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Template:Info afflictions Millions of citizens of the Regalian Empire go to bed at night, closing their windows and doors, and snuffing out the lights one by one, hoping for a good night's sleep, and a safe return of sunlight in the morning. The very thing that gives them terrors at night and has inspired neighborhood watches, as well as whole folklores of bedtime stories and tales to scare children into behaving well, is the Vampire. The Vampire is an insidious Afflicted, a person who succumbs to the crimson curse that creeps in the night and in the shadows, feeding off the blood of the innocent, and expanding their influence and power through fear and revulsion. Vampires have become the quintessential evil to the Regalian Empire, where whole wars have been fought just to keep their ruinous intent at bay, and to safeguard civilization from crumbling from within and establishing a nightmarish reality where Vampires rule in eternal night.
Core Concept
A Vampire is a person who once led a normal life, but was converted into a sanguine cursed through the so-called crimson blood curse. Regardless of how they were once infected, their mind and body were warped by the curse that many say is actually a blessing, for all the power it grants and only minor freedoms it takes away. Vampires are reviled by nearly all societies and all religions across the world, and whole organizations have been created just to specialize in the act of hunting Vampires, who continue to be the greatest threat to civilized order and the rule of law in any state. So too does the Regalian Empire constantly struggle with Vampires living in the undercities of their major urban centers, keeping to the shadows and biding their time.
Playing a Vampire
Playing a Vampire comes with the caveat of being a prosecuted social class. Vampirism is considered an evil curse and something meant to be exterminated, with the vast majority of roleplay characters being anti-Vampire, and choosing to attack a Vampire on sight. Vampires are more powerful than non-Vampires, in general if a Vampire catches another person alone in an alley, they are guaranteed to lose unless they are a Vampire Hunter or a particularly powerful Mage. To be a Vampire is to live in Crookback or the Sewers, avoiding direct confrontation with the City Guard, and instead focusing on building a network of power and blood cattle to survive off.
Vampires in Regalia
Vampires in Regalia are deeply hated, and never has there been a time in which Vampires were accepted among the citizens of the Empire. Regalia fought numerous wars against the Vampire lords of Ellador, and continued to actively purge Vampire populations. The accessibility of a Curing Chamber in Regalia has made policies in the capital somewhat more loose, but in the provinces, Vampires are nearly always put to death when found. To play a Vampire in Regalia is to have a multitude of enemies always looking for your Character to forcibly cure them, or imprison them. Halfblood Vampires are equally treated as pure evil in Regalia. This is why Broods try to hide their identity by not turning their eyes red, or seek legality through the long and difficult path of state approval.
Mechanics
Mechanics are a set of rules that define how this Affliction operates. This section is very important to read, because it may include some functions that could be considered Specials, though all Abilities are recorded in the Variants section.
Becoming Afflicted
Becoming a Vampire is scarily easy. There are so called Infection processes (described in more detail below). Once initial infection has taken place, the person will undergo a couple of days of conversion during which they are still their old self, but feel like something is wrong, and gradually turn into a Vampire by losing parts of their mind that made them normal. A person normally becomes a full Vampire upon first blood feeding, though this slow infection process may also be time-skipped or extended with player discretion.
- Infection by bite: Infection by bite is the most common occurrence for Vampirism to spread, as it is highly contagious. Players may decide not to be infected by a bite however.
- Infection by blood: Infection by blood is less common, which involves drinking an amount of Vampiric Blood. Force-feeding blood or hiding blood in drinks requires OOC consent.
- Infection by ritual: Infection by Ritual is less common, involving praising the Void Gods and asking for their blessing. Greater Entities like Arken and Void Gods can also do this directly.
In any and all cases, anyone who is already Exist or Ordial Occult, whether through Magic or Theurgy, etc., cannot become a Vampire. The latent conflicting essence prevents infection.
Curing Afflicted
Affliction curing in the provinces is practically impossible. The only real way Afflicted have reliability been cured in the world, is through Curing Chambers, which are very rare old Dragon Ruins with chambers that some doctors have discovered can cleanse a person of their Affliction. In order to cure an Afflicted, the Afflicted must be put into the Curing Chamber by someone who has the Affliction Wisdom Pack from the Scholarly Point Buy Category, after which this person may perform the ritual. How the ritual is done is up to player interpretation, but the Afflicted must remain in the Curing Chamber for 10 Minutes, while the Afflicted is unable to escape without outside help. If a Curing session is attacked by outsiders, for example other Afflicted trying to break the Afflicted out, the Curing only completes when all attackers have been defeated. Either way, if anyone attacks a Curing session, nobody may be imprisoned or killed during or after the fight, nor may Artifacts be stolen. It is usually recommended that Afflicted are followed up on after curing, as their re-infection rates are much faster and easier than those who have never been Afflicted.
Mentality
Vampirism was designed by the ruinous powers of the Void to soften up Humanity for the next Void Invasion, as they had deemed the Regalian Empire the only real threat to their defeat. Even though Vampires have since retaken control of their own destiny, the mind-altering effects of Vampirism that were first concocted by the powers of the Void are still present:
- No Conscience: Vampires don’t have a conscience, they never feel bad about feeding or attacking anyone, or engaging in their Vampiric actions, or causing others to suffer.
- High Vanity: Vampires have a huge ego and rarely suffer from self-doubt or anxiety, they feel better than everyone around them, and feel Vampirism itself is a blessing.
- Respect Power: Vampires have respect for very few things, except Power, even when that comes from non-Vampires, such as state authority figures or even gods.
- Resist Curing: Vampires will always resist and fight tooth and nail to prevent themselves from being cured. Do not act snarky or comedic/aloof in the Curing Chamber.
Identification
The most problematic part about Vampirism, is how hard it is to see a genuinely good subversive Vampire. While some Vampires wear their identity on their sleeves by always choosing to make their eyes red and dressing the part of a night-crawler, the signature red eyes that all Vampires have are not always present. Their irises only turn red when they feed on someone, or use Abilities or Specials specifically gained through Vampirism itself. This is the only true way to identify a Vampire, with red eyes out, when they are in their Vampire Form, or to physically witness one feeding on another person to drink their blood. Vampires can also opt to make their eyes red always, this is particularly done by those who feel brave and are not afraid of the state apparatus or the Lothar Knights hunting them. Vampires usually also have extended fangs, but this isn't a Vampiric tell, since other races can have extended fangs.
Afflicted Form
Afflicted Form is an instant transformation that can be used by Afflicted to disguise their identity, or to look more monstrous than their normal body would be capable of. Afflicted Form can have any number of additional aspects added onto it, like additional limbs, eyes, horns, spikes, tails, wings, tendrils, and more. Afflicted Forms are purely aesthetic, and do not add combat functions or more limbs to wield extra weapons with. Afflicted Form cannot be used at the same time as any other Disguise Ability or Special. Afflicted Forms must look unnatural, but can also be used to imitate other Afflictions or Affinities (though never perfectly). For purposes of fairness however, an Afflicted Form is always immediately recognized as such, and cannot be mistaken to be something else. An Afflicted Form must also strictly be something differently unnatural from the default appearance of a Character, it cannot just be a normal person. Individual minor traits that designate group membership or loyalties may change on Afflicted Forms, but the general design must remain consistent indefinitely. Each Affliction also has a unique aspect about their Afflicted Form that sets them apart from other Afflictions:
- Vampiric Form: the Vampire version of Afflicted Form, must be predominantly red or blood-themed. This can be anything ranging from red fabrics, to crystallized blood armor, or red-skinned tendrils and a demon head, so long as red or blood-colored aspects are predominant.
Vampiric Glamor
Glamor Form is an instant transformation that is unique to Vampires when compared to other Afflictions, that benefit their ability to infiltrate the social spaces they want to get into. Glamor Form at its core, allows a Vampire to disguise themselves as an identical copy of any person they have drank the blood of in the last month. This list does not need to be recorded on a Character Application. This Transformation counts as a disguise, and includes changes like character height, voice, but not personality and demeanor, with the success of deception being dependent on the player’s ability to mimic the mannerisms of other players. When disguising as another person, it is recommended to take a nickname similar to theirs, for example “Harry Megali” allows a user to use a capital i instead of an l in the surname, which will look indistinguishable as “Harry MegaIi” in minecraft chat. If that is not an option, ask Lore Staff for help. Glamor Form cannot be forced to break except by restraining/killing/knocking out the Vampire performing it. Feeding on someone in this form does not break the Glamor, but using any Ability gained from Vampirism, or any other Special will.
Why Vampires are Hated
Vampires are hated because of their ruinous effects on society. Not only do Vampires not ask for permission while drinking blood, or drink only as little as possible, the act of drinking itself also causes the victim to become debilitated by a blood curse, potentially a Vampire themselves, or worse yet die. Vampires fit the perfect bogeyman identity, especially in autocratic nations like Regalia, as a stalker in the night who breaks into the homes of the sleeping innocent and robs them of their safety and peace, while potentially forcing a life of suffering on them. Philosophers have tried to create a scenario in which Vampires could exist without causing damage to society, but the fact that they also just don’t care, seriously complicates these attempts. Many others just hate Vampires because their government or religion says so. Unionism, being the state religion of the Regalian Empire, has closely linked Vampirism with dangerous greed and sin, and largely connected it with canon evil in their religious scriptures. Vampires absolutely have to feed on the blood of non-Vampires, otherwise they die. This feeding must be done on Player Characters at least once every two weeks, and cannot be NPC'd except through specific mechanics. A Vampire can go into hibernation for extended periods of time to stave this off. A Vampire deprived of blood for more than a weak starts to become weaker and weaker until they go into a comatose sleep, which can extend their lifetime, but also doesn’t allow them to be revived until they are once more fed blood. This blood hunger is severe enough to cause a Vampire to have to restrain themselves, even if they are accidentally exposed to blood from a papercut or a scrape from a fall.
Variants
Within this Affliction, there are several Variants. Each Variant represents a different way to play this type of Affliction, each coming with their own Specials and Abilities. A Character can only ever be one Variant of any Affliction, with each having conditions that are mutually exclusive. Choose whichever Variant fits best to your character, and record it on your Character App even when it changes. Some Variants may also change over time, please read the individual variants for those rules.
Blooded Vampire
Blooded Vampires are the default type of Vampire, that involves the majority of them. Blooded Vampires can be solo or group-based, in which case they form so-called Covens. Blooded Vampires have a large range of choice freedom, and can also transition into Greater or Bonded Vampires if their conditions have been met at any later point in time.
- Afflicted Form: Blooded Vampires are able to make use of their Vampiric Form, an instant transformation. For Afflicted Form Rules, consult the Mechanics section.
- Vampiric Life: Blooded Vampires are not immortal, but can extend their life indefinitely while feeding on blood. Maximum age is still 300, as Vampirism is only that old.
- Vampiric Glamor: Blooded Vampires are able to use Vampiric Glamor when they have drunk the blood of a particular person. For Rules, consult the Mechanics section.
- Vampiric Sight: Blooded Vampires have red eyes when using their Specials, Abilities gained from Vampirism, Vampire Form, or Feeding. They can also see in the dark.
- Vampiric Control: When feeding, Vampire victims are unable to move. They may also remove any memory of the feeding, or leading up to the feeding, from the victim.
- Vampiric Escape: Within 10 seconds after having successfully fed on someone, a Vampire can use an instant Escape mechanic to flee to their Rental/Estate/Base.
- Vampiric Mindwall: Vampires are immune to any Special that has mind-control, unless they choose to let it affect them. They can be mind controlled by Void Gods however.
- Vampiric Bloodcurse: Those who have successfully been fed on by a Vampire suffer from Bloodcurse, giving -2 Main Combat Stat and -1 Constitution for 72 hours after feeding.
- Vampiric Thralling: Vampires are able to (with strict OOC consent) establish a mind-control curse after feeding on a victim that lasts until Exorcized. Thralls cannot be infected.
- Vampiric Events: During Calendar Events, Vampires may use an NPC citizen Vampiric Glamor to join and cannot be detected by detection Mechanics, unless they attack.
- Vampiric Physique: Vampires do not need to drink or eat, though can drink alcohol and get drunk. They also no longer need to breathe air, or feel the cold or damage from it.
- Vampiric Familiar: Vampires can summon a Vampiric familiar like a bat-themed domestic cat sized pet. This familiar can carry items, but not part-take in Combat.
- Vampiric Dressage: Vampires can magically alter their clothing and make-up, adding and removing items, changing color, changing textures, shapes, etc, instantly.
- Vampiric Power: Vampires gain 4 Commutable Point Buy that can be spent in Artificer/Roguery/Spell/Curses/Athletics, are lost on curing, and must be on the Character Application.
- Special Coalescence: Point Buy spent on Spell or Curses Point Buy allows taking Specials from both Pages (for example 3 Points in Spells, taking 1x3 Specials from Spells, and 2x3 from Curses).
Greater Vampire
Greater Vampires are leading Vampires who lead a Coven. At any time, if a Coven comes into existence in Roleplay, any number of leaders may be declared, and those leaders automatically become Greater Vampires. There is no minimum or maximum size for a Coven, as long as a Coven contains at least an active member and an active leader, it can be classified as a Coven, and it is up to the players to use common sense when a group needs a Coven Leader and when it just just a small group. Greater Vampires can also transition into Blooded Vampire if their Coven collapses, or Bonded Vampire if their variant conditions are met. Below, when the Special mentions an “OOC notified”, it means that the information should be transferred OOC, but that IC, these characters receive this information as prophetic visions. Greater Vampires have the following Specials:
- Blood Inheritance: Greater Vampires have all the Specials that Blood Vampires have, and a set of unique ones that are lost as soon as they stop being a Greater Vampire.
- Coven Mender: Greater Vampires can personally use Blood Magic to return lost limbs and restore wounds of Coven members inside their Clandestine Base, so long as it is not attacked.
- Coven Alerts: Greater Vampires can be OOC notified of an attack on their Clandestine Base, and they may blood-teleport in so long as enemies are not inside yet.
- Coven Control: If a Greater Vampire’s coven member is planned to be cured while caught, the Greater Vampire must be OOC notified of the time and place.
- Coven Hold: Greater Vampires cannot be conventionally cured. A Palace Inquisitor must be called to generate a specific curing mission for the State Metropolitan.
- Coven Lord: If a Greater Vampire is caught, their Coven members must be OOC notified of this and the place and time when they are planned to be cured.
Bonded Vampire
Bonded Vampires are (or more) Vampires who have chosen to promise their lives to each other, with their romantic intent amplified by their Vampirism. Bonded Vampires generally refers to two lover Vampires, but can also include more lovers if it concerns a polyamorous couple, however the relation must always be significant, it cannot be siblings or parents, only lovers. Bonded Vampires can exist in a Coven, but they can never be Leaders (because they care more about their lover than Coven). If their partner dies, is cured, or leaves them, Bonded Vampires revert to Blooded Vampires. Bonded Vampire Specials are as followed:
- Blood Inheritance: Bonded Vampires have all the Specials that Blood Vampires have, and a set of unique ones that are lost as soon as they stop being a Bonded Vampire.
- Bonded Embrace: Bonded Vampires, when in Emote Distance of their lover(s), gain +1 Main combat Stat, and Asha Speed while running towards each other only.
- Bonded Arrival: If a Bonded Vampire is near knocked out/killed/cured, their lover(s) may be notified OOC and arrive by sky-leap unless occupied in Combat elsewhere.
Halfblood Vampire
Halfblood Vampires, commonly called "Broods," are a unique kind of psuedo-vampire. Halfblood at its core means to be born of a Vampire mother, father, or both. If a Brood Vampire becomes fully infected, they temporarily lose these Specials for the duration, and instead gain the full set of Blooded Vampire specials. Brood Vampire Specials are as followed:
- Brood Life: Brood Vampires do not live indefinitely from drinking blood like full Vampires do, but their life expectancy is twice-fold that of their dominant Race.
- Brood Mindwall: Brood Vampires are not beholden to Vampire mentality unless infected, instead their mind is clear of any alterations that might be present in real Vampires.
- Brood Heritage: Brood Vampires do not permanently have red eyes, but their eyes may turn red when they are angry/in a fight, or they may choose to make them red.
- Brood Connection: Brood Vampires are extremely susceptible to Infection. They are instantly turned into a full Vampire while being fed on, or drinking any type of blood.
- Brood Bloodthirst: Brood Vampires are not addicted and don’t need Blood like real Vampires do, but they do have attraction to the idea of drinking it, when they see it.
- Afflicted Form: Brood Vampires are able to make use of their Vampiric Form, even when not infected. For Afflicted Form Rules, consult the Mechanics section.
Vampiric Dreamform
Vampiric Dreamform is a Special that all Vampires of all Variants have (and also Cahal), and it is essentially an upgraded version of Vampiric Glamor, created by the Pride and Justice Arken and their minions, to aid Vampires and Cahal widening their social avenues. Vampiric Dreamform has a lot of rules associated with it that make sure it is primarily used for social RP or Events, rather than just another suit of disguise (though some manipulation may occur with it). Vampiric Dreamform has the following rules:
- Vampiric Dreamform cannot be applied in Combat, and it is also not possible for a person in Vampiric Dreamform to engage in Combat. When a person in Vampiric Dreamform is attacked, it is not like they are unable to protect themselves, but they can't have Combat Proficiencies, or use any Abilities, including all Vampiric Abilities and Specials. Players should create the circumstances in which they are allowed to flee from combat that is aggressed on them, rely on third party protectors, or simply never get into conflict to begin with.
- Vampiric Dreamform can be a Race different than the Vampire's main Race. For example, a Dwarven Vampire's Dreamform may be a Fin'ullen. Additionally, they may change a wide range of factors about their appearance such as gender presentation, hair, body shape, eye color, voice, all equating Dreamform to a disguise. This disguise cannot be broken or Countered, and while in Vampiric Dreamform the Vampire is immune to Occult/Void detection mechanisms and Abilities.
- If Race Swapped through the use of Dreamform, Dreamform grants the Vampire the Specials of that Race, (but not Slizzar Shapeshifting, or Specials that grant Abilities or Packs or Proficiency Points) and removes their old Racial Specials. Vampires cannot be forced out of Dreamform through any mechanic, nor will they swap back to non-Dreamform is they are KO'd or captured or imprisoned or Exorcised in any way.
- Vampires may inform others of the appearance of their Dreamform, which should stay consistent. They are not able to change this beyond the first imagining. If however their Dreamform becomes so widely known that the State Metropolitan can safely identify a Dreamform attached to a Vampire, then the Vampire has the option of resetting their Dreamform, which allows them to completely redesign it. Abuse of this will result in restriction by Lore Staff.
- Vampiric Dreamform exists to provide Vampires who are otherwise always hunted and or discovered by Lawful forces a venue to do social RP while still maintaining some level of character consistency and identity across two characters effectively. Misuse of Vampiric Dreamform to perform devastatingly annoying and un-engaging espionage RP will result in this Special being restricted for the individual. Using information gained with Dreamform from for example the Tavern is allowed, but using Dreamform just to spy on others in secret meetings is not.
- Any actions taken within Dreamform begin and end in Dreamform. For example if a longer lasting Special of a particular Race would normally persist indefinitely on a Target, and the person swaps out of Dreamform, then the effects of these Specials are also immediately broken. For cornercases, please consult Lore Staff in tickets if you feel something should last.
History
Vampirism’s origins are well understood in the modern era due to the intrepid investigating and researching done by scholars through the years, but many details have been left out of common history books to protect the people from knowing the details. Vampirism was first created by the Void Gods, as a specific means to soften society in preparation of a future Void Invasion. Immediately after Cataclysm and the first recorded failed Void Invasion, the ruinous powers of the Void started plotting their next Invasion in earnest, but believed that the newly formed Regalian Empire would cause too much of an obstacle. As such, they created Vampirism to distract Regalia, and turn its own population against it by converting a few and letting it spread from there. The long-game intent was to eventually return to Aloria, and then destroy the Empire and the Vampires who had helped them destabilize it.
At a certain point in time through a series of unclear events, Vampires (who were originally mind-slaved to the Void Gods) broke free, and no longer followed their orders except for a small minority. It is unclear whether this occurred because of the intervention of Gods, Arken, or through the Void Gods underestimating the sheer willpower of the Vampires not to be used as someone else’s puppet. Either way, Vampires spread across the world instead of unifying as a single Void-controlled force, many of them settling into a comfortable underground lifestyle where they drew just enough attention to be feared, but just little enough attention not to be seen as a huge problem and have the entire state breathing down their necks.
Many Vampires live much the same way in the modern era, thriving in the shadows but always having long-game ambitions of expanding their influence and control over people in higher positions of power. Many Vampires insulate themselves from being hunted by blood-controlling a high Duke or Commander of a local army regiment, thus always feeding it false information while staying under the radar. Others expand their personal fortunes by harvesting large amounts of blood cattle, and establishing racketeering among merchants and shopkeepers. And others yet try to establish a nation of their own, forming formal armies and participating in the game of grand politics.
Culture
Vampirism has a couple of aspects about it that make it culturally unique when compared to other Afflictions, notably the fact that they have Bloodlines, and a strong Ritual culture focused on the way they create, govern, and expand their Covens.
Dorkarth Nation
By far the most unique aspect about Vampirism when compared to other Afflictions, is the fact that they have their own nation. While the majority of the Vampires in the world are not from Dorkarth, and fewer yet claim to be loyal to it, the Dorkarth Realm is considered a true Vampire realm, where Vampires rule. At the very top of the Vampire realm is the Vampire Queen whose palace rests in the north-west of Ellador, from where she commands the Desprinces, which is a Vampiric term for Prince or Commander or General. Vampires make up the population of this realm, while non-Vampires have no rights as blood-cattle prisoners, or servant slaves. The Dorkarthi Realm is in a constant war against the other Velheim nations in the north, as well as both Isldar subraces Bene Rexit and Bene Vixit. The fact that Vampires theoretically always have a nation to fall back on means that many of them can afford to act more recklessly than other Afflicted, because if things go badly, a Vampire can always flee north to the relative safety of the capital’s unbreached walls, where Vampire Mages turn the snowy tundra into a sweltering permanent night.
Bloodlines
The Concept of a Bloodline, is the idea that Vampires are infected by Vampires who came before them, who in turn were infected by others who came before them, usually descended from a long line of important and powerful Vampires. For example, if a Desprince infected a number of people several centuries ago who went on to infect more people, each of those people who can trace their infection back to that original Desprince, is thus a member of that Desprince’s Bloodline. Vampires don’t need to be obedient and loyal to their Bloodlines, but often find comfort in being near Vampires of similar Bloodlines, and may even have competition-like feelings towards Vampires of other Bloodlines. Though a Bloodline should never get in the way of working together in a Coven albeit with some snark and quips here and there. Bloodlines are usually made by Desprinces, and have historically mostly been founded during or after the Vampire Wars, which forced many Desprinces to flee Ellador into the wider world. The following Bloodlines are well established in lore, though players may make their own Bloodlines also, as long as they understand they may not be acknowledged by the canon universe:
Alais Bloodline
Desprince Morvanus fled to Ithania with her cult following, and quickly infiltrated one of the local courts of an important Duchess. The two became Bonded, and from there infected many important nobles and courtiers across the Ithanian realm, establishing the Alais Bloodline. Alais Bloodline Vampires are commonly found in places where wealthy aristocrats flourish, and they usually prefer to remain undetected and weave themselves into the fabric of the nobility without necessarily undermining it. The Alais Bloodline in fact like the aristocratic structures set up by the Regalian Empire, because they allow them to thrive while not being seen as some kind of monster, but rather an illicit aspect of noble privilege, the allure of power and the forbidden desires that many nobles hold. Alais Vampires in general look down on other Vampires as uncultured or below their standing. The Alais are also considered the reason why it is believed that every Ithanian Ducal and Royal court has at least a couple of Vampires in it, and that these courts are aware, and are actively hiding them.
Milôt Bloodline
Desprince Shannon and his cult fled to Pays Sud in the Regalian Archipelago, disguising themselves as a traveling circus that went from town to town to infect others. When the wine rich region was particularly hard hit with infections, the Milôt Bloodline was essentially established there as its base of operations. Milôt Vampires are similar to the Alais, in that they do not engage in any predictable Vampiric behavior, and rather like living a life of isolated luxury. Many of them invest in wineries to infect people with their vintages, only to savor the power and influence that they might hold without ever flexing it in a way to draw attention to themselves. Milôt frequently hide among entertainers, courtesans, wine makers and other entertainment service individuals to offer part of their sanguine Affliction as something of a gimmick to their service. Milôt do not benefit from the protection of the nobility like the Alais do, but are similarly often hired by Nobles for hedonistic purposes.
Doughall Bloodline
Desprince Mannis and his cult fled to Gallovia in the Regalian Archipelago, using the cold mountains and vast pine forests to hide from the gazing eye of Regalia. There. In the snowy darkness, they fell upon village after village, before retreating back into the caves and hills beyond the reach of the Regalian Military. When the cave-fort of Mannisburgh was founded, the Doughall Bloodline was officialized. Doughall Vampires are considered wild brutes, as unlike the fine Alais and the disciplined von Kërle, the Doughall favor brute force and raw power over hiding and secrecy. Doughall Vampires also do not consider the Vampiric curse itself enough to empower themselves, and frequently focus on enriching their body also with physical exercise and body-modifications to become stronger and bigger, hence the nickname brute Vampire. Doughall Vampires continue to be a large issue in Talahm Gall, the sparsely populated hinterlands of Gallovia, where they make battle with the Old Gods Warghen, the Gallovian Marken who worship the Wolf-God.
Barghest Bloodline
Desprince Shirva took her cult to the Free Cain Jarl lands, where she established her own outpost and infected traveling merchants. The name Barghest comes from the Barghest shipping company that was entirely converted into a Vampiric coven, officializing itself as the Barghest Bloodline and converting from a life of trade and shipping into one of piracy and theft. Barghest Vampires tend to be far less interested in seeking direct conflict with anyone, but rather steal and plunder their way into riches, and then use those riches to bribe others for protection or to turn a blind eye. Barghest Vampires tend to favor supporting roles and ranged combat over getting up close and personal like Doughall, and are far more comfortable out on the open sea and near water than they are on land or in dark caves or underground sections of the sewers. Barghest Vampires are the closest thing one might find to “kind” Vampires, even that kindness can only express itself towards other Vampires and never to non-Vampires.
von Kërle Bloodline
Desprince Colvan was one of the first Desprinces to leave Ellador even before the war was over, intent to infect the Wirtem nobility in Regalia which was largely steering the military forces attacking the Dorkarthi Desprinces still in Ellador. Desprince Colvan attached himself to the Count of Parchstadt of the von Kërle family. Despite being Bonded, the Count of Parchstadt was seriously underestimated by the Desprince, who slew his Desprince lover to claim the Desprince title, founding the von Kërle Bloodline. Von Kërle Vampires are best described as aristocratically minded Vampires who enjoy military discipline, giving orders (and having other Vampires follow them) and retaining a semblance of classiness while being Vampires. Many of them dress and carry themselves as generals, warriors and knights, relying more on their skills with weapons and military tactics than their occult powers. The von Kërle remain the most dangerous Afflicted force in the darkwald regions of the Regalian Archipelago, fighting an unending war with their evenly matched Lothar enemies.
Zikiel Bloodline
Desprince Mesvenn fled all the way to Al-Alus in Farah’deen, turning an entire Hadritya and even managing somehow to Void-infect the machinery and Qadir soul-vessels to serve him, creating the Zikiel Bloodline. The Zikiel Bloodline is another more secretive Bloodline that largely disregards the Vampiric intent to destabilize nations and establish their own realm. Zikiel Vampires often are in fact content letting other Vampires take the heat while they use their Vampiric gift to unnaturally extend their life, giving them more time to study and learn. Indeed, Zikiel Vampires are primarily interested in learning as much as possible of the world, and becoming its information brokering gatekeepers for who gets to have what information, while also collecting technological blueprints and machines, hoping to keep them out of the clutches of anti-Vampire forces.
Dorkarth Bloodline
The Dorkarth Bloodline does not strictly have one Desprince as its source, but rather belongs to a large collection of Dorkarth-loyal Desprinces who either remain there, or have spread further into the world while holding onto their anti-Regalian sentiment. Dorkarth Vampires (despite being free of the Void Gods control) are still focused on their original mission of wearing down the Regalian Empire, because instead of serving the next Void Invasion, they believe it serves their right to rule over non-Vampires and bring about a Vampiric Imperial paradise. Dorkarth Vampires never really behave any one particular way like other Bloodlines, far from being generic, they simply haven’t specialized like the others did. Dorkarth Vampires also remain by far in the majority, as Dorkarthi Desprinces do not care about subtlety like Alais or Milôt do, and do not suffer geographical obstacles like the Doughall do. They simply wish to destabilize the Regalian Empire first, and then all other nations.
Wyrden Bloodline
Desprince Zarlora, also called the Red Prophetess, traveled to Anglia during the Vampire Wars to try and disrupt the recruitment of the many Anglian soldiers serving under the Wirtem commanders in Ellador. Instead, she was bogged down in a surprising foe: the Gray Witches, who she had not expected to meet there. While other Desprinces had a fairly easy time infecting others, Zarlora had to fight the hardest, so hard in fact that she eventually transformed herself into a twisted tree that bled Vampire blood, from which the first animal-shape shifting Vampires were made, using their Vampiric Form to look like twisted mockeries of Marken. The Wyrden Bloodline then ironically became as infused into Anglian folklore as the Gray Witches themselves, though they have recently supposedly been purged. Still, Wyrden Vampires are exceptionally durable, owing to their habits of being little swamp and bog creatures, and not even really acting like Vampires until someone is unlucky enough to walk into their particular patch of treacherous bogland. Wyrden Vampires are just as much interested in drinking blood, as finding some kind of herbal alternative, obsessing over alchemy and creating more means for Vampires to survive the onslaught of ani-Vampire forces.
Fahlein Bloodline
The Fahlein Bloodline is the only Bloodline of which there exists virtually no information of its founding, aside from the fact it was likely created in the Regalian Sewers, as it is also only found in Regalia. Fahlein Vampires are considered the lowest of the lowest disgusting scab-covered Vampires who have absolutely no self control, and are just looking for their next blood meal. Fahlein Vampires live in the shadows, skulking and stalking prey in the dark sewer tunnels under the city, and having no greater understanding of their purpose or intentions. Fahlein Vampires are sometimes recruited by more thought-capable Covens who see them as little more than feral pets, something to throw into the frontline and use the savagery of, with little regard for self-preservation. Fahlein Vampires as such also have the highest mortality rate, but their bites also tend to be the most infectious, along with a whole other host of unpleasant diseases that one would contract from living in the sewers nearly permanently and practicing little to no hygiene.
Chyga Bloodline
The Chyga Bloodline descends from the Desprince Fannahr, who saw power in the Slizzar, and chose to specifically create a bloodline of infiltrant Slizzar Vampires. Chyga Vampires specifically cater around the idea of the snake-like Vampire who infiltrates societies and gives credence to the fear and legends of Vampirism, while also luring others into believing Vampirism is actually a good thing. In such a way, they could best be described as Vampire propagandists, who travel the realms and try to show the benefits of Vampirism while downplaying the bad parts. Chyga Vampires are also incredibly vain themselves, favoring beautiful appearances brought about by their Slizzar shapeshifting Abilities, each of them having one strong visual aspect that allows them to recognize each other: Ailor-like appearance, but with a forked tongue and slitted yellow eyes, traits that actual Slizzar very rarely use bereft of other shapeshifting aspects.
Kydaer Bloodline
The Kydaer Bloodline is one of the most recent ones, following Desprince Kydaer, who himself was a Kathar Pride Silven arriving in the Dread Empire. The Kydaer Bloodline is mostly focused on integration with the Dread Empire, but can also be found elsewhere, wherever there are Kathar populations, a population it strongly favors. Kydaer Vampires are adrenaline junkies that have a need to both prove themselves, and be remembered by the world for reasons other than being a Vampire. Vampirism is part of what makes them special and enables their behavior, but their own lack of self-control and seeking the next high creates the situations in which Kydaer Vampires are incredibly crass, loud, bombastic, and most important of all: incredibly public. They need people to know their name, and they need to be remembered.
Mekephit Bloodline
The Mekephit Bloodline was founded by the Desprince Mekkh who fled to the Suvial lands, and founded their coven in an area particularly notable for having massive volcanically hollowed out networks of caves underground. In order to blend in with the local mega-insect fauna, the Mekephit Bloodline Vampires specialized in making their Vampire Forms appear more insect like than otherwise. In doing so however, the Mekephit Bloodline fell prey to the obsessions of the local wildlife. The more they withdrew from society and only fed when necessary, and lost contact with the other Dorkarthi Princes, the more they started glorifying the things they made (as opposed to the things they did, like a Kydaer would). Mekephit were obsessed with making intricate things like weapons, shields, sets of armor, buildings, temples and vast structures to praise their identity, themselves, the concept of Vampirism, or just insects, whom they had essentially usurped as symbols. Few Mekephit exist in Regalia, but they are equally obsessed with leaving a mark on the landscape to remember them by, particularly by constructing Mekephit hives.
Irontooth Bloodline
As if Dwarves already didn’t have enough problems, Desprince Ramonder invaded one of the smaller Dwarven holds during the Vampire Wars, and infected the entire population, creating the Irontooth Bloodline. Irontooth Vampires are nearly entirely Dwarves, and have gotten into the habit of showing how strong and enduring they are, by consuming metals of all variants, some to such a degree that their skin color changes. Many Irontooth are blue on account of eating so much silver, while others are a sickly green. Some yet immerse themselves in black ink, appearing more like demonic Dwarves than anything. Irontooth Dwarves are like Kydaer incredibly loud and boisterous, not taking time to hide themselves, but are less selfishly focused, and are notably known among other Bloodlines as incredibly irritating, because all they ever do is complain about how bad everyone else is in comparison to them.
Dreygur Bloodline
The Dreygur Bloodline is also a relatively new Bloodline that largely thrives in Drixagh due to the lack of strict government control in this area. It came about when Desprince Otrygg (who was himself relatively young and Hedryllian instead of Dorkarthi) fled to Drixagh which at the time was not yet part of the Regalian Empire. There, he immersed himself in Aesir worship creating a Bloodline that can best be described as fanatic Rand supporters, who also specialize in Theurgy to empower themselves. Dreygur Vampires are immensely vain, and never hide their red eyes, while also always showing much of their body covered in Velheim tattoos, and also proudly display a variety of Void Demon mutations caused by their passenger(s), such as Spirit horns, tails, claws, or spikes. Dreygur Vampires in particular hunt Vasir worshiping Velheim, who they consider weak, attempting to convince them into the service of Rand by infection. Dreygur Vampires also have an unexplained habit for baldness, shaving their hair to show the mutations of ridges and horns that they have collected on their head.
Te’Suik Bloodline
The Te’Suik Bloodline is an incredibly rare Bloodline that exists somewhere nobody thought possible: the Sihai lands. While the Sihai lands generally don’t have Occult on them to the point that locals don’t even know what Void Mages or Exist Silven are, they are familiar with the Kyonshi, which they believe to be blood-eating undead, but are actually Vampires. Te’Suik come from the Desprincess Mata, who used the far less-traveled Balantagi pathway into the inner Jade Sea, and from there, established minor fiefdoms across the Sihai lands with her close confidantes. Mata only ever recruited female Vampires, who in turn only ever turned females, each of them thralling enough subjects to build them a castle in some faraway land from which they slowly and subtly merged into the Sihai folklore of the Kyonshi, which pre-date Vampires existence by several thousand years and were once only folklore legend, an ironic piece of historical convergence. Te’Suik don’t like spreading Vampirism, and consider it a blessing only held by the most deserving, preferring to kill their prey rather than infect them. They also never drink with physical touch, considering “mortals” too weak and dirty to touch, instead using an elongated metal straw that punctures a victim’s neck (but is functionally the same as feeding). Sihai who arrive in Regalia are often confused when confronted with the concept of a Vampire, familiar with a Kyonshi, but having some world-shattering realizations when they discover that they are very real, and have been living in the Sihai lands for hundreds of years.
Maleir Bloodline
The Maleir Bloodline came about when the Void Arken of Malice interfered with the Vampiric strain, thus creating the only Vampiric Bloodline that wasn’t made on purpose by a Desprince, but rather one artificially designed by an Arken. The Malice Arken had no good intentions for the Maleir however, as this Arken is particularly prone to playing games with mortals that have no winners. The Maleir Bloodline quickly became known as the “melancholic bloodline”, because many of its Vampires appear unusually melancholic. They prefer muted tones to their clothing, their skin turns more ash-gray because of the lack of sunlight, and they frequently use black make-up or dye their hair uniformly black or red. Maleir are more hyper focused on the poetic concept of Vampirism than actually serving a bigger purpose, which is why other Bloodlines think interacting with them is a waste of time. Dragging a Maleir Vampire to a raid is more likely to cause them to write death poems and start admiring the way blood flows from a wound, than actually being a useful combatant. Still, Maleir Vampires use this melancholic guise to their success, they are generally considered the least threatening considering ambitions, which means they somehow always end up surviving an internal struggle among Vampires. While loyalists of the previous Desprince get purged, nobody really pays attention to the Maleir surviving and thriving in the background.
Dralonais Bloodline
The Dralonais Bloodline was created when Desprince Verrat fled to Ithania after the Vampire Wars, and found hiding in the under cities of the Ithanian metropolises very easy and comfortable even. Living among the refuse of ex-slaves and vagabonds who were refused access to the cities above, Verrat mostly fed on Eronidas and half-Eronidas, creating a very violent and cruel Bloodline. This is what set the Dralonais apart from the other Bloodlines who tend to be fairly clean and simple when they feed (or kill), Dralonais however revel in the violence and pain inflicted, and even choose to inflict more than they need to. Many Dralonais are Eronidas, but they don’t have to be, and many Dralonais obsess about monster mutations, trying to appear more like a horror from the mists than an actual person in their Vampire Form. One notable thing many of them chase after is the monstrous mutation of a double-hinged jaw, particularly useful in their more than messy feeding habits and the wounds they leave behind on their victims, with chunks or potentially parts of limbs missing.
Trivia
- It is a widespread belief among many Vampires that imitation is the ultimate form of flattery. To imitate another Vampire; be it in dress style, speech patterns, and even prey or thrall preference is to declare the imitated Vampire superior in some manner, which is often seen as a great compliment.
- Vampires are functionally immortal, but not really, because true immortality does not exist in the laws of Aloria’s universe. Instead, they extend their life by stealing life essence from the people they feed on. There is life force in blood.
- Vampiric mentality is so pervasive that some Vampires are deluded into thinking they are actually the oppressed and second-class social caste, when in reality they are the most tyrannical and oppressive kind of people one can ever meet, with no regard for the lives or safety of others.
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