Vampires

Vampires are an ancient species of humanoids, predating modern history - tracing back all the way to the prehistoric era. They are nocturnal creatures, preferring to roam the world at night due to their heightened sensitivity to sunlight.

### History and Nature

Not much is known about the history of vampires, nor how they came to be. Common folk attribute vampirism to either a curse, given to a newborn at birth, or an affliction which can be contracted from contact with other afflicted individuals. Lots of scholars attempted to study and understand the condition, however most vampires aren’t known to cooperate with science or those wishing to do research on their condition. The most that scholars were able to establish is that the condition known as “vampirism” makes the subject susceptible to direct sunlight, or intense heat, to a point that if exposed to either, their skin will begin to melt.

While this can be considered a major downside, the effects of sunlight can be countered. It has been discovered that the consumption of large amounts of pure red blood (human, elven, dwarven etc…) renders the vampire immune to sun damage for a short period of time, as well as regenerates and heals their scars or other health defects. Not only that, it makes the vampire younger, more refreshed and healthier.

Vampires are able to consume other types of red blood (humanoids, cryptids etc..), but unfortunately, those will not provide any beneficial effects to the consumer. Non-red blood will actually poison a vampire, which is why they prefer to stay away from all forms of marine creatures or undead, even though they are considered undead themselves.

### Immortality

Perhaps the biggest advantage of vampirism is the gift of eternal life. Vampires are immortal - IF they feed regularly. Whenever a vampire feeds, they revert their normal aging process, depending on their race. Many current vampires chose to bear their condition, simply due to this exact fact. While cures for vampirism are not commonly known, even if they were readily available, most vampires would refuse getting cured and prefer to avoid the sunlight altogether as a small price to pay for immortality. While all vampires are indeed “immortal”, those who do not feed become incredibly weak, as they continue to age based on the normal aging process of their race, rendering them more vulnerable to getting killed.

From close observation of Drevhall vampires, in order for one to revert their aging process and obtain the benefits of sun damage resistance and regeneration, a vampire must consume an amount of blood equivalent to an entire living being, which is why many vampires in Drevhall resort to cannibalism, killing and eating their targets. Due to their nocturnal nature and thirst for blood, vampires are also known to be master assassins, often aligning themselves with guilds or organizations which deal with death quite often.

### Behavior

As it was previously mentioned, vampires are nocturnal beings, often found roaming the world during the night, since they can freely do so without the worry of having their skin melt off of their bones. During the day however, while most vampires choose to sleep, some can still be found roaming the world. If you are to follow a vampire during the day (good luck if you wish to try), they stick to areas that are covered with shade (playing with shaders to see where the shade is, to avoid being in direct sunlight), staying close to trees and traveling through caves or other underground tunnels. Vampires would often carry ender pearls and invisibility potions on them, as these two are detrimental for their survival and means of transportation during the day time. They use ender pearls to jump across areas of direct sunlight to move from one shaded area to another, and consume invisibility potions to travel across large distances of direct sunlight. In order to do the latter, they must be completely invisible (wear no armor and carry nothing in their hands) to safely travel in the sunlight. Some folk associate this need of “complete invisibility” to hide from the sun god Sol, due to the fact that he is believed to see vampires as creatures of the underworld, unworthy to roam in his glare. And if Sol spots a vampire attempting to travel in his sight, he will melt their skin regardless of their invisibility, which is why it is common practice for vampires to travel with no armor and an empty inventory while invisible.

If you do see a vampire roaming freely under the sun, it means that they have recently fed - suggesting that they had access to a fresh corpse. Their invulnerability doesn’t last for long, only giving them 3 days of freedom under the sun.

You will rarely ever see a vampire roaming around in the nether. Even if they are well fed and fully invisible, most vampires avoid the realm of the underworld as it belongs to their “greatest enemy” - Sol.

### Becoming a Vampire

Common belief states that vampirism is either a curse or an affliction. If a child is born a vampire, most folk believe that the family of the newborn sinned and angered Sol, and in return, they were cursed with watching their child melt at their first contact with the sun. In terms of affliction, it is believed that if a vampire bites or scratches a healthy individual, they become afflicted and contract vampirism, which will gradually develop and turn them into a full on vampire if not promptly treated. Common remedies usually revolve around honey, with the afflicted needing to drink 10 bottles of fresh honey as well as 2 specific stews which are known to grant fire resistance and regeneration. Not a lot of commoners know of the stew’s ingredients, hence why most afflicted are brought to alchemists and herbalists for treatment.

Legends tell of a 3rd way of becoming a vampire. Those that do so by choice. It is rumored that a certain blood ritual exists, which transforms an individual into a vampire right away, without the affliction stage. There has been no concrete proof to confirm these rumors, unfortunately.

### Clans

Due to the fact that vampires can come from different humanoid races, there are many clans that exist in the worlds. The most vicious and dangerous are orc vampires, since their lifespan is the shortest amongst all races, requiring them to feed regularly to revert their aging process and remain strong.

Amongst the most pacifist clans are Dwarven vampires, due to the fact that being a vampire does not change much in their daily routine, as they are mostly mountain / underground dwellers, rarely interacting with whatever is going on at the “surface world”, and have quite the lengthy lifespan.

There are also multi-race clans, as well as different clans within a single race. Some clans choose to be bandits, vagabonds and marauders, hunting for their victims and feasting on them. Others choose to be high ranking members of society, hiding in plain sight, feeding on those who are less fortunate, or those whose disappearance won’t raise any suspicion. Then there’s the vultures, those who are pure pacifists and only feed on fresh corpses.

While clans are plentiful, they all are connected by blood. Vampires cherish blood and worship it, especially pure blood. They are known to be experts in blood related magic and runes, often using them to their advantage.

### Vampires in Drevhall

Drevhall’s history is shrouded in mystery before the Historic Era. It is believed that vampires were around Drevhall from the time when the first living humanoids appeared. With various clans and bloodlines of vampires present throughout history, one such clan was preserved to this day. Bran clan was one of the most ancient vampire families in Drevhall, which seemingly disappeared before the arrival of the Rivish settlers at the dawn of the Historic Era. With the colonization of the western region of the Riverlands by Laputria, one Laputrian felt a calling. Almost as if he was returning home. He had a vision of a magnificent manor sitting atop of a hill, surrounded by deep woods. Upon reaching the top of the hill, he discovered ruins of a very ancient, crumbling manor. Digging through the rubble, he was able to find ancient texts, blueprints, drawings and scriptures talking of the great Bran clan, and how they were once a highly respected and sophisticated group of high profile assassins, serving as the top hit squad for emperors and rulers. The Laputrian felt as if it was his destiny to rebuild Bran Manor, sturdier and much more reinforced, so that it can withstand the passing of time and stay better preserved than the previous manor of Bran clan. What he didn’t count on however, was that with the re-establishment of Bran manor, would come the revival of the assassins.