Vampire

A  race of reanimated corpses that hail from the land of Aproproyia, typically known by their insatiable bloodlust and penchant for acts of debauchery. The vampire is a branch of undead, with crimson eyes, elongated canines, and an unnatural, seductive kind of beauty.
All vampires descend from Cain, the first of their kind. The Apropryian royal was the subject in Azrael's initial experiments of necromancy, the original immortal, but was deemed inadequate due to the angel's inability to control and manipulate the vampire like later iterations of necromancy would include. Vampires nonetheless shared many traits with Azrael's 'perfect undead'–such as immortality and super-accelerated regenerative capabilities.

## Notes

* The vampire species is a hivemind of sorts on the magical level, that began with the first, where mana is shared and distributed between the bloodlines. This binds the vampires to the magical trees of Cain: blood/life essence, poison/decay, ice/death, and illusion/fear.
* Blood is the life support of a vampire, which they derive all sustenance from. It is euphoric and envigorating to consume, to the point where they often lose themselves when feeding, and even maim or drain their victims completely. The only way most vampires survive is by regular murder, making them predators of the darkest kind.
* Vampires, much like humans, are emotional creatures, but they feel more strongly as *everything* is enhanced–physically and mentally. This overwhelming flood of emotions (coupled with feeding and killing) tends to lead to a kind of madness, but they have a safeguard in their psyche–a vampire can completely shut down their humanity, making them carefree and impervious to guilt, giving them the remorselessness they need to be calculating killers.

## On Being Turned

When a ghouled is turned into a vampire, by feeding them an excessive amount of the blood of their sire and killing them, they will awaken regardless of whether or not it was a success. It's no less than a minute, sometimes seconds, before their body is animated.

Immediately, the veins in their face become visible as the transformation overwhelms them, burning through their body and magical circuits. A web of red throughout their skin that either softens and fades as they transition into a vampire, or continues to accelerate, taking their life.

For the unfortunate that don't make it, they just have seconds to live before becoming a dead corpse. This also makes reviving the corpse incredibly difficult, almost impossible, as they've technically already lived a life of undeath - if only for a few seconds. Elixirs that might give someone a second shot at life, or necromancy, are ineffective for these reasons. The stars rarely let a soul escape them twice, though there have been isolated instances where this has happened.

## Fledgling Vampire

The senses of a vampire are augmented to a whole new level. They can *see* the different scents in the air, or the pathways that different sounds make. Within a millisecond, their eyes can zoom in on distant details that are hundreds of feet off. In time, this all becomes more refined, though the first few days can feel overwhelming as they adjust.

The first feeling that strikes them, of course, is an unrelenting thirst for blood, and when they get their first taste, it's a trip of euphoria that has no comparison in the mind of a vampire (unless paired with other enjoyable activities, like battle). They can see the pulse of blood beyond a human's warm skin, and a young, hungry vampire will find it difficult not to fixate on this; they've been known to feed on and kill their loved ones to satisfy the cravings. The person themselves become irrelevant when they begin to focus on the flow of blood.

It is also power. A vampire that feeds often has sharpened senses, more stamina. A fledgling can feel their body and mind come to life with each meal, growing less corpse-like. Those they have no attachment to (such as prisoners or victims at night) are as good as dead once a vampire sinks their fangs into them; they'll often go right for where the blood tastes the best, the main arteries, and the flesh itself compliments the warm liquid. In this sense, a vampire is rarely shy when feeding, and never in control - the blood controls them.

## The Guilt Switch

The 'guilt switch' is a term that vampires use to refer to their ability to shut down their empathy in an instant. When overwhelmed by loss, sometimes centuries of it, it's usually the default mode a vampire will take, as their amplified feelings can be extremely painful. It makes feeding on (and often as a result killing) humans an effortless act too - they just become a food source.

Turning off the guilt switch is far easier than it is to turn back on. Once a vampire loses their empathy, it's difficult for them to find any substantial reason to let it back in.