Vampires

Vampires are obligate hemophagic lifeforms, I.E., who must feed on blood in order to survive. Vampirism is a trait demonstrated in several life forms on Welt. 
== Common traits of vampires ==
=== Fangs ===
The main divergence from the baseline lifeform are the elongation of canines. These are retractable to facilitate integration with their prey, but as the vampire ages, these will no longer retract and become permanently fixed to the upper jaw.
=== Elongation ===
Vampires also tend to be taller and longer-limbed than their regular organism counterparts.
=== Palor ===
Vampire skin possesses a ghostly white pallor, the result of anemia and a deathly allergy to the sun. 
=== Nervous system ===
The central nervous system differs between vampires and their counterparts. Vampires process information much faster and have faster reflexes as a result. The proteins required to maintain it cannot be produced by the vampire, as such they require the blood of other organisms to maintain it. 
=== Eyes ===
Vampires have quadrochromatic vision, the fourth being tuned to infrared. Vampires have very sensitive night vision and their pupils don't react as quickly as their counterparts to changes in light intensity; they could be easily snowblinded. Another trait amongst vampire eyes is a visible skin infection around the eyes.
=== Undeath ===
Vampires aren't immune to post mortem reanimation, which makes these vampires all the more formidable. Curiously, undead vampires differ very little from their living counterparts. 
=== Rain ===
Vampires senses are dampened in the presence of rain. As such, vampires detest water in general. 
== Behavior ==
By the standards of their baseline organism, vampires often they lack conscience or empathy. Among vampires, sociopathy is an essential survival trait. Although some semblance of empathy can appear, vampire societies and cultures exist. 
== Culture ==
Vampire settlements have rigid caste systems centered around feudality and tribute. For example gangs are tolerated in Feeder run cities as long as they pay tribute in blood or cattle. Vampires insist on a semblance of civility, and even the lightest of offenses can be punished by defanging. Property is also a constant issue due to the quantity of cattle circulating in Feeder cities, and branding cattle is common among vampires to avoid disputes.
Cities controlled by vampires have a certain aroma that compels the people who live there to return.
Sometimes vampires exist within living society. They're accepted as long as they obey the laws and don't go around biting people to death - most subsist on blood that has been donated or sold. In one major country, after transformation they mostly let vampires keep their things, and at worst they treat the person as dead for inheritance purposes and let them keep a small slice of their property to get them started on rebuilding their unlife.
=== Anhaendra ===
The elected kingdom of anhaendra is notable for its large population of vampires, which gave rise to their own kingdoms.
=== Hemokingdoms ===
Feudal kingdoms that are more or less organized according to the other races respective customs. They fight each other over cattle and squabble constantly. In society where vampires are in control and maintain society, day functions as night does in cosmopolitan society . Instead of putting on headlights at night, during the day they black out the windows and drive by echolocation. Muzzles (for law enforcement) and coveralls (anti UV clothing) are important industries in vampire society.
=== Convents ===
Some vampires and non vampires are more cunning than others and chose to exploit the situation by becoming large organizations rather than establish petty kingdoms. Convents are most frequently vast networks of informants, criminals, political figures and other key components of the new Anhaendra organized around seizing power over the area.
=== Feral Warbands ===
Roaming vampires who are feral due to malnourishment and feed off animal blood. They will obey in exchange for food, and are usually found amongst the ranks of the more civilized vampire organizations.
=== Independent Cattle Towns ===
The home of Blood Drivers, cattle ranchers who are neutral in the feudal conflicts in between vampiric groups.
=== Relation to Werewolves ===
Sociologically, if vampires and werewolves live in the same area, vampires adopt highly civilized behaviors to blend in society. Werewolves do the same but act as military nobles, while vampires are money nobles and gentlemen farmers. This happens when “buffer races” are a majority in between them, otherwise they turn to all out warfare.
== Clans ==
Some vampires organize themselves into clans, with their unique cultures and behaviors.
===Feeders===
The more cognisant of vampires, they establish hemokingdoms based around cattle farming, and trading blood with other clans. A feeder is the equivalent of a citizen vampire in the hierarchy, tasked with a job in a clan to merit its meals.
===Skineaters===
A faction of vampires who eat the skin of their victims, which is unusual for vampires. They work for feeder warlords and for whoever can pay them. They live in the woods generally.
===Mosquito Hags===
Mosquitos and Mummiflies can be controlled by certain vampires known as Mosquito Hags. Mosquito Hags build their societies in the massive swamps of Anhaendra, which no one usually dares enter due to the disease the bugs carry. Visitors to these swamps must wear protective Coveralls to avoid death by exsanguination as these bugs protect their borders fiercely. Mosquito hag society is simple enough, feeders and even non vampires can live inside as long as they allow the mosquitoes to bite and drain them at will for defined periods of time. Mosquito Hags, or Swarm Mothers are quite fragile and when ruptured or wounded explode in a massive cloud of blood they have collected from their victims. Vampire controlled mosquito swarms are inflammable, and in seriously infested mosquito towns firestorms are a risk. Dragons, whose blood cannot be accessed by mere mosquitoes of Mummiflies live in these areas peacefully, in exchange for their fabled dragons blood.
===Chrysopelea===
The flying snake vampires use retractable skin folds from the forearms to the thigh to allow gliding. They glide to their prey before wrapping it in their wings to suck their blood. These vampires can jump up to the corner of buildings where they pretend to be gargoyles. 
===Slave Master===
A type of vampire whose servants collect blood for him, when the elder dies, so do the thralls. These are also known as plague vampires.
== True and false vampires ==
Vampires are classified in two overarching classes, verus and prevaricate vampires.
=== Verus vampires ===
Main article: Verus Vampires
A verus, or true vampire, is an animate that is an obligate cannibalistic hemophage as a result of evolutionary adaptation into a super predator for its associated species. 
=== Prevaricate vampires ===
False or prevaricate vampires are animates who suffer from vampirism, IE. obligate hemophages that do not require the blood they ingest to be from their own species. False vampires encompass vampires whose origin is caused by disease, demonic influence or magical influence. For example, Alps are not true vampires as they feed upon other species' blood to survive.
====Infectious Vampirism ====
Main article: Infectious Vampirism
Infectious vampirism refers to the method in which an organism develops obligatory hemophagic tendencies via an infectious agent. 
====Limax Vampirism ====
Main article: Limax Vampirism
Limax Vampirism is a form of Vampirism endemic to Welt, it is distinctive for not being a viral, bacterial or curse based form of vampirism. Limax Vampirism is caused by the infection of Hemo Slugs, a parasitic near microscopic slug organism invading a host's body. 
====Demonic Vampirism====
Demonic vampirism is an alternate form of acquiring traits of vampirism through demon worship. It relies on the acquisition of saccharomyces demonica and its bonding with the user, granting hemomancy when sourced with blood of the same species.
====Curse based Vampirism====
Main article: Curse based Vampirism
Cursed vampires are the result of magical intervention that creates hemophagic tendencies in an individual that don't usually display such behaviors. 
== Sub types ==
These vampires are categorized on other criteria than their creation process. 
=== Feral Vampires ===
Main article: Feral Vampires
Feral Vampires are the creatures of the vampire species, they use traps to attract victims, communicate via howls and hunt like wolves. Ferals are social and will obey feeders for food. They are known to feed off one another for pleasure. It is suspected, but not confirmed that feral vampires are simply vampires undergoing feralism.
=== Returned vampires ===
The reversed are vampires that feed of regular vampires, killing them or turning them into returned. Returned vampires have constant nightmares and experience sleepwalking (PTDS).
==Vampire servants==
Vampires create servants using their blood, however creating servants can give several outcomes. Generally, the creation of vampire servants requires the exsanguination of a corpse (by being pressed on all sides by corpses) and being refilled with vampire blood, giving the servant a psychic link to its master. Servants are different from cattle who are merely a food source for vampires. Servant cognition varies, but they are generally smart enough to use firearms, tools and coordinate when given orders.
Category:Undead
Category:Vampires
Category:Vampirism
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