Vampirism

## Overview

Vampirism is a specific form of undeath that defies the natural order in many ways- it is the only form that does not require a strong external ritual to keep the mind of the deceased intact. Instead, the mind is kept free by the specific form of the curse.

There are several variants of the curse, known as clans, and each clan has it's own unique eccentricities.

## History

Vampires have been reported for as long as recorded history has been in place. Accounts vary on their origins, some claim magical experimentation gone awry while others claim it is simply a natural disease.

The belief held by the Divine Priesthood, is that the Vampires were originally Mortalis worshippers of Harkan, God of Lies. During the God Wars, these worshippers chose to forsake their mortal bodies and become dedicated soldiers of the Prince of Lies. He granted them the ability to be the ultimate lie- a seemingly-mortal being that feasts on souls as a demon.

After, the Vampires began to spread, converting others into their being through infection and twisting the souls of those they came in contact with through fear, turning small communities in on each other.

Vampirism comes in multiple variations, called their "Clan". each clan has it's own unique strengths and weaknesses ontop of the standard Vampirism.

## Vampiric Society

Vampires live in multi-clan societies called Coterie, known as the House or Family. Based in and around a Grand Lair, these loose associations of Vampires descended from one bloodline become incredibly powerful.

The ultimate authority comes from age and power, and the ultimate
 law the boundaries of the Vampire's realm. When a Vampire enters into a Family's lands, you are subject to their laws and may not hunt without their permission, or the whole house will bring their fangs to bare against you.

## Clan

A Vampire's clan is their Bloodline, it is important to all aspects, from who they are subservient to in Vampiric society, to their general powers.

Multiple clans have been identified by researchers in the Dawn Wardens, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and peculiarities. Clans are often found to war with each other over valuable resources, and some clans are more social than others.

Identifying which clan a Vampire is a part of is of paramount importance to any Vampire hunter, as many clans will not go down as easily as others.

## Spread of Vampirism

To infect a new Vampire, first the original (Called a Sire) must drain the blood of the victim (Childe) until they have none left, then they must force-feed the childe the Sire's own blood. Once their heart stops, the transformation begins.

As the soul tries to return to the afterlife, the Sire's blood will fight back, pulling at it until it shatters and a fragment remains inside the corpse of the Childe.

The next midnight after their death, the Childe will rise with an insatiable hunger for the blood of the living.

This process takes a huge toll on the Sire, and can even prove fatal to non-ancient Vampires or the unprepared.

### Arisen, but bound

A newly-arisen Childe is powerful, gaining it's Vampiric Legacy, but is also bound- the Sire's blood inside it compels it to obey. As long as the Sire exists, it is unable to be truly free. It must use it's will to fight against obeying any order from the Sire, even one that would result in it's death.

## Resurrection

Certain vampiric Clans can resurrect from states that would have destroyed their body. Typically, this requires the use of a Sarcophagus, or a coffin. A Vampire may have only one of these at a time. Opening the sarcophagus while the Vampire is regenerating inside will cause it to become weakened, destroying the Sarcophagus will kill it.

A ritual that lasts 24 hours must be performed to create a sarcophagus, this ritual requires you to drain the blood of a victim until they die slowly over this time. Sarcophagus must not be moved or tampered with, if it is the ritual will be broken and have to be recast.

## Weaknesses

Vampires are incapable of lasting long in direct, unfiltered sunlight. Those forced to travel during the day will often wear thick cloaks and hoods to hide their skin from the burning touch of the sun. This is considered an example of Harkan's obssession with "Dark Poetry"- all lies are exposed in the light of day.

They are also commonly injured by clear running water, to walk through it they must taint it with blood or death.

Finally, they are unable to enter a house uninvited by the owner of the land. It is believed this recent development was caused by the prayers of individuals to Verita, Goddess of Truth, who opposses deception such as the sheer nature of Vampires.

Although each Vampire clan has different variations and strengths of these weaknesses, most still avoid these things where possible.

## Gameplay

Player Vampirism in CommonBorne is dictated by the Vampirism Feat. A player must choose, or have chosen by the DM, their Clan.

A Vampire always has disadvantage on any roll while their skin is exposed to direct unfiltered (I.E. Not through glass or in shade) sunlight. All Vampires except Kindred take damage in the sunlight.