Vampire

Debunking the Myth of Vampirism, as written by Asherah, daughter of Julibaal

Foreword​

While it brought me hours of great amusement to peruse the crazed theories and origins of vampirism and of course the wild hypothesis set forth by your mortal scholars, at times I feel that the ill-evolved cultures and civilizations such as yours could use a little assistance in being enlightened by the truth. Publish this if you would, or ignore it. It matters not; but at the very least burn those outlandish books of yours, lest one brightening I finally deem it an insult that had gone on long enough and seek to redress that ignominy felt by so many of my people.

History​

The origins of the vampires were indeed of the Old World, your scholars got that bit right at least. Their estimations, however, were slightly off. You see, the first vampires were Lamian, and the Lamian civilization had already prospered and declined before Taalios was even a budding nation. We vampires are thus Lamian in origin and not as crude as the Taaliosian hypothesis sought to promulgate.
Further Reading: Origins of the Vampire

Etymology​

Vampires, first and foremost, are predators set among the living. No other relationship is more crucial than this. Across cultures, we have many names, vampirs, vampyre, nosferatu, revenants, but we are the one and the same. The evolution of our name is an interesting one, and there were those among us who once bore such interests in keeping track of this evolution. Our original name, however, is Na'molech, Those Who Shall Never Die.

We are the product of Risthal's blessing and curse, and thus all vampires can be considered a separate race outside of their own, for the blood that flows in us are one and the same, separate from our maternal lineages as we become something more, something separate, something quite very natural and too powerful to be understood by the unenlightened.

And when the Nakasha arises, all Na'molech shall serve only her, to carry out her will and intent upon this world.

Physiology and Spiritual Properties​

• Vampires are not the Undead and cannot be controlled by Necromancy.
• Vampires do not like the sun, for it amplifies the natural aura as the bringer of death, and makes certain activities sometimes turn into an event of mass hysteria. The sunlight, however, does not kill or harm the vampire.
• All vampires all bear a reflection when they gaze into a mirror, and all vampires also have a pulse, a heart and blood.
• By breaking the link to Jalat, vampires shall never die a natural death. Severing the link to Jorel, the constitution of a vampire shall never change or be prey to entropy. Dissociating from Haya, a vampire shall never be sick or diseased. And finally to be sundered of Meephos, a vampire shall ever be in control of their own emotions, and cannot be manipulated in that manner.
• A vampire, first and foremost, is held in a stasis, wherein their body shall be held in the same physical state just before they are turned. Many younger vampires have had to contend with their own physical imperfections for centuries to come, unaware of this fact because of their ill-informed makers. (i.e., Cut your hair, and it shall grow back to its original length. Shave your beards and it too, shall regrow into its shape and form.)
• A vampire is also barren, or impotent, and shall never bear natural progenies. There is thus no such creature who could be a half-vampire.
• Then there are those who were ever so in touch with life before they were turned, and therefore unable to withstand the blood. This inability to tune into their latent abilities to turn off their emotions is fatal, for such apathy is key in their transition to become a predator, for how could one so easily stand part of a race in one moment, and then feed upon them in another? Instead of becoming free of Meephos, they then become mindless Beasts to be hunted by the vampires and hunters alike, useless to anyone, even to themselves.

Abilities​

• The vampiric bite. All vampires possess a retractable set of canines, which descend when they feed. A vampire's bite, no matter how rough or gentle, is one of the most excruciating sensations that one could ever face.
• Vampires also possess supernatural strength, celerity and dexterity. These abilities allow a vampire to naturally excel in combat, able to quickly overwhelm their victims and haul them away from the prying eyes of any witnesses.
• The resilient skin granted by our blood allows expedited healing of minor wounds and cuts far quicker than normal, and if a vampire had been fully fed, then such innate recuperative properties would be even further amplified.
• Vampires also possess mildly enhanced senses, more notably the sense of smell and sound. This makes large crowds for younger vampires particularly overwhelming, for the smell of the living and the sound of their eager hearts at times rises like a cacophony of cries that cannot be ignored, forcing them to feed.
• Vampires do not face any diminishing ability to command arcana. Indeed, some even practice arcana to deadlier effects given the control of vampires over their own emotions.
• The blood has also showed to have little effect upon existing racial abilities formerly possessed, neither augmenting nor diminishing them.
• The blood of the living fuels all vampiric abilities, which not only provides our only source of sustenance, but also allows us to employ our prowess. A vampire, especially a young one, that does not feed would find himself weakening to the point where he is unable to move for himself, and eventually enter a dormant state, when a vampire is forced into a deep sleep without being able to fend for himself, able to be awakened only by the blood.
  • There are some vampires who also feed on the blood of Animals (specifically mammals), and while able to survive, find their abilities weakened, and the taste of the blood far less pleasurable and satisfying. As such, few vampires would often deny their blood-right as predators to feed on other mammals. Other mortal sustenance which does not contain blood are thus unappealing, and creates no other effects, nutritional, ill-effects or otherwise, when ingested.
  • It has been proven that a vampire is also able to prey upon its own kind, and indeed, such cannibalism had seen the exponential increase in the powers of vampires that could normally only be granted by a voluntarily torpor, or when a vampire goes into a dormant sleep willingly, after being steepled with blood. Such apostates, however, are not tolerated, and are often culled and hunted once their attitudes on kin-slaying have become known to the others.
• All vampires also bear an aura that the living can often detect, not unlike the aura of a predator or the very representation of danger. Prey Animals such as rodents, birds or small mammals thus cannot abide the presence of a vampire, and would be forced to take flight from their vicinity. Larger apex predators, too, would also feel unease when near a vampire. Sentient humanoids, being more sensitive than simple Animals, would too, feel a sharp climb of unease and general malaise, being too close to a vampire. Such an aura seems to permeate even more intensely in daylight, which explains most vampire's distaste for sunlight for it severely limits their sociability, and ability to blend in with the living, with whom they require for nourishment. Sunlight, however does not physically harm a vampire. This aura, however, has no effect on the cold-blooded, who seem to be unfettered by such a pervading aura.
• Other older and more powerful vampires claim to have developed other types of terrifying powers in their old age, including levitation, control over the elements and low levels of hypnosis. The origins and details of such an empowerment are not properly detailed, and thus cannot be generally applied over all vampires.
• It is believed that the source of vampires' power can only be increased or drawn upon the throes of nightmares, whereby the vampires go into a deep sleep of hibernation, awakening to become more fearsome creatures than before after being infused with the same essences that had spawned their creation into existence.

Properties of Vampire Blood​

Outside a vampire's body, the blood of the vampire continues to possess certain attributes, especially when ingested by a non-vampire. First, a great agonizing pleasure could be felt by non-vampires, teetering them on an edge of pain and ecstasy, making vampiric blood highly addictive. It is by the same means that a blood pet could be made by a vampire after a prolonged exposure to the blood that has burned away all dreams, aspirations and motivations for the living, making them serve and please their vampiric masters and mistresses if only for the promise of the blood, which would become their singular object of obsession.

The ingested vampire blood bestows the same temporary enhancement in speed and strength, and further promotes accelerated healing. However, due to the dissonance of the two different bloods, one drawn from the very core of the plane of nightmare, there are remarkable side effects to the blood, even when consumed in small quantities. As the high progresses, these side effects, which begin to occur as the affected reaches the height of the high and begins to come down, include paranoia, schizophrenia, a decrease in motivation and slurred speech, all of which describes a ‘vampiric high’. In some cases, some of these side effects will occur throughout the high. The duration of the blood high will depend on the amount of blood consumed and the individual impact the blood has on the user. There are accounts of those who, unable to stand the blood and its effects, have gone crazy upon ingestion, unable to find themselves again through the fragmented pieces of their mental state.

The creation of a blood pet thus requires careful testing and regular and prolonged administration of the blood to eventually burn away the mind of the living, until he or she becomes only the personal slave of the vampire and commits to their bidding with the sweet promise of the blood. There is no hard and fast rule in creating a blood pet, and different individuals are found to require different dosages of blood over various durations to succeed in gaining such a mortal pet.

Prolonged exposure to the blood may also give rise to permanent physiological alterations. Some of the most common effects include a craving for blood even if it does not improve their constitution, distorted senses as well as spurts of increased strength and speed, along with the sharpening of existing canines.

It must be noted, however, that blood pets are not Na'molech, and are nothing more than feral, mindless Beasts that live to serve the will of the vampiric masters and mistresses. If a blood pet is killed with vampiric blood in its system, they have a chance to transit into a vampire, though few ever survive such a transformation due to a weakened physical and mental fortitude from the periodic ingestion of such a blood.

Organization​

Vampiric organizations vary from culture to culture, even though most vampires are generally solitary creatures, at most occasionally drifting in and out of relations. Like other immortal creatures whose concept of time is vastly different, conventional social norms do not apply to vampires.

The most common type of vampiric organization exists as the form of a nest structure, with the most powerful and usually oldest vampire ruling the nest as the Radix.

The Radix is in sole control of his or her nest, and is the supreme authority among the vampires that live there, often being styled as a commanding figure above everyone else. The Radix determines the many different day-to-day affairs of a vampire, demarcating feeding areas, times and to whom and when the dark blood is given. It is also believed that many Radix would come together to form their own secret council every other decade to implement the unofficially sanctioned rules and regulations that every vampire shall abide by, or risk their Ire and promise of true destruction. Whether or not such an ruling party exists is unclear, but rogue vampires without a powerful Mathos and traveling alone are often an easy target for others looking for a quick gain in their own abilities. The function of the nests and their various allegiances to one another thus afford a certain security, especially for younger vampires.

It is ironic then, because these Radix think themselves powerful and old enough to be worshipped as gods and goddesses when in reality they are nothing in the eyes of the original Seven. Yet we allow them to flourish. Why, you ask? The reasoning is simple: because we find no such need to convince them otherwise as the Nakasha will rise one brightening and all vampires will be called to serve under her. Until then it makes no difference how they choose to organize or associate themselves.

Creation of a Fledgling​

There is no spoken lore or proven method in making fledglings. Many various attempts have succeeded upon the creation of another vampire, with some successful, and others not. The only method known to work requires the Mathos to drain all the blood of the living to be infused with the magics of the dark blood before being transfused back into the potential fledgling. How powerful a young vampire is would be determined by how long this process has taken place; the greater the number of transfusions, the more powerful the vampire would be.

Such a process, however, causes both maker and fledgling to be utterly exhausted, and thus large quantities of living blood need to be consumed by the vampire before attempting to make another. If a vampire is not powerful enough to conduct the ritual, he or she would be severely injured by such a physical strain. A Mathos perishing midway through a transfusion due to inexperience is not uncommon. Even more common is the death of the would-be-vampire when too much blood has been lost through the process, and the basic life functions can no longer be regulated, resulting in death.

After the Mathos has deemed the number of transfusions appropriate, he or she would then deliver a killing blow to the potential fledgling. If the transfusion was successfully completed, the dark blood would begin to revive the fledgling, and he or she would awake a vampire. Only after its first feed of living blood would the transformation be deemed complete. If the fledgling refuses to feed, the hunger would eventually overcome the labored body and the vampire-to-be would die.

Weaknesses​

• Necromantic Magic, first and foremost, has no effects of vampires. Neither does holy water or any type or form of religious baubles.
• And garlic? Don’t even get me started on that. How you scholars took an individual vampire's allergy and applied it generally over our race continues to befuddle me and my sisters. If anyone attempts to ward our kind with wreaths of garlic they shall be sorely disappointed, for vampires do not die from laughter and amusement.
• Vampires instead bear a weakness for silver, being incapable of abiding the touch of the metal, for it burns through their usually preternatural skin.
• Born of the the rise of Melora, vampires are severely weakened on the zenith of its twin Majora, even during its ascend. Only towards waning of Majora would a vampire begin to regain its strength. For the same reason, a vampire may often sleep half a month away because of the moon phases, awakening only when she is at her strongest.
• Vampires can also be killed by a fatal blow to the heart, which then stops pumping the dark blood through the body. Fire would then be required to burn the body into ash, which appears to be reagent Mages would risk their lives to gain.
• Another method to kill a vampire is by beheading, since regeneration of complete limbs is a myth, a headless vampire would find its ability to function and feed severely limited.

Credit​

Credit goes to Roscarnis de Lylles