some credence to be found in vampires considering fledglings they've created from chosen humans as their own children. Upon transforming into a vampire, the irises of the newly made vampire tend towards gaining the same color as their "mother". Perhaps because of this second childhood where the fledgling is weak and impressionable, even some personality traits from the "mother" can be inherited.