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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 Concepts
Playing a Vampire
Vampires, being Afflicted, are cursed by "evil" forces, and harm society around them no matter how much someone can pretend they do not. As such, they are the closest thing you might find (along with other Afflictions to being prime antagonists on MassiveCraft in between Events when there aren't DM NPC's to unite against. Playing a Vampire means you will likely get hunted/attacked by a large amount of Characters in Roleplay, as they are effectively perpetually illegal, and legal to attack/imprison/cure for vigilantes and Knights. You should not play a Vampire if you have trouble with constant conflict, or find being attacked frequently and randomly in even social scenes uncomfortable.
Infection & Curing
Being a Vampire, is a curable condition, but also one that is contagious from one Vampire to non-Vampires. Vampire curing requires that a Vampire is defeated in combat, and dragged off to a Curing Chamber (or some other form of Curing Mechanic). Only Specific Characters are able to cure Vampires (and other Afflictions), as this requires the Affliction Wisdom Pack which not many Characters have. Becoming a Vampire can be done in a variety of ways (described below), though there are some exception and corner cases. For example, someone can only ever have one Affliction, or Affinity, meaning that one cannot be a Vampire and Cahal, or Vampire and Marken at the same time. Vampires are equally also immune to being infected by other Afflictions or certain Affinities unless they are Cured. Finally, if they already have Radiant, Sinistral, or Theurgy Point Buy (and other such Dimension Aligned Abilities), they are all converted from their original Alignment to Void upon infection, including any Spirits converted to Void Demons, until they are Cured, and they both return to their previous types.
- Conversion by Ritual: Conversion by Ritual means writing a story for yourself, or passing it off in backstory, that a Character worshiped the Void Gods, usually Venna, and was blessed by them by becoming a Vampire.
- Conversion by Feeding: Conversion by Feeding means that 24 hours after being fed on by a Vampire, a victim can turn into a Vampire also. If a player objects to infection during feeding, this does not happen.
- Conversion by Relic: Conversion by Relic means a person randomly stumbles into an infected object (jewelry, book, robe, etc) harboring a Void Demon once belonging to a now-dead Vampire. Owning such an item turns the owner into a Vampire.
Physical & Mental Changes
Becoming a Vampire does affect both the body and the mind of the person, these changes taking hold during infection and remaining permanent until they are Cured. These changes are split between Required and Optional changes:
- Required Changes
- All Vampire irises turn solid blood red glowing, and can increase brightness to become very bright. Additionally, they have perfect nightvision during night, and are able to see in darkness.
- All Vampires are free from guilt over their urges, like feeding. This doesn't make them devoid of emotion or consciousness, it just means they won't feel bad about feeding or being Vampires.
- Optional Changes
- Infection can enhance the body, for example by making the host larger, more muscular, taller, more alien and bat-like features, a prehensile tail, claw hands and feet, digitigrade legs, etc.
- Infection can give the host more Void-like aesthetics, like dark-red/black hair, blood-stained skin, blood seeping from their eyes when they get angry and express rage, shadows on their hands etc.
- Infection can make a person less emotionally responsive, blunting their happiness and excitement, or making them have a shorter attention span or worse temper, with defaulting to violence.
- Infection may cause a person's view of Affliction to shift completely, from hatred, to adoring and vanity. Even after curing, it may cause a person to desperately seek re-infection.
Afflicted Form
Afflicted Form is a Transformation that can be used by Vampires to disguise themselves, or just look cool while going into Combat. Afflicted Forms are more monstrous forms of their normal body, and allow some more creative freedom like making the Character appear more like a hulking beast, so long as it remains vaguely humanoid, and should not add additional function (like wielding more than one weapon with multiple arms). Afflicted Form cannot imitate other types (like Geist, Cahal, or Marken), and must always remain the same, and be predominantly red or Void-themed.
Afflicted Feeding
Vampires, like all other forms of Afflictions, must feed in order to survive. Their Affliction is hardwired in such a way that they have a constant urge to feed that will only momentarily be sated by consuming the physical strength of a victim. It is only possible to feed from a combat defeated foe, as the process is a violation of the person and no sane person would consent to having their blood drank and vitality stolen from them. Feeding takes about 5 minutes, during which the Vampire consumes blood, but must restart if attacked. The victim may decide how this manifests, but by drinking blood the Vampire damages the connection of the soul to the body, usually weakening a person greatly. Not everyone is willing to admit being fed on to authorities, as this immediately draws suspicion to the victim, they might be infected also. We strongly request players are consistent on feeding in Roleplay and not just offscreen-NPC the feeding process, but won't enforce it.
Vampire Weapon
Vampires like all Afflicted can use a Summon Weapon Ability to draw a weapon from the ether into their hand in an instant. This Weapon does not need to remain the same and can change appearance over time, crystallized out of blood. Vampire weapons are not their Relics however, Vampire Relics are usually importantly owned objects like a spell grimoire, or a jeweled necklace, or a cloak owned by the Vampire. If Infected as a Vampire for long enough, the object may become infested by a Void Demon, which results in the object becoming a Vampire Relic. This means that if the Vampire perishes and the object is picked up by another non-Vampire, that person is infected and becomes a Vampire as well, with the Vampire Relic now being theirs.
Vampire Traits
This section puts all Abilities, Free Packs, Limitations, and Mechanics together for ease of reference. Keep in mind, Afflictions are not Races, these Traits are additive, they do not replace Racial Traits.
Abilities
| Ability Name | Ability Type | Ability Range | Ability Description | Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon Summon | Summon Power | Self | Grants the user Weapon Summon | N/A |
Free Packs
- Vampire Buff I: Vampires gain the Sinistral Magical Talent in Void Alignment for free. If the Vampire already has Sinistral Point Buy, this does nothing.
- Vampire Buff II: Vampires gain the Enchant Oceana Pack in Void Alignment for free, making Vampires excellent underwater warriors.
Limitations
- Vampire Limitation I: Urlan, and Bralona cannot be Vampires under any circumstances. Vampires also cannot become other Afflictions, or Marken or Archon.
Mechanics
- Bloodseer: Vampire Feeding is invasive, and allows the Vampire to see the victim's fears and nightmares concerning their life, what illnesses they might've had, and how they might've been hurt in the past.
- Vampire-Broods: Vampires sire offspring called Vampire-Broods. They can be born with Heterochromia, one Vampire-like eye and one normal eye, or have normal eyes, and have a strong connection to Void Magic, but are not Vampires themselves (unless infected)
- Vampire-Life: Vampires are not immortal, but their life is extended by several centuries, up to a maximum of 500. There are in theory older Vampires, but we do not permit players to play 500+ year old Characters.
- Vampire-Form: Vampires can use Afflicted Form to transform into a Disguised Monster Form. Even though this is a Disguise, it cannot be seen through, even by Abilities or Mechanics that can see through Disguises.
- Vampire-Curse: After having successfully fed off a victim, the victim gains the Lifecurse, which is a -2 Main Defense Stat debuff for 72 hours after feeding, that weakens them.
- Vampire-Thralls: 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.
- Vampire-Speech: Vampires are able to communicate in a secret language that only Vampires and Vampire-Thralls and Vampire-Broods can understand, that cannot be understood through other Abilities or Mechanics.
- Vampire-Forge: Vampires are able to apply Void aesthetics and decorations on objects they own, armor, weapons, rental regions, and areas around them, creating necromancer effects and decorations.
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. This is not required reading but can be used to expand flavor in roleplay, and deeper understanding of Vampiric history and background.
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.
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 Arkenborn 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 Arkenborn 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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