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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 Hallowed Lanterns, 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.
Alternatively, the global spread of Vampirism over the centuries and revelation of the Curse’s infectibility towards all known Alorian races has witnessed the rise of various Covens, discreet and otherwise, from their less than humble origins of Hedryll to the Songaskian Masaya and even the Maraya Mothership. This seeping spread throughout known Aloria, whilst meeting the original goal of widespread infection, has diluted the overall goal and even unified a Culture of Vampirism. Instead, the now diversified Bloodlines aid individuals as a corrupting tool to see their own goals, dreams and ambitions realized within the towns, cities and communities in which they would reside. This occurs to such an extent, in fact, that many Covens battle for supremacy of a certain ‘territory’ with others and such is commonplace in more populated and diversified cities, such as the Holy City of Regalia. Even the Vampiric Courts of Dorkarth are known not to have a central leader, with rival Desprinces playing at intrigue and politics as a twisted reflection of the Regalian peerage. Ultimately, the future of Vampirism remains in the hands of those with the most power, prestige, and influence to further it in whichever direction they see fit; to either remain content in ruling the shadows, or to step forth to claim all those within the light.
Vampire Coven Culture
Though the crimson curse remains synonymous with the Void, bloodlust and inherent violence, Vampirism at its core is a means of freedom from the constraints of such ideas as Religion, morality, Culture and even family, thus leaving any Vampire to live their life as they truly wish to without internal hindrance. This allowed for a breath of freedom from a potentially unsatisfying life for the common peasant. This, coupled with the origins of various sub-cultures within the named Bloodlines, makes for unconstrained potential within individualized coven culture. Whilst some Covens remain entirely composed of a singular, like-minded Bloodline such as a Barghest Hunting Pack, Von-Kerle Bandit or Mercenary Group or even Alais Virtearist Circle, others are comprised of various Bloodlines under a more open-minded Coven Leader where one Bloodline covers for the weaknesses of another. As such, depending on the goals, ideals, and mentality of the Coven as a whole, and reflectively the Coven Leader themselves, Covens will have their own traditions, holidays, festivities, and rituals. Due to the nature of Bloodlines passing infection from one to the other, however, rituals and festivities most commonly utilized among certain Bloodlines are passed unto further removed Covens across Aloria to interpret, tweak and utilize as they see fit.
In particular, Covens headed by ‘Ancient Vampires’ or ‘Greater Vampires’ of a particular Bloodline are more likely to subjugate all Bloodlines within their Coven to the Ancient Vampire’s own inherent Bloodline culture and mentality. This stems from an inherently amplified pride of self in these Greater Vampires. For example, a Greater Vampire Alais leading a Coven might encourage even Doughall or von Kerle Vampires beneath them to take a far stealthier approach to feeding, hunting, and fighting. Though not all Vampires of such a Coven would be bound to follow the Alais’ way, those Kin bound to the Alais through Greater Vampire rituals would be susceptible to the Ancient Vampire’s will. This can also act as a detrimental weakness. An example of this would be an Ancient Vampire von Kerle ordering any Alais or Shilot Vampire Kin to be more openly violent and active in pack hunts. This would likely result in potentially simple captures, as Shilot and Alais Bloodlines are not suited for combat. Therefore, Ancient or Greater Vampires should always consider the strengths and weaknesses of their Coven Members and especially the impressions they leave on their Kin.
Vampire Rituals & Festivities
The Faceless Masquerade
The Faceless Masquerade was first conceived at the peak of Dorkarth’s superiority and rise of The Pale Whisper; however, following the Great Vampire Wars, all credit to this practice’s creation typically falls to the Virtearist Alais and Shilot Nobility within various Courts of various Kings dotting the Regalian Empire. Though Masquerades themselves are far from uncommon among Nobility, the Faceless Masquerade requires those Vampires participating to disguise themselves with far more than just a mask; often dying their hair or taking alchemical substance to change the shade of their skin and the tone of their voice. A simpler alternative, however, is the Crimson Reflection ability, to those Vampires that retain it. With this transformation complete, the gathered Vampires then familiarize with each other’s disguises, slipping into public and private events alike with fabricated personas to mingle with the populus; most commonly during masquerade balls. These Vampires work to support their fabricated backstories (typically masquerading as wealthy merchants or aristocrats) with the aid of fellow disguised Vampires, thus misleading and deluding their victims to believe a persona that does not exist. Many Vampires utilise this joint effort to seduce away valuable political players or steal valuable items by use of their abilities and addictive drinks. For some Vampires, the Faceless Masquerade never truly ends -- as those bored with their immortality simply move from one mask to the next. It remains an ideal way to pick for potential new-blood Coven Members from a herd of unsuspecting charismatic socialites.
The Fledgling Hunt
Among the Barghest, Doughall and handful of von Kerle Vampires, the Fledgling Hunt is a ceremonial practice undertaken when newly blooded Vampires, or ‘Fledglings’, lack opportunity to ‘prove’ their ability to the remainder of the Coven. Typically, the Vampires will disperse from their Coven Nest and scour any and all nearby social areas such as taverns, campsites, and settlements during the daytime, typically sending inconspicuous or charismatic Vampires to infiltrate such societies. At the break of dusk, these Vampires then return to their Coven Nest and report their findings to the Coven’s leader, or leader’s designated Alpha of the Hunt. The Coven’s leader then makes a final call on the location to be struck or, more rarely, a specific group of prey to be tracked, after which follows an hour or so of ‘preparation’. This preparation process differs from pack to pack, where some sharpen their claws in silent focus and meditation, and others exercise their combat strength against one another to warm themselves up, or simply decorate themselves with warpaints of dark, muddied colours. Following this hour of preparation and upon the rising of the full moon, the Pack then descends to either capture and feast upon their selective prey, or indiscriminately feast and disperse. Ultimately, this is part of an initiation of the new-blood Vampires to the pack, where all hunt together and fight together. Alternatively, those Vampires deemed too weak are picked off in these hunts by the forces they face, leaving the difficulty of the hunt in the hands of the Coven Leader who ultimately decides the quarry. As such, the Fledgling Hunt is an ideal way of trimming useless hunters from a pack.
Duellings of Wutienda
Initially devised by the Dorkarth Princes as a means to settle disagreements in a fashionable manner, the Duelling of Wutienda are most often practiced between two displeased Vampires looking to settle their mutual displeasure with a contest of combat skill within the Ring of Malice; a combat ring or pit glyphed by a member of either the Zikiel or Dorkarth Bloodline. It requires a drop or more of Dorkarth Bloodline blood to be spilt upon it to activate. This Ring, once activated, disallows any further entry or exit via a painful arcane barrier until the duel is over; until all others within the ring are deceased bar one. As such, a Duel can take place either between two Vampires, or as a free-for-all within which only the final Vampire standing is victor. The ring will simply not activate should any non-Vampires be within the ring. Once the Duel is complete, the Ring’s warding absorbs and drains all spilt blood from the dead whilst aglow with ominous energies, then revives the deceased Vampires to their physical states just prior to the Ring’s Activation, albeit somewhat weaker and more fatigued; almost as if feeding on the blood itself. The victorious Vampire’s wounds are not healed, though following the draining of deceased Vampire blood, their hunger feels satiated for the next few days.
The first victor within any Coven’s first established Ring of Malice is dubbed the Champion of Wutienda and only one Champion can exist in any one Coven at any given time. They are furthermore marked by a glowing palm-sized crimson Glyph anywhere atop their skin, though this glyph can be obscured by clothing. Naturally, it’s a rare treat to watch two Champions of Malice from opposing Covens duel for supremacy, where the victor’s glyph expands to the size of two Glyphs whilst the loser loses theirs entirely, leaving the losing Coven to instate a new Champion amongst their Ring of Malice. Champions of Malice that are cured lose their glyphs as well. Should the victor of such a battle (with a glyph the size of two or more glyphs) lose to a member of their Coven following, that Coven Member is dubbed the new Champion and receives the starting Glyph. Von Kerle Vampires, typically chosen by Desprinces as Bodyguards and Gladiators, often duel in such pits on behalf of their Masters should two or more come into a disagreement, with some legends rumoured to have glyphs worth five or more victories against rival Covens spanning their bodies. In theory, a Vampire from any Bloodline could act as a combat representative for a Desprince or Coven Leader. As such, it’s not unusual to see multiple allied Covens orchestrate entire structured tournaments to invigorate their various combattants, or simply set a particularly renowned Vampire Combattant against a multitude of starved feral Vampires for sport.
The Ritual of Projections
By use of this ritual, any Zikiel Vampire is able to summon a ghastly ethereal Tome (of any chosen aesthetic design) comprised of their accumulated knowledge, arcane or otherwise. This Tome may not be stolen, conventionally or through arcane means, as any who attempt to touch it simply phase through it. Even the Zikiel is unable to touch it, instead causing it to levitate ahead of them whilst manipulating page flipping through arcane hand motions. Whilst this tome is summoned, the Zikiel is endowed with various glowing runes etched into their bodies (inclusive of any transformations to Lich form). By flipping through the pages of the Tome, the Lich is thus able to project visualizations onto any nearby wall (including the ceiling or floor) for others to view. This wall must be prepared with a runic glyph-circle etched or drawn into it, such as with chalk, blood, paint, or carvings. For instance, if the Lich were offering a lecture on Dragons, they could project a vision of Dragons; regardless of whether or not the Lich had ever seen Dragons. As such, they are even able to project their memories, but may only project one vision on one wall at a time, manipulating only what is seen on the ‘screen’. They are unable to perform this ritual within combat, nor for any purpose besides the sharing of knowledge or telling of stories. It is designed to allow for wisened Zikiel Vampires to lead more engaging lectures and sermons regarding all which they have learned, or to entertain their Coven with stories of their travels.
Vampirism Infection
Vampirism Infection happens in a variety of ways (explained on each Bloodline), though most commonly occurs from Vampire bites. Vampire bites have an infection rate of about 25%. This means that if a Vampire bites a person, this person must perform a /dice 1 20 to roll for infection, where anything rolled 5 or below means the person is infected, 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. For Bloodlines which require ingestion to spread the infection, a wine glass or vial worth of the Vampire's blood is required to infect another person. The infected person is usually 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. Then by the fourth day, their skin will become hypersensitive to Hallowed Lanterns, 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 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 Hallowed Lanterns; sharpened canines grow, and 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 Vampire 'Feral', 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. While the vast majority of Vampires are Ailor, due to the spread of the Blood curse, no race is inherently immune to becoming Vampires, and as such, anyone can be infected. It should however be noted that Vampire abilities tend to block certain race abilities. For reference on what happens per race, consult the table below.
| Race | Effect on Racial Abilities |
|---|---|
| Ailor | Will of Faith no longer works, except if the Character was a Void Worshiper. Additionally. Sanktist and Rettist abilities no longer work. |
| Sihai | No changes, Sihai are still able to shift between Forms. |
| Dwarf | No changes. |
| Qadir | Qadir become unable to use White Cores for their Clockwork, but can still use their Spirit Force. |
| Songaskia | Songaskians become unable to use World Flow powers, but can still Elder and Ancient Shift. |
| Altalar | Altalar become unable to use their Rings of Power, though Vallea Body Stat is kept, Tal'Sieth Altalar Martial Skill is kept, and the ring of Ammu-loa remains usable at all times. |
| Avanthar | Avanthar become unable to use any of their Casts. |
| Cielothar | Cielothar become unable to use Cielothar Ritualism. |
| Sihndar | No changes. |
| Isldar | Isl Zeal defaults to Disloyal Zeal regardless of which Dragon is followed (or not followed). Furthermore, the Isldar can no longer see the Soul Rivers, or use any of Frisit Weave's abilities. |
| Kathar | No changes. |
| Yanar | No changes. |
| Maraya | No changes. |
| Allar | Allar no longer regenerate their lost limbs or body parts. When cured however, any potentially removed body parts start growing back. |
| Slizzar | No changes. |
| Varran | Varran are unable to interface with Living Metal. Any Living Metal they use simply slides off and dissipates. |
| Orc | No changes. |
| Url | No changes. |
| Various Half-Races | Half Races have no special race powers, and as such, Vampirism does not affect them in any way. |
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. 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 (save for situations where the curers are not providing consistent roleplay) 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.
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.
- Vampires are fully incapable of casting any forms of magic, including parlor magic, and those who are magically inclined lose their magic upon infection.
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. Every Bloodline has access to 10 Mutations, but only 4 Mutations can be chosen. Any Vampire can at any age or any time gain Mutations, and doing so does not cost Proficiency Points. Simply not adding any Mutations is allowed too, Mutations are not mandatory. If a Vampire is cured, their Mutations are lost (where applicable). If the character is re-infected, the exact same Mutations are re-activated. Some Mutations also 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.
Alais Bloodline
The Alais Bloodline are Vampires who formed out of the high society infiltrating and mingling Vampires. Their traits are mostly aimed at subversion, avoiding detection, and being able to function within high society without easily being discovered, or even remain noble themselves and thrive in the many masquerade balls and festivities.
| Alais Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Crimson Graces | Passive | - | For any action performed involving Rogue Skill Proficiency (such as theft, quick fingers, slight of hand), when detected or having failed a /dice roll, the Character may perform another /dice roll as a form of saving graces from failure. If this roll fails however, there cannot be another roll. |
| Crimson Cloaking | Passive Ability | - | Can activate a form of bodily camouflage while moving around which requires +10 Perception Proficiency to see through. Standing still turns this camouflage into perfect invisibility, but any movement will still knock the Character out of the effect, and they still produce sound and heat. Attacking someone breaks both the camouflage and invisibility, while getting within 1 block of someone also makes the Vampire visible to them (albeit if another person comes within 1 block of the Vampire while they are standing still, the invisibility will not break). Once the camouflage or invisibility has been broken in combat, it cannot be re-initiated for 3 minutes. |
| Crimson Curse | Mind Ability | Direct Touch | This can be performed one of two ways, either by a "tap" or "slap", or by constant Direct Touch. A single tap will cause the person's Proficiencies to all be reset to 0 for exactly 3 minutes, after which this ability cannot affect them for another hour. Constant Direct Touch makes the Proficiencies set to 0 while the touch is maintained. After touch is broken, the effect lingers for a minute, before not affecting them again for an hour. This effect cannot stack, be reset by touching again, or having another Vampire's Crimson Curse affect them. |
| Crimson Silence | Passive | - | Items held (like Clockwork or weapons) and stationary items used (like doors and hatches) do not produce any sound when used by the Vampire. Furthermore, the Vampire does not produce audible footsteps on any surfaces. |
| Crimson Guiding | Mind Ability | Direct Touch | The Vampire can give a victim a strong urge or suggestive feeling by placing their hand on their shoulder and muttering or whispering the instruction or feeling to them. This transferal of instruction is not perceived by the victim, but others within hearing distance can see the movement and whispering or muttering, or even hear it if they are in close enough range. This instruction lapses from the memory from the victim, who is unable to explain why they feel a certain way, or have an urge to do something. |
| Crimson Aging | Passive | - | The Character becomes immortal and does not visually age (though damage and harm can still kill them). Age over 150 years old requires an Ancient Character Special Permission. Furthermore, from the moment immortality is gained, the Proficiency gain rate is changed. For every year aged (where a Character would normally gain 1 point per year) while this mutation is active, the Character only gains 0.25 Proficiency points per year. This does not round up or down, even if a character has 44.75 Proficiency, this is counted as 44, not 45. Taking this mutation causes the Vampire to become incurable. Curing simply ceases to function on them. Consult the curing section for special rules on the effects of curing on incurable Vampires. |
| Crimson Dressage | Passive | - | The Vampire is able to change the appearance of their clothing, add, or remove clothing magically and instantly, either with an aesthetic magical transformation, or simply instantly. This change can also alter the fabric, texture, color, or patterns on worn clothing. Clothing that is magically produced dissipates as soon as it leaves the body of the Vampire. |
| Crimson Hostage | Passive | Direct Touch | Those fed upon gain the Crimson Hostage trait, which makes them strongly want to prevent the Vampire from being harmed, caught or cured, for up to 72 hours after having been fed upon. This effect cannot be cured aside from time-out. |
| Crimson Guile | Mind Ability | Eye Contact | The Vampire appears beguiling and beautiful, entrancing even, but only while making direct eye contact. This only works for as long as the victim continues to make eye contact, but as soon as they do, it is hard for them to break away from it. While in this trance, the person who looks the Vampire in the eyes becomes unaware of what other actions the Vampire is engaging in, essentially gaining tunnel vision on the Vampire's eyes. The victim feeling any amount of pain, including the sting from a Vampire bite, will result in Crimson Guile being broken, and once they are aware of who is hurting them, the victim can no longer be put under Crimson Guile until a new encounter. |
| Crimson Reflection | Passive | - | The Character can magically change superficial appearance aspects about themselves: Change the color of their hair, change the color of their eyes (does not work while feeding), add or remove facial scars or freckles, change the skin lightness/darkness, and the length of their hair, including the texture (curliness, straightness, waveiness). |
Barghest Bloodline
The Barghest Bloodline hails from the border regions of Ostyria, where it is believed that the Barghest Vampires are Ailor affected by Void mutations to appear like the hunting hounds they used in the woods of the Hinterlands. The Barghest Vampires often work best in large groups, as their Mutations are specifically geared towards helping one another and themselves.
| Barghest Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Wald Obscuring | Channel Ability | 30 Blocks | The Vampire can channel this ability for 5 seconds, after which they sink into a pool of black smoke and immediately re-appear in their target location. This location must be seen, and re-materializing takes 3 seconds, during which they are vulnerable. The exit location has shadow particles forming the moment they activate the channel, and the exiting procedure also produces ghostly noises. |
| Wald Hunting | Instant Ability | Emote Distance | The Vampire can shoot a crimson red tether to a target, which does not miss, but also does not hurt or constrain them in any way. When the tether hits, the Vampire can yank the tether once, which will cause them to be launched at the person with high speed, or whatever their location was when the yank was performed. |
| Wald Familiar | Instant Ability | Emote Distance | The Vampire gains a tattoo on their back of a large bat. They can summon a bat familiar from this tattoo (which will appear regardless of clothing or armor covering the tattoo). This bat is about the size of a small dog, and has a reprehensible tail, able to carry small objects, as well as harass someone else with its sharp claws and fangs. This familiar can be killed, after which it cannot be summoned for another hour. |
| Wald Kinship | Channel Ability | Emote Distance | The Vampire can activate a painful heartburn on themselves (which is not sufficient enough to cripple them or immobilize them, but certainly makes moving painful and combat impossible). While this effect is active, a single other Vampire of choice gains large bat-like wings with claws on the tips that can be used to scratch foes. Additionally, these wings allow the Vampire to jump twice as high, and use the wings to rapidly move over horizontal surfaces. The wings do not grant flight. The wings must be given in Emote Distance, but the target Vampire can then leave Emote Distance as long as they remain within Viewing Distance of the Vampire using the Channel. As soon as the Channel is broken, the wings disappear. |
| Wald Howling | Channel Ability | Emote Distance | The Vampire can sing the song of Rigor Mortis, a ghostly wail of Vampiric Lore. Those considered allies to the Vampire with Sing Emote distance (> is used to sing) gain increased endurance and toughness (their skin becomes as tough as leather armor), and take only half damage from Holy Water. This song must be kept up to keep the effect active. |
| Wald Glamoring | Mind Ability | Daytime Only | Vampires with this trait have a glamour version of themselves that they can activate but only while the sun is out. In this glamour form, their skin and eye sockets appear normal, the Vampire looks exceptionally beautiful/handsome to those who look upon them, and their teeth only extend during feeding. Additionally, while in glamour, the Vampire does not infect others with their Bloodline. |
| Wald Packthirst | Passive | Emote Distance | Vampires with this trait do not need to directly feed. Instead, while another Vampire within distance is feeding on someone, they gain proxy feeding, as if they were feeding themselves. This passive can be used perpetually to satiate the Vampire without ever needing to drink actual blood. |
| Wald Darkening | Passive | - | Vampires with this trait are able to have perfect night and darkness vision, able to discern people and objects even in pure and complete black darkness. Darkness illusions and Magic that would obscure vision however still affects them. |
| Wald Reading | Mind Ability | Emote distance | Vampires with this ability can read the emotional state of a person, as well as detect a lie by focusing their eyes on their aura. Their aura becomes visible, showing a color corresponding to their mood, and whether a statement was a lie or a truth is shown in the form of a smiling or crying mask above their head, smiling for a lie and crying for the truth. This lie detection mechanism can only be used directly after the statement has made. While this ability is used, the irises of the Vampire give off a single flash of redness before fading back to their original color. |
| Wald Lightseeking | Instant Ability | Emote Distance | Vampires with this ability are able to produce bright flashes in their hands (used to light up a room, or temporarily confuse a foe by obscuring their vision) and can can also absorb the light in an area the size of a room or a hallway (only works indoors), creating complete and perfect darkness there-in. |
von Kërle Bloodline
Von Kërle Vampires hail from the Calemberg cities and dark-walds, the high-military high-class realms of the Regalian Empire. Here, the von Kërle adapted by having Mutations that expedited their military victory over those who would hunt them, but invariably also became weaker to Vampire hunting tools as they surrendered themselves more to the Void.
| von Kërle Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Harlord Protection | Instant Ability | 2 Blocks | For every wound made on the Vampire, if the Vampire hits/cuts/pierces their victim, they can “draw” the blood out to heal a wound on themselves, a wound for a wound essentially. This does however close the wound on the victim and stop their bleeding (but not heal internal damage) |
| Harlord Varghul | Beast Transformation | . | Can shift to beast form. Beast form increases Body Form to one stage higher (limited by race constraints). It additionally contorts the face of the Vampire to be more bat-like, with longer ears, a snarled bat-like nose and larger brow bones with no eyebrows, as well as larger teeth. Skin turns midnight-blue while spikes form on the spine, and the legs become digitigrade with claws on the feet. |
| Harlord Chasing | Instant ability | Emote Distance | The Vampire gains bat-like wings that appear only for a single jump, allowing them to jump up to a maximum of Emote Distance at rapid speed. This ability takes a few seconds to charge up the jump, and the wings disappear immediately after. This ability can only be used three times per hour. |
| Harlord Voidening | Passive | The Vampire has the ability to grow horns, either facing forward smaller horns, or curling ram-like horns to the back, or both at the same time. They are also able to have a forked tongue, and a thin non-prehensile tail. Their skin can also turn considerably more gray, but not so gray that the original color is lost. Any of these mutations can occur in any combination, or none at all. It is up to personal aesthetic choices. | |
| Harlord Bloodening | Instant ability | - | The Vampire can Blood Sing a weapon by cutting their own hand and then crystallizing the blood mist drawn from it. This takes several seconds to manifest. The wound will continue to bleed, but the Vampire can return the weapon to mist form, return the blood to their hand, and seal the wound in the process. The weapon will not disappear when lit by a Hallowed Lantern, but will fracture when hit by Holy Water. |
| Harlord Stonewall | Passive | - | The Vampire becomes immune to all other Vampire abilities that are classified as Mind Ability. This trait also makes the Vampire immune to any of the Ancient Vampire's Mind Ability Mutations. |
| Harlord Blackstrike | Passive | - | The Vampire's finger and toe nails thicken and turn black, while also sharpening and growing much faster. These can be used to leave nasty scratches and scrapes that feel very painful, and adds +5 Unarmed Proficiency to the Vampire. |
| Harlord Drawling | Passive | - | The Vampire is completely immune to toxins, poisons or acids, not affecting either their organs or skin in any way, shape, or form. |
| Harlord Darkening | Passive | - | Vampires with this trait are able to have perfect night and darkness vision, able to discern people and objects even in pure and complete black darkness. Darkness illusions and Magic that would obscure vision however still affects them. |
| Harlord Elementing | Passive | - | Vampires with this trait are immune to environmental temperature damage, as well as the need to breathe oxygen or water depth. They are immune to freezing damage and extreme heat (fire still burns them, as do the Hallowed Lanterns), no longer need to breathe, and are able to resist extreme depth pressures. |
Shilôt Bloodline
Shilôt Vampires hail from the wine-producing lands of Vixhall and Ithania, melding well with high society there, but particularly honing their crafts through drinks and partying to disguise them being a Vampire and create an army of thirsty cattle that come to them.
| Shilôt Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Vinteaar Providing | Instant Ability | Direct Touch | Can summon succulent foods and drinks, but must sacrifice something to make it in matter. For example mud can be used to create a medium rare steak perfectly seared. The food remains food throughout ingestion, but the Vampire can turn it back to its original substance with the flick of a hand (not allowed to be made out of harmful materials). If the Vampire does not change the material back, it remains perfect in the way it was made however, and tastes delicious. |
| Vinteaar Partying | Instant Ability | Emote Distance | This ability only activates in an announced Event scenario. The Shilôt is able to activate their Vinteaar Partying, which disguises the Vampiric features (red/wispy blue eyes, bloodshot gaze, sickly skin, black nails) of all Vampires at an event (including themselves), alongside making them undetectable to typical aberration detection mechanisms, in the same manner as the Alais. This ability is active for as long as the Shilôt is at the event, and up to 5 minutes after an event officially concludes. This gives all vampires socialising discretely at an event the time to depart before the ability drops. It does not, however, mask the use of Vampire abilities. |
| Vinteaar Stasis | Instant Ability | - | The Vampire can crystallize in form as if hardened wine, turning into a dark red wine and then hardening. This crystalline form can be upheld for years, does not cause the Vampire to age, or take harm from anything. After 1 hour, the substance turns gray and stone-like, essentially disguising the Vampire as a statue. The Vampire remains aware of the passage of time, but not so sentient aware that they would be bored out of their mind. The Vampire does not gain Proficiency Points while in this statue form. Characters that have survived beyond 150 years this way still require an Ancient Character Special Permission. |
| Vinteaar Aging | Passive | - | The Character becomes immortal and does not visually age (though damage and harm can still kill them). Age over 150 years old requires an Ancient Character Special Permission. Furthermore, from the moment immortality is gained, the Proficiency gain rate is changed. For every year aged (where a Character would normally gain 1 point per year) while this mutation is active, the Character only gains 0.25 Proficiency points per year. This does not round up or down, even if a character has 44.75 Proficiency, this is counted as 44, not 45. |
| Vinteaar Elegance | Mind Ability | - | Victims feel no pain while being fed on, and even become unaware that they are being fed on, forgetting that a moment ago the Vampire sank teeth into them. They will only become vaguely aware that some interaction happened between the Vampire and them, but are unable to remember precisely what. |
| Vinteaar Lingua | Passive | - | A Vampire with this trait is able to understand any spoken non-Ancient and non-Forgotten language, and read any such language from written form, while understanding it in their native tongue. They can however not speak any of it back to the source. |
| Vinteaar Thickening | Mind Ability | - | The Vampire can add a few drops of their own blood to any drink, turning said drink addictive. The persons drinking the drink will be unaware why it is addictive, but feel an intense urge to drink more of it, and have withdrawal symptoms if they are denied. |
| Vinteaar Drawling | Mind Ability | - | Vampires with this trait are able to throw drinks containing their blood into the face of others (either by throwing a vial, or tossing the contents of a bottle directly). If the liquid hits them in the face in any quantity, they become incredibly drunk for several minutes. This effect does not stack and wears off like normal drunken-ness. |
| Vinteaar Addicting | Mind Ability | - | The Vampire can give another Vampire a specific blood addiction by mentally targeting a person while brewing a drink, and then having them ingest it, or applying a decent quantity of it directly to their skin or soak into their clothes. This Vampire will become addicted to the blood of that specific person, and hunt and find satisfaction from drinking that specific person alone. This effect lasts for a week. |
| Vinteaar Draughting | Curse Ability | - | The Vampire is able to brew a tonic that when drunk by anyone else, turns the Vampire completely invisible to that person for the next 48 hours. |
Doughall Bloodline
The Doughall Vampires were Vampires who originally lived in the caves of Gallovia, but later mingled with the people, commonly becoming the physically "strong" Vampires among the Bloodlines. The Doughall developed means to change with the seasons, and are inherently shape shifters.
| Doughall Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Mountain Lord | Passive | - | If a Character has Body Stat under 20, add +10 Body Stat. If a Character has over 20 Body Stat, add +5 Unarmed Combat as a Proficiency boost (which does not factor into Body Stat). This calculation is always added onto the point sheet last, after Body Stat has already been calculated, and all Proficiency added. |
| Mountain Hardening | Passive | - | When feeding, the Vampire's skin turns to actual stone, and they become both immovable by others as well as immune to harm from any source except Magic. As soon as the Vampire's teeth release from their victim, their skin returns to normal and mobility is restored. |
| Mountain Winters | Beast Transformation | - | Winter form - transform to increase Body Shape to one level higher than character’s Body Shape (breaking Racial limits), grow fur on shoulders, lower arms, back, chest, neck and facial hair. Teeth become larger, and blackened claws develop on the hands, allowing them enhanced physical combat ability. |
| Mountain Autumns | Beast Transformation | - | Autumn form - transform to decrease Body Shape to one level lower than character’s Body Shape, grow thick fur on lower arms and legs, legs temporarily mutate to digitigrade legs, and gain a wolf-tail, allowing them to sprint like a canine on all fours. While in this form, they are able to run faster than a Varran. |
| Mountain Summers | Beast Transformation | - | Summer form - transform to decrease Body Shape to one level lower than character’s Body Shape, grow scales on the arms, neck and legs, and gills on the neck, while ears turn into webbed fins. The character gains the ability to breathe underwater and swim at high speeds, while also leaping in and out of water similar to a dolphin. |
| Mountain Springs | Beast Transformation | - | Spring form - transform to gain goat-like facial features (snout, eyes), hooved feet and digitigrade legs. Arms become covered in vines and roots that when aimed at a person, causes a burst of thorn-shaped essences to fly towards them. These wisps feel akin to being stabbed in multiple areas by a thin blade without leaving any physical wounds. The energies do not exert any physical force upon the victim, but will become crippling enough that the victim is unable to fight after three shots. |
| Mountain Runes | Passive | - | Can create Mountain Runes (a Stonebrick block with a Lapis Lazuli block on top) anywhere in a region they are at home (be it a gang base, WIS base or Rental Region), and also have a Rune Caller in their pocket, which is a smaller pebble with red runic drawings on it. At any time, the Vampire can use this Rune Caller to speak to the Mountain Runes, of which up to three can be active at any time they speak. When activated, the Rune will light up with a red glow and broadcast their voice in mutter range (5 blocks). This is one way communication, meaning others cannot speak back, and Mountain Runes can be smashed with any weapon to disable them. Additionally, the Vampire will know when someone is standing within 5 blocks of the Mountain Rune, but cannot tell who it is. If the person is present in camouflage or invisibility, this detection mechanic will not work. |
| Mountain Healing | Instant Ability | - | Can heal individual wounds (like a stab or gash) from a person (including self) at the cost of one level of Body Shape per wound, for a total of 1 week. Removing another wound by sacrificing another Body Shape after already performed resets the timer. This can also remove internal wounds, but not bring back lost body parts. |
| Mountain Seasons | Instant Ability | Direct Touch | Can forcibly change the race of another person for 72 hours. This ability can only be used on one person at a time, but can be cancelled early, even remotely. While forcing a race change, victim cannot access either their natural or new-race racial traits or abilities. Character design remains consistent onto the new race where applicable. |
| Mountain Shifting | Passive | - | The Vampire can meld into stone materials/surfaces to hide. They can however be dug out and not move around while hidden, so generally this ability is only recommended while on the run and after turning a corner while no-one is looking. It is practically instant, and cannot be countered or prevented. |
Zikiel Bloodline
Zikiel Vampires are commonly referred to as the Lich Vampires. While not the same as Undead Vampires, they are more magically-inclined than other bloodlines. They scour the world looking for more Magical Knowledge to add to their collection, encountering (and countering) Mages as they go.
| Zikiel Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Haunting Lich | Mythic Transformation | - | The Vampire can assume the form of a skeletal lich, transforming them into a skeletal body with wispy eyes. They are able to levitate off the ground by a foot and change clothing into mage-inspired robes while in lich form, reverting back to normal instantly. Wounds transfer between forms. |
| Haunting Dragons | Passive | - | Vampires with this trait become completely immune to all Witchblood abilities. |
| Haunting Aging | Passive | - | The Character becomes immortal but does visually age (though damage and harm can still kill them). Age over 150 years old requires an Ancient Character Special Permission. Furthermore, from the moment immortality is gained, the Proficiency gain rate is changed. For every year aged (where a Character would normally gain 1 point per year) while this mutation is active, the Character only gains 0.25 Proficiency points per year. This does not round up or down, even if a character has 44.75 Proficiency, this is counted as 44, not 45. Taking this mutation causes the Vampire to become incurable. Curing simply ceases to function on them. Consult the curing section for special rules on the effects of curing on incurable Vampires. |
| Haunting Deflecting | Passive | - | The Vampire has the ability to deflect Magic in the same way that Mages can, able to deflect incoming spells. Deflection casts are performed as emotes, after which a /roll 1 20 is done. If the roll is above 5, the spell is deflected and rendered harmless by a deflection cast. Deflection cast requires the Vampire to have both hands free and not already engaged in casting or fighting. It works by waving their hand in a half-circle motion as if to “slap” away the incoming spell |
| Haunting Scent | Instant Ability | 10 blocks | This trait allows the Vampire to place a glyph ward on the forehead of a person by pointing a finger at them from close range. This glyph is always visible, glowing in blue. While the ward is active (for 72 hours), the Vampire can track them wherever they go. This glyph cannot be removed beyond a time-out. |
| Haunting Chains | Instant Ability | Emote Distance | With this ability, the Vampire is able to form two ghostly chains, one on each arm (usually around their forearm). They are able to send out this chain towards a person, which will then attach to their torso. This chain does not miss, and acts like a Magical spell (and can as such also be deflected by those who are able to use Mage Deflect). When attached, the victim cannot run away anymore, and the Vampire can pull the chain towards them to slowly drag their victim closer. If the chain is broken for any reason, the person can freely move again. While a chain is attached, the Vampire cannot free their hand to do anything else, unless they choose to break the chain. |
| Haunting Specter | Instant Ability | Emote Distance | With this ability, the Vampire is able to summon a specter-like projectile in their hand, and launch it at a target location or a person whilst steering it with their pointed finger. This ability is repeatable, but a projectile cannot be re-cast until the previous one has hit its target or is nullified by the Vampire by closing their steering hand. The casting is instant, but each projectile fired counts as a separate Instant Ability. The projectile can have any aesthetic appearance as long as it has ghost-like qualities and is no larger than a fist (with a wispy trail a foot behind it). Only one projectile can be active at a time and steered by the Vampire. When hit with this projectile, the projectile pierces through armor and hits the person's body part wherever it was aimed. If it lands, (it is not homing and can be dodged or hidden from behind obstacles) it causes excruciating pain that can cause a body part to lock up in short paralysis if hit multiple times in the same spot. The Vampire can move while casting this ability, but needs always at least one hand free to cast the ability and steer it. Attacking them while steering cancels the projectile and causes it to spin out of control and continue its trajectory it was on until it hits something. |
| Haunting Staving | Passive | - | The Vampire becomes immune to any type of Mind Ability as well as all forms of Alchemy induced hallucinations or illusions, except from other Vampire Mind Abilities. |
| Haunting Severing | Mind Ability | Direct Touch | The Vampire is able to place a glyph at the back of a person's neck which severs their emotions and emotional connections to other people for 1 week, thus rendering them without a conscience, love, and friendship for others. These glyphs act as a kind of possession, and can be cured with any type of exorcism. |
| Haunting Seeking | Channel Ability | Emote Distance | Can “bend” the light of any Hallowed Lanterns in the area away from them. This can only be done with at least one hand free and directed at the lantern (both hands can bend two individual lanterns). This allows them to turn the lantern forcibly to any other direction, regardless of the strength of the user. |
Dorkarth Bloodline
Dorkarth Vampires were the first of the Vampire broods, the original Bloodline created by the Princes of Dorkarth in Ellador. Their line continues in their descendants now, spreading across the world as they continue to do the work started by their Princes and to destroy the Regalian Empire.
| Dorkarth Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Auld Vexxing | Passive | 10 Blocks | The Vampire can cancel or interrupt an ongoing Channel Ability, Mind Ability, or Instant Ability (that hasn't completed its primary function yet) that is activated by any Vampire, except for Ancient Vampires and other Dorkarth Vampires. This ability can be used as frequently as the Vampire likes, but only within 10 blocks, and they are unable to fight each time they cancel an ability, as it requires them to make a waving hand gesture with both hands. The target will not know why their ability stopped working unless they are familiar with Dorkarth Vampires or have the appropriate Knowledge Proficiency to know about Vampire abilities. |
| Auld Steeling | Passive | - | The Vampire becomes immune to any type of Mind Ability as well as all forms of Alchemy induced hallucinations or illusions, except from other Vampire Mind Abilities. |
| Auld Shielding | Instant Ability | - | The Vampire can summon a shield in their shielding arm the size of a heater shield. When an enemy hits the heater shield with their weapon, their weapon becomes insanely hot to the touch, not so much hat it blisters their skin, but incredibly uncomfortable (lowering their weapon Proficiency by 5 points), for 5 minutes, before slowly cooling again. If they hit the shield again within the 5 minute period of the first effect, the effect is doubled and lasts for a total of 10 minutes, but then the victim becomes immune from receiving the effect again for an hour. |
| Auld Aging | Passive | - | The Character becomes immortal and does not visually age (though damage and harm can still kill them). Age over 150 years old requires an Ancient Character Special Permission. Furthermore, from the moment immortality is gained, the Proficiency gain rate is changed. For every year aged (where a Character would normally gain 1 point per year) while this mutation is active, the Character only gains 0.25 Proficiency points per year. This does not round up or down, even if a character has 44.75 Proficiency, this is counted as 44, not 45. Taking this mutation causes the Vampire to become incurable. Curing simply ceases to function on them. Consult the curing section for special rules on the effects of curing on incurable Vampires. |
| Auld Darkening | Passive | - | Vampires with this trait are able to have perfect night and darkness vision, able to discern people and objects even in pure and complete black darkness. Darkness illusions and Magic that would obscure vision however still affects them. |
| Auld Mending | Instant Ability | 2 Blocks | When wounded, the Vampire can hit, cut, or pierce their victim, then “draw” out the blood out to heal a wound on themselves of equal severity to the one inflicted on their victim. This ability cannot be used on others or used to heal internal bleeding. |
| Auld Hexing | Mind Ability | Direct Touch | The Vampire can give a victim a strong urge or suggestive feeling by placing their hand on their shoulder and muttering or whispering the instruction or feeling to them. This transferal of instruction is not perceived by the victim, but others within hearing distance can see the movement and whispering or muttering, or even hear it if they are in close enough range. This instruction lapses from the memory from the victim, who is unable to explain why they feel a certain way, or have an urge to do something. |
| Auld Severing | Mind Ability | Direct Touch | The Vampire is able to place a glyph at the back of a person's neck which severs their emotions and emotional connections to other people for 1 week, thus rendering them without a conscience, love, and friendship for others. These glyphs act as a kind of possession, and can be cured with any type of exorcism. |
| Auld Ballrooms | Passive | - | The Vampire is able to change the appearance of their clothing, add, or remove clothing magically and instantly, either with an aesthetic magical transformation, or simply instantly. This change can also alter the fabric, texture, color, or patterns on worn clothing. Clothing that is magically produced dissipates as soon as it leaves the body of the Vampire. |
| Auld Grasping | Passive | - | The Vampire's finger and toe nails thicken and turn black, whilst also sharpening and growing much faster when broken. These can be used to leave nasty scratches and scrapes that feel very painful, and adds +5 Unarmed Proficiency to the Vampire. |
Crimson Witches
Crimson Witches are a special kind of Kathar Vampire which adheres to its own rules. Consult the Kathar page for more information. Crimson Witches have access to the following Mutations.
| Crimson Witches Bloodline Common Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Witch's Lands | Channel Ability | - | Crimson Witches with this trait can stand on any surface (upside down or sideways) as if it was the floor, seamlessly walking and jumping between them. This ability acts as a Channel ability, but does not require focus or the Crimson Witches to not be engaging in any other actions, it can simply be cancelled as a Channel Ability. |
| Witch's Luster | Mind Ability | Direct Touch | Crimson Witches can choose to mind-slave an intimate partner. This person must already be an intimate partner or lover, otherwise the ability does not work. While under its effects, the victim cannot abandon or betray the Crimson Witch, and always acts to defend or protect them, also following their orders, as long as they do not cause self-harm or put the victim in exceptional danger. |
| Witch's Dance | Instant Ability | - | Every three minutes, the Witch is able to activate a movement sequence that phases them in and out of existence, turning them ethereal, partially placing them in the Void. This makes them immune to non-Magical attacks for several seconds. |
| Witch's Harping | Beast Transformation | - | The Crimson Witch's arms turn into feathered wings, their legs into bird-like legs with sharp claws, and their body is covered in crimson feathers, save for their head which remains normal. While in this form, the Crimson Witch is able to fly-hover 5 feet off the ground (but not actually take flight), and use their legs and feet to claw at foes. |
| Crimson Aging | Passive | - | The Character becomes immortal and does not visually age (though damage and harm can still kill them). Age over 150 years old requires an Ancient Character Special Permission. Furthermore, from the moment immortality is gained, the Proficiency gain rate is changed. For every year aged (where a Character would normally gain 1 point per year) while this mutation is active, the Character only gains 0.25 Proficiency points per year. This does not round up or down, even if a character has 44.75 Proficiency, this is counted as 44, not 45. |
| Witch's Steeling | Passive | - | The Crimson Witch is immune to any kind of Mind Ability, save for Vampire Mind Abilities. This immunity also extends to Alchemy induced hallucinations or illusions. |
| Witch's Master | Passive | - | A Crimson Witch can identify a specific person as a Master in a ritual, which binds them to their safety. If their master is in any form of harm or risk of harm, they can "sense" this peril, and are drawn to their Master, wherever they are. A Master cannot be an intimate partner or lover, or someone under the effects of Witch's Luster. The ritual must be performed again if a Master-Witch relationship is broken. |
Ancient Vampire Mutations
Ancient Vampires are the most venerable and long living Vampires who have, through their long age, developed unique Mutations. Not all old Vampires develop these Mutations, considering longevity exists among other races also, therefore not all are guaranteed to become powerful Ancient Vampires. Ancient Vampirism requires a Special Permission to play. For the specific rules on Special Permission applications, consult the Special Permission section on the Forums, under Roleplay/Regalia Applications.
| Ancient Bloodline Bonus Traits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mutation Name | Power Type | Range | Description |
| Ancient Pact | Kinship Ability | Direct Touch | Allows the Ancient Vampire to offer his blood in ritual to another Vampire. If the Vampire accepts and vocalizes their will to surrender their free will to the Ancient Vampire, then the Ancient Vampire mind-slaves them, while also giving them all their Kinship Passive Mutations in return. |
| Ancient Summoning | Kinship Ability | Emote Distance | Allows the Ancient Vampire to establish a non-mind slave based relation with other Vampires as their Kin. This allows the Ancient Vampire to create a summoning portal which will teleport in up to 2 Kin Vampires who accepted to become part of the Ancient Vampire's Coven regardless of where they are (but they cannot be teleported out of the Regalian Prison due to the Mage Stone). |
| Ancient Host | Kinship Ability | - | Allows the Ancient Vampire to establish a throne (must be inside a house or region in Regalia). While seated in this throne, they can transfer their consciousness to another member of their Kin in their Coven, Vampires who accepted to become their minions. While inside, the Ancient Vampire transfers all their Normal Bloodline Mutations (so not the Ancient Mutations) onto the host, doubling the effect if the Vampire they are transferring into already has some of these traits. While their conscience is inside another Vampire, they can speak through them and see and hear through them (best to stand in OOC behind them with an OOC Name). |
| Ancient Blood Armor | Kinship Passive | - | Allows the Vampire to summon a swirling set of blood armor that keeps moving and mending. Damage done to the armor self-repairs within 10 seconds of the damage having been inflicted on the armor (but does not cure the wounds underneath). This armor is equivalent to half-plate and does not come with a helmet over cover for the legs. |
| Ancient Blood Leap | Kinship Passive | - | Allows the Vampire to instantly "blink" to a target victim, as long as they have drawn their blood in some way (a cut or gash or even pierce). This blink is near instant, and only works while their victim is within viewing distance. This puts them proportionally at the same orientation to the victim as they were before they teleported, but 3 feet away from them. |
| Ancient Steeling | Kinship Passive | - | Allows the Vampire to become immune to any type of Mind Ability, even from other Vampires, as well as Alchemy induced hallucinations and illusions. |
| Ancient Mists | Instant Ability | 10x10 Blocks | The Vampire is able to deploy a 10x10 Blocks field of knee-high black mist. Those standing inside this mist (save for the Ancient Vampire and their Kin) will suffer suffocation while standing inside this mist, if they do not have at least +10 Perception Training Proficiency (which allows them to use breathing pockets in the imperfect coverage) or 45 Body Stat, which allows them enough brute force to out-bulldoze the effect on the move. Those who do not have either however are not unable to fight or leave, they just can no longer breathe and start gasping for air. This mist cannot move and remains for 5 minutes, not being able to be re-cast while the mist is still active, and the same length of duration after. |
| Ancient Drawing | Instant Ability | Emote Distance | The Vampire is able to summon a crimson blood staff, and jam it into the ground with both hands. This staff is then immobilized in place, and radiates a field of intense pain that only affects Witchbloods in Emote Distance from where it was cast. This effect remains active for up to an hour, or until the staff is smashed (it has the same durability as wood). This ability can only be used once per conflict-scene location. |
| Ancient Porting | Instant Ability | Direct Touch | The Vampire is able to produce a portal on a wall by smearing their blood on it, thus creating a portal directly linking their current location with their "home" location for their coven (a base or house). This portal allows themselves and their Kin to pass through, and one additional non-Kin to pass through. As soon as one non-Kin person has passed through, the portal snaps shut (unless that person was held/dragged/carried by a Kin or the Ancient Vampire themselves, though the Portal will still not accept other non-Kin to pass the moment one has gone through. The portal can otherwise only be closed by the Vampire with the snip of their fingers on either side, the ability cannot be used in the Regalian Prison or Palace, and only works one-way, meaning from their casting location to their home location. This portal is only ever one way, meaning from wherever the Ancient Vampire is to their home location, it cannot allow others to come through it towards the Ancient Vampire. |
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.
Curing of Vampirism
In most cases, Vampirism is an easily curable affliction--but the process is considered incredibly jarring and painful for any individual to go through. The curing is achieved over a period of roughly 12 hours, in which the Vampire must be forced to ingest a vial of Holy Water and Mage Stone crystals (which render the caustic effects of the Holy Water inert and thus allow it to draw out the Void energies). Two separate sessions of Holy Water and Mage Stone crystal ingestion (both readily available from the City Guard) must occur for the curing to succeed. Putting the substances into the Vampire's mouth or introducing them to an open wound is enough to absorb them into the bloodstream, meaning it is not necessary for the Vampire to swallow. During these forced feeding sessions, the infected individual will experience extreme fear and paranoia, along with a burning sensation that radiates from their internal organs to their extremities. Vampires will often plead or fight in whatever way they can to avoid being cured, and by the end of the 12 hours will feel completely exhausted. If both feeding sessions succeed, the Vampire will proceed to vomit up a black bile-like substance, which expels the curse from their body and signifies the curing was successful. After this bile has been expelled, the ex-Vampire will lose all physical features over the next 24 hours, including their fangs, which will fall out and regrow normally.
In the freshly-bitten which have not yet completed the 5-day infection process, only a single dose of Holy Water and Mage Crystals are needed to rid the body of the Sanguine curse. Additionally, those who have not fully turned do not experience the same pain and paranoia that a full Vampire experiences during curing, and so the entire process can usually be completed in a single visit to the clinic.
After curing, a Vampire's mentality quickly reverts back to normal, but there is always a risk of relapse because for a few weeks there will be a faint hunger for blood in the cured Vampire. When cured, a Vampire cannot be re-infected for 72 hours, after which if they are re-infected, they become immediately infected with the same strand of Vampirism they had before, including the same mutations. The re-infection is instant, meaning it does not go through the multi-day infection process of a first time Vampire. There are some Vampires that cannot be cured, for example Vampires with Aging mutations that make them age-wise immortal, or Ancient Vampires and Crimson Witches. When this process of curing is performed on them, their Vampirism is not cured, but it does cause their Mutations to go into a dormant state for 72 hours, essentially making them powerless. During this period, the Vampire's mentality also returns back to normal, feeling no urge to drink blood or other mental traits that cause them to be sociopathic or psychopathic. After this 72 hour period is over however, everything returns back to normal. They also do not lose their Vampire visual features while this process has occurred.
((OOC Note: The curing process is allowed to be time-skipped. It is up to the players if they want to roleplay out the actual 12 hour period of imprisonment and curing, time-skip the entire thing, or whether they just want to go through a single forced feeding of Holy Water and Mage Stone Crystals and then immediately vomit and be instantly cured.))
Hallowed Lanterns
Hallowed Lanterns are very expensive and fragile objects frequently used by the Regalian Guard to assist in weakening and capturing Vampires. Hallowed Lanterns appear like normal lanterns, but are somewhat larger and unwieldy (being about the size of a child's head) whilst still being relatively light. A Hallowed Lantern is made of a solid light metal with a single window in the front of the lantern, casting a beam of light in a straight forward trajectory up to emote distance, after which the strength of the light tapers off and no longer affects Vampires. These lanterns can project their beam of green, blue, or golden light forward, and should not be wielded during a fight, as the shaking causes the lantern to roughly move about, potentially shattering the fragile inside components. A melee weapon's physical strike can in most cases destroy a Hallowed Lantern, but the wielder is usually able to turn the beam at such a rate that no one could feasibly run up to the wielder and smash it before they were hit by the beam of light. Taking down a Hallowed Lantern always requires teamwork, since a Lantern cannot cover multiple people unless they are standing behind each other or directly next to each other. In general, Hallowed Lanterns can, during an emote, only cover one person at a time, and can be turned to such a degree that a Vampire cannot outrun the beam; only cover or leaping and blinking abilities can help to escape. Wielders can also comfortably run after Vampires with the Lantern without causing any damage to it, but while running, they are unable to fight. If both hands hold the Hallowed Lantern, this affords the wielder more flexibility, allowing it to turn faster and be moved around more roughly while avoiding damage. Guards are always allowed to have a Hallowed Lantern on them, but only if they do not also have a shield on them on patrol. New Hallowed Lanterns need to be retrieved from the prison and cannot be hung anywhere on the body of the Guard. A single Guard per Patrol group may however sacrifice both weapon and shield to wear an additional, inactive Hallowed Lantern strapped to their back, tightly secured with cloth and ropes, which can be swiftly detached and used in case the first Hallowed Lantern is broken.
Trivia
- Contrary to folklore, Vampires are fully able to walk in sunlight without pain or burning. However, many choose not to, and find great comfort in the shadows.
- In the past, it was common practice to bloodlet a Vampire to the point of unconsciousness before introducing the Holy Water and Mage Stone mixture to their wounds. These days, it is understood that this part of the curing process is unnecessary, and is often forgone in favor of simply strapping the Vampire to a table and forcing the liquid into their mouths.
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