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Template:Info afflictions Vampirism, also known as the Sanguine Curse, is a Void-spawned blood-curse that has plagued Aloria for hundreds of years. Often seen as a disease and hated by most of Aloria's people, this affliction causes the infected to undergo both physical and mental transformations. Vampirism can be cured by an aggressive and somewhat lengthy process, though many Vampires desperately attempt to avoid being cured, or even seek re-infection. This is caused both by the curse itself changing the thoughts of the infected, but also by the fact that most authorities across Aloria are excessively cruel to Vampires. In the Regalian Empire, being a Vampire is seen as being something unholy—akin to being a Demon. Such creatures are either killed on sight by Vampire hunters or dragged away screaming to imprisonment and isolation. Frequent Vampire executions are held by the faithful, causing most Vampires across the world to live hiding in dark alleys, caves, and sewer tunnels. Indeed, Vampires are considered leeches on society as they feed themselves on the blood of the unwilling and powerless, empowered by darkness and Void Energies. Whole religions have been founded on the idea that Vampirism is the next step in Human advancement (despite the curse also striking non-Humans), and some contract the disease willingly for the powers it grants. Globally, Vampirism is on the rise since the last Great Vampire Wars. Global conflict with the Void Invasion, Imperial wars, and more recently, the Bone Horror Crisis, have all weakened local authorities to the point of breaking. Vampires often follow in the wake of a weary population, feeding and making use of what they can. Vampirism has grown so prolific that among the Regalian Emperor’s close court, some nobles have fallen to the sway of Vampirism, secretly plotting the destruction of the Empire from within. Even far in the north, a Vampire Principality exists in Ellador, the state of Dorkarth entirely inhabited by Vampires and their feeding cattle, seeking to overthrow neighboring Kingdoms.
History of Vampirism
The history of Vampirism is shrouded in mystery, not in the least because most authorities across the world attempt to eradicate any mention of Vampirism in their historical narratives. Historians who research Vampirism certainly exist, but are quickly imprisoned and have their materials burned for being deemed a threat to the state, especially in Regalia, where anything to do with Vampirism or the consumption of blood is taboo. Still, some hidden libraries in Vampire dens, secret categories in Qadir libraries, or the great records of the Dorkarth Princes contain information about the historical events surrounding Vampirism. Many of these sources will easily date the source of Vampirism to around 20 AC, particularly in and around the Kingdom of Hedryll, on the south and western coastlines of the Elladorian continent. The Kingdom of Hedryll enjoyed relative prosperity as opposed to the poverty in the neighboring states. The Dwarven Kingdoms were embroiled in a violent aftermath struggle with the Elves and had the Dakkar looming on the horizon, the western Kingdoms were all but in ruin after the Void Invasion, and the southern states, including the fledgeling Regalian Empire, were all small and internally unstable. Certainly, it could be said that the Kingdom of Hedryll was at the time the dominant Ailor State in existence, it spanned lands miles upon miles apart, and raiding brought in many riches in a post-Elven Empire world where most nations were rebuilding and not focusing on their military like Hedryll had.
The first historical evidence of Vampires is mostly just recorded in the Dorkarth archives, which claim that Vampirism was a blessing given to a group of people who wished to serve the Archdemon (who had incidentally just been defeated). Later scholars have theorized that the Archdemon was indeed responsible for creating Vampirism, but it was not an actual blessing but a curse on Ailorkind, a curse meant to keep the race weak for his inevitable resurrection. These early Vampires were supposedly feral and vile, attacking any and all in sight and infecting the northwestern Hedryll population at a fast pace. Because of the military outward expansion of Hedryll, the local nobles and leaders did not take note of the events until it was already too late. Hedryll villages would more often go completely silent for a while due to a harsh winter or struggle with the local wildlife or other races, but by the time the King sent an investigation as to why the entire province of Dorlan went silent, even the investigator did not return. Fearing another Void Invasion, the King mounted an army and marched north, only to find a rabid population of this province attacking the soldiers. Vampirism rapidly spread as the Kingdom of Hedryll, despite its wealth, was unable to mount a quick counter-response to the plague. For several months, the plague was allowed to spread southwards, though some of the Vampiric hordes simply froze to death in the tundras because of the cold climate. It is said in hindsight, that if Ellador had not frozen over the way it had, that Vampires could have completely overran not only the Hedryll Kingdom, but also the Isldar and the Dwarves in turn. Some have thus speculated that the Isldar Dragon froze this continent intentionally, knowing what would happen 70 years later.
By the time the Hedryll Kingdom was reduced to a small province footnote, the Ailor were finally able to hold off the advance. Reinforcements from the Skaggers in the Regalian Archipelago paid off, giving much needed new warriors who were able to match the feral Vampires in ferocity. Sadly for the Hedryll Kingdom and the Skaggers and indeed the whole Velheim people, these much-needed warriors moving from the Regalian Archipelago to Hedryll meant that Regalia was free to invade the Skagger homelands, which they indeed did. The Skaggers were however invaluable to the Hedryll Kingdom in securing the borders, and allowing a period of peace to descend on the nation as the problem seemed to ebb away. In truth, and according to the Dorkarth archives, the Vampirism plague started changing. The feral Vampires fed off animals almost exclusively, biting Ailor and Nelfin alike, but not truly drinking from them. Overhunting by the feral Vampires in the west of the country eventually led to a shortage of small critters like owls and rabbits that Vampires could catch, forcing what little Vampires continued to exist to feed off the Ailor who remained on the wrong side of Hedryll’s fortifications. This also drastically reduced the rate of infection, as Vampires more often drank the Ailor dry, rather than letting them live and turn into a Vampire themselves. Drinking purely Ailor blood, restored the cognitive capacity of the Vampires, and once again they turned more Human-like. They regained language and skills with tools and eventually started developing sophisticated tactics and structures of their own. This was where the first hierarchies among Vampires formed in around 30 AC.
By 40 AC, the Vampires had unofficially organized among so-called Desprinces, Princely Vampires who were often the oldest and most intelligent of Vampires. As time passed, those with Vampirism experienced blood mutations, the Vampirism in their blood causing their body to change and new abilities to develop. While they were unable to overcome their prime weakness, the sun, the Vampires eventually started organizing into proper armies under generals, something that severely complicated the defence tactics used by the Velheimers in Hedryll. By 50 AC, most of the Ailor population had bled dry in the east, and a Vampire army under Desprince Torvald Kurvil managed to breach the Hedryll walls, particularly because Skagger reinforcements had retreated to the Regalian Archipelago to defend their homeland in the Skagger Wars. The sudden flood of Vampires into the Hedryll south coast caused the Kingdom many losses, and they were forced to retreat eastward back to their capital. The capital remained safe, but the period between 55 and 70 AC was a time when the entire coastline of Ellador was lost to the Vampire plague. Finally in 70 AC, a turning point came in the form of the Regalian Empire, which had finally established itself properly as the dominant Archipelago state, sending reinforcements of her own. While the Skaggers were no longer a global force of reckoning, Regalian commanded hordes upon hordes of fresh Levy troops with Regalia’s industrial capacity for weapon and armor production behind them. This heralded a period that is called The Great Vampire Wars or Unspoken Wars among the scholars, notably because any trace of them ever having taken place has been erased from history by successive Emperors who wished to eradicate any knowledge of Vampires in the world.
These wars, according to Qadir sources, lasted until 87 AC, when the Regalian and Hedryll forces were finally able to push back the Vampires and isolate them in the original province the plague started. The severe population decline in Hedryll was something the small Kingdom never recovered from, and even though Regalian troops eventually turned away, the Vampire issue in Ellador remained minute even to modern times. This was largely because the more worldly of Desprinces among the Vampires concluded that Ellador was weak and poor in blood substance, and that elsewhere in the world opportunities could be found in richer lands with softer targets. For the next 200 years or so, Vampire fortunes rose and fell over the decades as attempts were made to establish local communities which were quickly snuffed out, especially by the Regalian Empire’s efforts to cleanse the world of what it considered unholy heresy. Vampires eventually started infiltrating the Empire itself, redoubling their efforts on targeting their biggest enemy of all. In present times, most layers of the Empire have been infiltrated by Vampires and Vampire sympathizers, waiting for their time to strike at Regalia’s own weakness and isolation, waiting for a time when they can establish a global Vampire Empire of their own as blessed by the Archdemon.
Vampirism Infection
Vampirism Infection only happens in one way, and it is a very guaranteed way. Vampire bites from any kind of Vampire including Varghul and Varlord are infectious (unless they have specifically mutated with the ability to choose not to infect), and have an infection rate of 100% as long as the Vampire does not kill the person. What this means is that if a Vampire bites a person, this person is guaranteed to turn into a Vampire within a matter of days, unless quick action is taken to counteract the blood plague. A Vampire bite is usually initiated on the neck with the intention of drinking the blood, but a Vampire can bite anywhere, even in the leg or arm if need be, and the infection rate is the same. The infected person is aware of the infection and can feel, for the next 3 days, a burning sensation in their blood. By the second day, they will become paranoid and fearful, seeing enemies everywhere and not trusting even loved ones. By the third day, they will experience a terrible hunger and longing for sustenance, but find no satisfaction in food or drink, instantly puking it out again. By the fourth day, their skin will become hypersensitive to sun, and at this point, they have transformed into a Vampire. Other physical traits take another day to set in, but by the fourth day the transformation is complete. For more information about curing a person who has not yet fully turned to become a Vampire, consult the last bullet point on the Curing section. Below is a bullet point to explain the process in a summary.
- Day One, Infection
- Itching at the wound site, twitchiness, fear of infection, burning sensation in veins
- Day Two, Growth
- Shaking, cold chills, extreme paranoia, burning sensation in veins
- Day Three, Manifestation
- A terrible hunger that no food can satisfy, vomiting food instantly, burning sensation in blood
- Day Four, Completion
- Skin becomes damaged by sunlight; the Vampire can start drinking and infecting others
- Day Five, Finalization
- Physical characteristics manifest, abilities and traits are now available
It is very important for Vampires to feed after having been turned; though just after turning, it is not unusual for newly formed Vampires to have some sort of revulsion to feeding on humanoids. Despite this the urge to feed is always present, and if no humanoids can be found, the individual usually resorts to feeding on animals, like cats, birds, and dogs. Doing this, however, turns the person into a Feral Vampire, a process that is very quick (after 2 or 3 feedings) and is reversed at a much slower pace (two weeks of humanoid feeding). Without this initial feeding quickly after turning, a Vampire might go into blood shock, a state where they suffer seizures and become paralyzed and thus slowly die. The longest time any Vampire has lived post turning without feeding has been five days. Here is a list of Races that can and cannot be infected with Vampirism:
- Infectable Races:
- Non-Infectable Races:
OOC Note: Because feeding is not always possible, it usually fine to assume a character has fed on an NPC citizen for day to day rp. This is purely for practicality sake because there aren’t enough players around to constantly feed every Vampire, and because not many players are willing to be fed on (even if they do not have a choice, since it is not covered by maim or kill perms). The only exception to this is Vampires who are imprisoned (who should roleplay out being deprived of blood) and Vampires who have certain Vampiric Mutations which rely specifically on feeding at a specific time, or to trigger a specific ability. In such cases, the feeding must always be done IC and cannot be time skipped or assumed from an NPC. If you suspect a player has not fed off a person but is using a feeding based ability anyway, report them to Lore Staff for God-Rp. Everyone should always keep in mind however that being fed on, or being turned into a Vampire, is not a permission based thing, and should always be roleplayed out for character development sake.
Physical Characteristics of Vampirism
- Vampire irises turn crimson red and their eye whites turn black when feeding or when about to feed, and remain so while they have blood in their mouth (or otherwise specified when using abilities). It is important to note that the crimson color in their eyes is so intense, almost giving off light by itself, that it is not possible to use tinted glasses to hide Vampire eyes. Nothing short of covering the eyes completely will hide them, even using a thin opening in a helmet or hood will still allow the red light to pierce the opening and be seen from outside. Additionally, there is also darkening of the eye sockets, Vampires develop darkened eye sockets which appear red as if rubbed constantly and deprived of food.
- Sharper, claw-like nails which can be filed down, and are not particularly sharp, but still cause nasty skin cuts. They become sharper and longer if the Vampire in question has any Mutators that assign some property or trait to their claws or nails. These nails regrow rapidly over a period of hours if they are somehow snapped off, which is also relatively easy to do for a Vampire as long as they can get a good grip.
- Their skin becomes much lighter, as if they have been out of the sun for many months. Additionally they develop high sun sensitivity, meaning if they are exposed to direct sunlight on the skin, they suffer severe pain and even combustion of the skin. If allowed to endure long enough, they will die from sun exposure. Clothing or covering this does not work, and the sun's effects persist regardless of whether any protection was applied, the only real protection being offered by shadow cast by buildings.
- Vampires are all weak to Holy Water, having the same effects as sunlight on their skin. Furthermore, they are also weakened to Dragonsteel, which allow a Vampire to be instantly killed if they are pierced in the heart by a Dragon steel weapon. Furthermore, if enough Holy Water (more than just splashing) or Dragonsteel is used on a Vampire, it disables their Vampiric abilities.
- Vampires no longer need natural sustenance, and can't get any satisfaction from it either. They still pass food and drink like they normally would, but gain no energy from it nor can they enjoy the taste or refined culinary arts.
- Vampires also gain a number of Mutations based on their Bloodlines. These are outlined further below in the Mutations section.
Mental Characteristics of Vampirism
- Constant hunger for blood, desire to feed on non-Vampires, a constant sense of disgust for anything that is not a Vampire as feeding cattle.
- No respect or value for anything holy, any authority, or any person, unless they are part of the Coven. Essentially anything non-Vampire is inferior.
- Love and friendship changes from something unconditional and protective into something more possessive and objective. A Vampire can still love a non-Vampire, but their love takes a different tone of a jealous, "You are my property" attitude. Similarly, in friendships, Vampires become exclusively taking as opposed to giving or taking. A Vampire might still go drinking with their friends, but insist that one of their friends pay for them, as that is the price of friendship with them. They might also attempt to convert their friends and family into being Vampires so that they might enjoy the gift with them.
- Obsession with hedonism, and the ambition to live life the way they want it without any regard for other people, their emotions, or their well being. Vampires hold no respect for monogamy, religion, family, state or culture, instead developing their own Vampiric society of Desprinces, Covens and their feeding cattle and victims.
- Vampires after infection develop a pack mentality, and sometimes even incorporate animistic behaviors while hunting—such as erratic body movements and head gestures, claw scraping, sniffing, growling and stalking.
Bloodline Mutations
Vampirism knows a number of bloodlines that divide the Vampires over certain sub-cultures. These Bloodlines all have certain origins, and are usually perpetuated by one Vampire infecting another and recruiting them into their Bloodline. A Bloodline infection is permanent, meaning if someone was infected by a von Kërle Bloodline, even if they were cured and re-infected by someone from the Zikiel Bloodline, they still become von Kërle. The Bloodlines are: Alais, von Kërle, Shilôt, Doughal, Anterrin, Zikiel, Cryptall and Dorkarth. The Dorkarth line is the oldest, dating back to the early Vampires after Cataclysm. The Cryptall line is particularly popular among the extensive Altalar graveyards and tombs and crypts that are richly dotted around the Regalian Empire. The Zikiel Bloodline is very prominent among the Nelfin races, while the Anterrin Bloodline is very prominent in Daendroc and Ithania in general. The Doughal Bloodline has a number of powerful Vampires living in the mountains of Gallovia and Drixagh, while the Shilôt Bloodline is comfortably at home in the vineyards of the Dressolini people. The von Kërle Bloodline is very active in the dark forests of Dragenthal and Calemberg, while the Alais Bloodline mingles strongly with the Nobility of the wealthy states.
Every Bloodline has access to 8 Mutations, but only 5 Mutations can be chosen. Any Vampire can at any age or any time gain Mutations, but doing so does cost Proficiency Points. In order to enable the choice of Mutations, 10 Proficiency points have to deducted from the total pool a character has access to. These Points can no longer be spent. Then, the character can choose 5 Mutations (for the sake of lore, these Mutations happen randomly, but you as a player may design your character the way you want by choosing the mutations). If you do not want to sacrifice Proficiency Points or have any Mutations, this is allowed. Simply do not add any Mutations, and then you don't have to sacrifice any Proficiency Points either. If a Vampire is cured, their Mutations are lost (where applicable, Varlord form for example cannot be lost), and Proficiency points are returned. If the character is re-infected, Proficiency points are lost again, and the exact same Mutations are re-activated. Some Mutations have special rules, please refer to the Special Bloodline Mutation Rules to make sure you read all the information before making any choices. If you need further help, please consult with Lore Staff.
Special Bloodline Mutation Rules
The special rules are expansions on the Mutation Descriptions found in the image above. Some of the traits require additional information that does not fit on the small image format. As such, numbers are added that refer to the list here, where additional information can be found to understand the Mutations correctly.
- Blood Rush: Just because this Mutation stops external bleeding does not mean the Vampire does not suffer excruciating pain from having, for example, their lungs pierced by a sword. Additionally, this Mutation merely stops external bleeding so the Vampire does not bleed to death, but does not mend internal damage. The Vampire may still require healing Mutations or external help from a healer to stop death, and the wound, even when sealed, will still hurt as if it was still open.
- Blood Feasting: This ability can only be used on actual players. You may under no circumstances use an NPC feeding to regrow lost limbs or other such damage.
- Varghul Form & Valord Form: Varghuls and Varlords are two unique kinds of Vampires that essentially become their own species (though for Varghul only temporarily). Varghul are what is commonly considered to be the true form of a Vampire, and transforming in and out of Varghul is nigh-instant. They appear monstrous—having skin webs between arms and chest, between fingers and toes, and digitigrade animal-like legs with claws. Their forearms are larger, allowing them to walk on all fours like a gorilla (though they can still walk on two legs), while they also gain very large black claws on the fingers. Their head is shaped like that of a mixture between a bat and a humanoid, with large sharp teeth, and a hairless head. Contrary to folklore, Varghuls do not have wings and cannot fly, though they do resemble large beasts more than actual humanoids. In terms of power, Varghul are as powerful as an Orc with a very high Unarmed Fighting Proficiency. Their claws are about as effective as shortswords or daggers, especially since Varghul are incapable of wielding any weapons. Varghul can use Blood Feasting to regenerate. Varlords are more subtle in that they are a hybrid between a humanoid and a Varghul. They retain their humanoids legs and head, though gain the same long blackened claws. Their hair retains their old color, though whitens towards the ends. Most of their body retains its humanoid shapes, though they also gain the skin webs that form between the arms and the chest, and the musculature on their chest changes to become almost alien: having two separate pectoral muscles and numerous overlapping abdominal muscles that normal humanoids do not have. Varlords always retain a muscular frame, though when deprived of blood will start becoming bony very quickly. Varlord in terms of power are somewhere in between a Humanoid & Orc, not being as strong as Varghul, but being faster as they are more akin to Varran in speed. Varlord have a form of kin control, making any Vampire they interact with susceptible or very suggestive to their commands or instructions. A Vampire does not even need to belong to the same Coven to be suggestable to a Varlord, though if a Vampire is already within the hierarchy of another Varlord, this does not work until the Varlord in question is removed. Both Varghul and Varlord gain long ears, which resemble somewhat a cross between Maraya and Nelfin ears, though have sharper bat-like features. Additionally, grooves form on their faces, across their cheekbones and from their forehead towards their cheeks which resemble scars, but are actually just indents in the skin. These are more aggressively visible for Varghuls, while remaining rather superficial for Varlords which retain their humanoid facial structure. Varghuls and Varlords develop sharp canine teeth, a trait unique to their kind of Vampire and not shared with the others. Both also retain the regular Physical and mental features that other Vampires have, except Varghuls cannot speak normally and have to grunt and shriek. Finally, both Varghul and Varlord have crimson red irises and dull orange eye whites. Their eyes also slightly glow, enough to be seen in the dark. It is important to note that it is possible to have both the Varghul and Varlord Mutations active. This does not make the Varghul any different, the Mutation still functions exactly the same.
- Mountain Call: Mountain Call is flexible, meaning it allows the person having the Mutation to choose from anywhere between the lowest Body Shape up until and including Muscular. If they are already Strongman however, it does nothing. Furthermore, women who have this Mutation obviously do not grow any hair where there shouldn't be (unless they want to).
- Can Cast local Illusions: Local illusions here are casted as making an apple appear like a pear, or making a nail look polished and painted instead of being un-painted. They are only local, because they only affect the people who are in the room or direct area around the Vampire, and not people who enter in afterwards. This illusion is also not permanent and breaks after a few minutes. This local small illusion skill is not able to cast illusions on items larger than a small dog.
- Ness Misting: The invisibility of the ground mist is incredibly local, and cannot move. When this ability is activated, a knee-high white mist is formed on the ground at around a 20 feet radius around the Vampire. While they remain with their legs inside the mist, they remain invisible, but not non-physical. That is to say, if someone were to hit them, they will still be hit. As soon as they leave the mist, they become visible again. The Mist remains for up to 10 minutes before the wind blows it away.
- Dearth Disguise: Dearth Disguise works best on a Highland Ceardian Dearth, but can work on any group of friends really. With inserting, the description means that this person is flawlessly able to mesh into the group as if they had always been in there, and all their Vampire traits or actions become not-visible to the people inside that group. That is to say, their red eyes appear normal, and even Vampiric feeding is seen more as a jest or an act, instead of actual Vampirism, at least for the people inside the group. Anyone not part of this group will see the Vampire as normal.
- Drawl Thirsting: Drawl Thirsting allows other non-Vampires (and Vampires) to become addicted to the blood of the Vampire that has this mutation. This is frequently done by Shilôt Vampires by mixing their blood into a good vintage of wine, and then offering it to unsuspecting victims. As soon as they have drank from this bloodwine, they become addicted to the taste of the Vampire's blood, even if they aren't a Vampire themselves. This addiction takes weeks to get rid of, and is extremely painful with many withdrawal symptoms.
- Blood Wonder: Blood Wonder allows the Crimson Witch to command Vampire Broods while they are within their close vicinity. These commands consist of actions, like attacking someone or drinking from a cup, but does not include mind control and being able to command them to say things that would reveal their secrets. Blood Wonder also stops working as soon as the Brood leaves the presence of the Crimson Witch or if the Crimson Witch leaves the area. In the absence of a direct command, the Vampire Brood is also free to act as they please.
- Banshee Cry: Banshee form is a combat only form that can be used to cause a sudden burst of chaos in combat. It is not a targeted ability however, meaning it will affect allies and enemies alike. Firstly, the Crimson Witch leaps a few feet in the air, from which their form instantly changes into a ghostly form of their former self with torn and ragged silks, their hair defies gravity as it swirls in all directions, and their eyes burn a fiery red, their face contorted with black markings. As soon as this form is attained, the Banshee lets out a piercing wail. This wail is effective for an entire street, and usually reverberates when inside buildings or tunnels to cover the tunnels and then some. The effect of the wail is that the air around the fight starts turning thicker with a dark gray fog, making visibility difficult. Furthermore, gravity becomes heavier, causing disorientation for those present and causing any weapons held to feel much heavier, but not impossible to hold onto. This affects everyone (regardless of magic protections, and even other Crimson Witches) in an area, except for the caster. It can only be used once per combat scenario and once a day, and the Crimson Witch returns to normal again after the wail has been performed for a few seconds.
Vampire Brood
Vampire Brood are the offspring of a Vampire who can produce offspring through their mutations, and are as such considered to be half-Vampires. They retain some Vampiric traits while never being able to become full Vampires. Indeed, Vampire Brood cannot be infected with Vampirism and always retain their traits independently. Vampire Broods appear just like regular people, except that their irises are always crimson red, even when not feeding. Vampire Brood can however eat normally or drink blood, which grants them specific advantages. When consuming Blood, Vampire Brood experience a rush of adrenaline as their blood circulation speeds up and they gain a boost of energy (This feeding must always be done IC, and does not infect anyone with Vampirism). This boost lasts for about an hour, and gives them increased running speed as well as heightened senses such as smell, sight, hearing, and reduces their stamina wear from exhaustion by half. Vampire Broods are not classified as actual Vampires, though their red eyes obviously stand out. Particularly in Regalia, no laws currently exist that discriminate against Vampire Brood, and many organizations in fact feel that Vampire Brood are just victims of ravenous Vampires. In practice though, many of the Vampire Brood experience fear and revulsion in their direction because of their eyes and what they can do, even if they have never tasted blood.
Protection against Infection
The most common form of protection used against Vampiric infection is a so called Faith bangle. A Faith bangle is a fairly commonly acquired item, like a clothing pin of Estel worship, a Reverend-blessed Unionist eye chain, a Shambala sun disk necklace, an Old Gods willow belt, or any other form of religious accessory that has been blessed by the varying holy men and women belonging to those religions. Why these so called Faith Bangles work is unknown, though some scholars assume that Vampire powers are repulsed by Holiness, or faith of the religions of Aloria, and as such, provide protections against infection. This bangle can be worn anywhere as long as it touches the skin of the person wearing it. When a Vampire seizes a person wearing a bangle, they can still feed from the person, but the person is guaranteed not to turn into a Vampire. A few minutes after the feeding, the bangle will start to shake and feel hot to the touch, before it simply dissolves. This dissolving marks the fact that it has worked, as the Vampiric infection is absorbed into the holy object instead, which destroys both. After the Faith bangle has destroyed an infection once, it cannot be re-used within 72 hours. While such an item can be worn within 72 hours after the first one broke, it will not protect against infection and be useless until that period is over. After the third day is over, Faith Bangle protection is restored and a person can be protected from infection. The only religions this does not apply to, is Void Worship or the Slizzar Faith.
Curing of Vampirism
Vampirism is not incurable, but the process is slow and extremely painful—especially for those who engage in the curing process. Vampires can only be cured through a complicated process of bloodletting and further actions which can only be performed if certain conditions are met. The first difficult act, is the capture of a Vampire. Vampires are notoriously difficult to capture, especially older ones and those who possess mutations. Eventually, such Vampires are brought to clinics which have cleansing basements: specific facilities set up with the means to cure Vampires and hold them imprisoned for the duration of such a cleansing period. A Vampire which is about to be cured is first strapped to a bed of sorts. This is usually a very sturdy table, though metal tables have also been used for particularly big and old Vampires, as they might have the strength to break wooden tables. Once strapped down, the process may begin as described below:
- First Day (1/2) The Vampire must undergo bloodletting, just enough to the point where the Vampire does not die, but enough to the point where the Vampire passes in and out of consciousness. Before this point, the Vampire will (unless knocked unconscious) violently thrash and attempt to escape. Any Vampire’s worst fear is being turned back into a non-Vampire, and they will resist with all their might to avoid it. This process is needed to purge the Vampire’s surplus blood supply and weaken them for the next steps.
- First Day (2/2), when the Vampire has largely been drained, they must be kept awake while strapped to the bed. In this stage, the Vampire will usually plead, attempt to guilt trip the healers into feeding them, crying out to their masters or other attempts to bribe or force their captors to release or feed them. This process is needed to purge the Vampire’s hunger. This step should only be time skipped if no one is available to roleplay with the Vampire strapped to the bed.
- Second Day (1/2) When the Vampire is extremely hungry, the next step is to cryostim an injection into their arm and provide a blood transfusion of Url blood. It is important that the blood is injected into the bloodstream, not consumed through the mouth. Url blood is a fairly recent invention that used to be predated by Yanar blood, which caused far more complications, but is still a viable alternative in the absence of Url Blood. If an Url is available, this should be done IC. If they are not, this process may be time skipped, though consider using Yanar blood instead. If Yanar blood is used, this process will be extremely painful and the person will develop sores on their body which will need to be healed separately by healers. If only Url blood is used, the person experiences only discomfort in their muscles, which ache with a dull feeling. It is important that the blood has been harvested the same day, or have a direct drain from an Url to a Vampire. This process can be completed in one morning, and only requires half a pint of blood, which Url have plenty of, and Yanar quickly reproduce after eating.
- Second Day (2/2) When the Vampire has had a transfusion of Url blood and said blood is allowed to do its work for a few hours, they must have the curse be expelled with a heat sweat. This heat sweat is set on by putting a small stove with a bowl of Holy Water under the bed of the Vampire, and then igniting, causing vapor of Holy Water to flow around the bed. The Vapor is of a low enough dose that it does not hurt the Vampire permanently (though the pain still feels like torture), but causes remnant Blood Curse to expel through sweating. There is a fail rate possible here. This process usually lasts until well after dark.
- Third Morning The person must be fed with sanctified bread (bread made by any regular baker, who instead of using regular water for the dough, uses Holy Water). At this point, the person is largely no longer a Vampire, but the final feeding of regular food which is sanctified clears the internals of any remnant blood substance that was being used for sustenance, and allows for the first passage of proper food. This process is successful after 2 hours (sanctified bread passes much faster if the person is being cured of Vampirism), if the person has the urge to visit the toilet. If this is not the case, this step must be repeated once every 2 hours until they do. When the person properly passes their bowels, the curing is successful. It is important that captors make sure actual bowel clearance takes place. If it does not, the curing was only partially successful, and the Vampire may jump on one of the captors when led to the latrines, causing a complete reversion with just a single bite, forcing them to start all over again, and cure the captor also.
- Curing a person who has not yet fully turned If the person has been infected but not yet fully turned (thus only on the first, second or third day after infection) the cure for a person who has not yet fully turned into a Vampire is fairly straightforward. A tonic of crushed Yanar Youngling petals (specifically from the flower from which new Yanar are born, which can be preserved and dried and provides enough ground petal dust for 50 tonics) must be drank in the morning when the sun is up. The person will experience periodic twitches, and in some rare cases, seizures, but after 12 hours, the infection will be stopped, and the person will not turn into a Vampire.
After curing, Varlords will retain their Varlord appearance with the sole exception of their nails, which return to normal, and their eyes which also return to normal. These old Vampires will often need to be closely watched, as they have an extreme urge to be re-infected, and when re-infected, will instantly regain their old Vampirism Mutations also. Aside from these conditions, Varlord curing takes longer. Instead of the 2 day procedure and bowel passage the third morning, every step takes a full day, taking 5 days to cure a Varlord. The Mutations remain dormant in their body even when cured, and only need to be re-activated during the first feeding after reinfection to re-activate fully. The only exception here is the Skeletal Vampire. A skeletal Vampire cannot be cured and should simply be destroyed by crushing all bones and tearing them apart, and finally crushing the skull and burying it. After curing, any and all (either Vampire, Varlord, or not yet fully turned) will suffer post curing sickness, which involves lethargy, weakness and anxiety for 2 weeks. Any and all ex-Vampire, unless they had not yet turned, or were a holy devout person before being turned, will always have a nagging desire in the back of their mind to desire to turn into a Vampire again. They are however unable to turn back into a vampire for another 2 full weeks after their curing.
OOC Note: It is extremely important that none of these steps are time skipped and that all healing processes are done IC by actual healers like the Clinics that dot regalia. This provides healing businesses with roleplay, but also ensures that a curing process can be halted by for example an attack on a clinic to free the imprisoned Vampires. It also prevents god-rp surrounding time-skipped curing, and ensures characters suffer consequences for their actions.
Trivia
- Contrary to folklore, Vampires in fact do not gain sharpened canine teeth. This is only present in Varghuls and Varlords. Regular Vampires retain a more humanoid denture, while feral Vampires develop lengthened sharpened teeth unless their state is reverted.
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