The Vampire Plague

## **Method of Infection**

The virus is spread through fluid contact with the victim’s blood stream, where it propagates through the body and into the central nervous system (CNS).

## **Stages of Infection**

* **Stage O** - Immediate signs after a bite would be increased heart rate, nausea, sensitivity to sunlight (headaches and such), sore throat, raised veins around the bite mark, bleeding gums and pronounced canines, and dilated pupils.
* **Stage I** - After 24-36 hours, the victim suffers from extreme nausea, followed by an intolerance to sunlight and inability to digest plant matter. Victims complain of strange cravings of rare meats, even those who could not previously consume such products. Internally, the virus has taken hold of digestive and cardiovascular systems reorganizing them to convert regular blood into activated ichor.
* **Stage II** - After 4 days, the victim’s blood stream has become 36% ichorized and the victim suffers from a brief period of rictus as large portions of their body that the virus deems non-essential (including large portions of the CNS and respiratory systems). During this stage, the larynx begins it’s transformation into the vampiric proboscis, an organ capable of draining a human body of it’s blood within minutes, along with spreading the virus further. Victims exhibit strong violent tendencies, attempting to use their teeth and proto-proboscis to slash and drain animals of their blood. This is both to sustain the victims, along with spreading the virus through the victim’s saliva. Internally, the victim has begun to produce viral agents in their saliva and has become entirely dependent on ichor for nutrients.
* **Stage III** - After 16-18 days of infection, the victim’s body has deteriorated to be nearly unrecognizable; skin becoming increasingly pale, most hair on their heads has fallen out, as well as most of the musculature and fat being reduced to nothing. The virus has also caused additional changes within the cell structure of the victim; including, the jaw splitting into two separate pieces allowing the fully matured proboscis to better launch out of the mouth, development of coarse hairs along the forearm, shoulders, and calves, and development of splayed hands and feet with hooked claws. This stage sees the complete change in the victim’s personality, being reduced to animalistic screeches and shrieks. It is also the stage most people will encounter/think about an infected.
* **Stage IV** - After 10-13 months of infection, the victim has entered an accelerated stage of growth in the proboscis, limbs, spine, and head. While the victim's torso remains human, the forelimbs and back limbs begin to resemble those of a large bat, with splayed web hands, hooked, retrograde feet, and large patches of coarse hair growth. The head of the victim begins to become increasingly maladapted for sight, with their eyes clouding over and eventually receding; instead, they develop an enhanced sense of smell and hearing with enlarged ears and nose. Their mouths have enlarged with skin covering the separation in the jaws, as they become separate mandibles allowing better for passages for the advanced proboscis. The strangest change is the extension of the vertebrae into a tail, which the infected use to balance during it’s stilted flight. Few infected survive this long as it requires large amounts of ichor to support such as a transition.
* **Stage V** - The penultimate stage of infection, often referred to as a Baron, is very rare and occurs between 2-3 years after initial infection. The infected begins to resemble a large monstrous semi-bipedal bat with a large quilled tail, separated jaw, and a large proboscis capable of draining a mastodon in minutes. Behaviorally, Barons seek to build and control a brood of vampires, often found using caves, abandoned structures, and secluded spaces as nests for them and their “house.” Only one major autopsy on a Baron has been conducted, revealing that the infected begins to repair it’s CNS, giving credence to the claims that Barons are capable of exhibiting human emotion and even speaking with their victims.
* **Stage ᘯ** - Considered a “theoretical phase,” the Monarch phase occurs after close to a decade of the virus’ hold on the body. Monarch’s haven’t been sighted since the days of the Red Death during the late 7th century. According to rumors and theory, the infected's arcane powers are gained through a large excess of produced ichor. They also display increased, if not supernatural, intelligence.

## **History**

Genetic evidence, in cooperation with historical and archaeological research, displays that sanguigens, including *Hemovirus lamia*, have been in the human population since the Arcane Period. While the Vampire Plague has had numerous outbreaks throughout history, the outbreak of 698 PR, or Red Death, is arguably the most famous. Sweeping through Talya and Kyphon, decimating the population and resulting in the second-largest plague in human history. Strangely, the Vampiric Plague didn’t contribute to the largest plague event, the Motley Fever, a combination of Antediluvian diseases that swept through Anova. Some people, including Dr. Santiago de Soto, suggests that this was because the plague had already existed in the Anovan population.

## **Domestication/Weaponization**

No form of domestication nor traditional forms of weaponization exists for *Hemovirus lamia.* However there are cases of Kokiforian tribes releases infected into cities under siege, likely bringing the disease into Maev.

## **Notes**

Dr. Aurora de Soto claimed that victims of *Hemovirus lamia* in Stage III and beyond, though they forget their life and personality, “remember their loved ones instead as targets.”

Additionally, exposure to T-particles, particularly positive ones, through exposure to Activated Ichor or other magical effects, can accelerate mutations and the speed at which *Hemovirus lamia* transforms its host.