Introduction
Vampires are immortal beings that have spread the loathsome curse of Undead across the realms of Man for centuries. Though many lineages of this foul race now live spread across the world in castles hidden from Man, their true origins lie within the once great civilization of Nebuchad. The true masters of Undead; they retain much of their original intelligence and capabilities despite their curse, and hence retain their ambition and desire. This makes them very dangerous indeed, for Vampires, due to their immortality, have an extensive period of time in which to hone their skills and refine their schemes to utter perfection.
Whether they are considered terrifying, blood-sucking night-walkers, vicious brutes who steal their victims' lives, or creatures of eternal beauty and haunting allure, Vampires need blood to survive. They come from all walks of life—some are civilized, preferring lives of opulence and splendor, amassing wealth as well as influence. Others act more like terrifying savages, feeding upon the local population and causing wanton destruction throughout the area. Vampires can be found anywhere intelligent, living creatures reside. The larger the population, the more potential victims and the more likely it is that Vampires can be found there.
Governance
- Land: None
- Location: None
- Governance: This differs a lot. Some Vampires are part of a household of a Vampire Lord, while others serve a small group in which the strongest or the one that turned them is in charge. There are also many Vampires roaming around alone.
- Head: None
- Capital: None
- Region: Vampires live all across Earthland.
- Population: 100,000 all across Earthland.
Details
- Languages: Vampires don't have a language of their own. They speak the language(s) they spoke before they were turned.
Religion
- Religion: None. Some may worship Dark Gods.
Biology
- Physiology: Vampires appear the same as humans, but with somewhat paler skin and haunting red eyes. The paler skin however can be considered abnormal depending on the region, some examples of this being Desierto or Savannah.
- Physique: Vampires are of human height, standing from 1.55 – 2.00 meters on average, weighing from 60 – 90 kg.
- Lifespan: Vampires are considered immortal beings as long as they can keep feeding themselves. This is, of course, presuming they do not meet a premature and violent end.
- Psychology: Vampires can move among mortal society with relative ease. Vampires can pass themselves off as unusually pale mortals. These Vampires present themselves as nobility, criminal overlords, leaders of institutions, or other people of power or influence. But blending into mortal society isn't without risk, as subtle distinctions can give a Vampire away. The inability to cast a shadow or show a reflection in a mirror can tip off astute mortals to the Vampire's true nature.
Due to these weaknesses, some Vampires prefer to operate from the shadows, serving as advisors to those in power, trusted guardians for suspicious leaders, or fences for mortal thieves' guilds. Such Vampires draw less attention, but are still able to manipulate the strings of the devious plans they concoct.
Vampires that hide their natures from society and don't want to feed on mortals have some options to help them survive. Magical blood is one, but a more common method is to drink the blood of animals. No one questions when someone purchases an animal, slaughters it, and serves it for dinner. Unlike mortals, a Vampire does not eat the animal's remains, so it must take care not to leave carcasses drained of blood where they can be found, since these could point to the Vampire's true nature.
By contrast, other Vampires live openly, making no effort to hide their nature at all. They generally possess such wealth and power that they don't fear angry mobs. A few humans might provide Vampires—especially exceptionally charismatic ones—with their blood for the thrill of the experience, but those that do so are rare.
From the typical Vampire's perspective, their only equal is another Vampire. They see themselves as inherently superior to living creatures. Vampires view most undead creatures as their inferiors at best, or as servants or slaves at worst. Reality sometimes intrudes on these perceptions, and especially powerful undead such as Liches more readily earn the Vampire's grudging respect.
Vampyrism
- Turning: Vampires are created through turning; during the turn, a Vampire drains a candidate of all their blood and replaces it with a small amount (generally a single drop) of their own. This causes the corpse to rise as a very hungry Vampire. This is usually instantly though those of the highest generations may appear to lie dead for some time before they awaken. The Vampire who initiates the turning is the sire; the new Vampire is the sire's childe.
When a Vampire is turned, most of their internal organs wither away, and almost all their body fluids are replaced by blood. Vampires use blood for a variety of purposes; blood replaces most bodily fluids, so Vampires will cry blood. Blood is also used to get up and move; every night, Vampires expend a certain amount of blood to rise. In addition, Vampires can use blood to enhance their physical attributes and use supernatural powers. Blood is used to turn, as noted above. Finally, Vampires can use blood to heal damage.
Blood is generally replaced by sucking it out of humans. While Vampires can feed on other creatures, they do not enjoy the taste of animal blood and older Vampires will acquire no sustenance from it (whilst the blood of the supernatural creatures are an entirely different matter). The process of taking blood is euphemistically called feeding. Vampires do not have to completely drain a victim, although Vampires in a frenzy are likely to do so. The feeding process is highly pleasurable (arguably the only pleasure) for Vampires, and is also extremely pleasurable for victims. Vessels who are drained regularly can become addicted to feeding.
Vampires change considerably after being turned. Physically, they are incapable of eating food and drinking, with most vomiting it up almost instantly, and even those that can keep it down for a while will still have to regurgitate the food later. They have no need for sex as the need to feed replaces all physical and emotional urges, although they can have intercourse for pleasure if needed and will even feel pleasure from it, though all such pleasures pale in comparison to the ecstasy of feeding.
It must be noted that users can not turn other users into Vampires unless the one they wish to turn has purchased Vampirism in the shop. In case there is no one around to turn them, they may roleplay the scenario themselves.
Lore
- Culture: Vampires observe a set of customs that exists somewhere between being coded into their undead natures and a social contract that's ratified every night among the courts of the damned. Not every Vampire affords the idea of the traditions the respect they deserve — some make bold claims about the flaws of the traditions and the weak wills of those who hide behind them — but in practice, most Vampires observe the traditions to some extent. Interpreting and enforcing the traditions is the privilege and responsibility of the Vampire rulers. The traditions themselves may vary, but the core principle is found everywhere: that an undead authority makes the rules and woe to any who feel that they don't have to heed them.
- History: It is not sure how Vampires came into existence. The most popular legend is that Vampires are descendants of Cain, cursed with a thirst for blood and immortality. According to legends, Cain killed his brother Abel and was cursed. Cain then traveled to Nebuchad, one of the first cities of the human race. There he turned its ruler and became the God-King of the city, turning nine childer. These nine childer in turn turned thirteen childer, and these thirteen would become the progenitors of the clans of this day.
Some time after this, the thirteen, also known as the Second Children, rebelled against the nine, also known as the First Children, after which the great flood covered Nebuchad in water. The Second Children survived for forty days under water, devouring everything, until the floods receded. Some time after the flood, the Second Children built a city of their own, which they ruled over as gods, until Cain returned to pass his judgment on them. Cain cursed each of the Second Children to not show their faces to him anymore and then left. The curse caused the Second Children to suffer from light when it was used to harm them.
The Second Children then spread across the world, traveling to various places and turning further descendants. Over time, their numbers grew and their thirst for blood made them a threat to the humans. Whether the Second Children existed and if they are still around is unsure, but their clans still exist now millennia later, spread across Earthland. Some say it is a made up story for the clans to gain prestige by drawing their lineage to such a story, but there are Vampires out there who truly believe in this origin story.
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