Vampires

**Vampires** are beings that drain one of the primary life forces of an individual, gaining power from it. They are incredibly secretive by nature and the vast majority of individuals in the cosmos, including most occultists, do not know of their existence.

## Types

There are only six different types of vampires, each corresponding to a life force. As many of the names for types of vampires come from actual words, each is traditionally spelled as a proper noun at all times.

One similarity of note between all vampires is that their abilities diminish somewhat in strong light.

### Goons

Goons are vampires that steal an individual's bodily strength. They do this by parting the skin and physically removing muscles from the victim and adding them to their own mass. Many Goons are far larger than they would be otherwise due to this, and can perform astounding feats of strength. They can even rearrange their muscles to further specialize. Some will gather them all on their legs to run faster or jump higher, for example.

In sunlight, Goons are incapable of using their power to open the skin of others or themselves.

The powers of the Goon are spread by the benefactor putting the recipient in a dire feat of strength. A typical example of this is for the Goon to slowly lower an exceedingly heavy object (~300 lbs) onto the victim, threatening to crush them.

There are no known Goons at this time.

### Surgeons

Surgeons are vampires that steal an individual's coordination. This does not affect the body like with Goons, but instead affects the ability of one's mind to interface with one's body. Some have argued that they steal muscle memory.

A Surgeon waits nearby a victim, until the moment that they do something coordinated. At this time, the Surgeon will activate their power and cause the target to fail whatever they were trying to do. This power cannot be activated in strong light. The target will then have difficulty doing anything coordinated for a period of time related to the difficulty of the activity. Causing someone to trip while walking tends to only result in a short boost to the vampire and a short drain to the victim.

The powers of a Surgeon are spread by the benefactor performing a delicate, coordinated activity with the recipient for an extended period of time. A typical example of this is for the recipient to learn a complex dance and performing it flawlessly with the benefactor Surgeon. This vampires' name comes from an older form of spreading the powers, performing heart surgery together.

There are no known Surgeons at this time.

### Drakes

Drakes are vampires that steal an individual's vital juices (mostly blood) through long siphon claws. These claws appear at will in place of the Drake's fingers. Stealing these vital juices replenishes the vampire's own, heals their wounds, and even undoes some of the effects of aging temporarily. A Drake fed sufficient amounts of blood often enough could live indefinitely. The downside is that these effects are addictive to the vampire, as some of the soul comes with the vitality and corrupts their own soul.

In direct sunlight, Drakes take immediate damage. Some speculate that this is because their stolen vitality is being taken away. This is supported by the fact that they seem to age dramatically while this is happening.

The powers of a Drake are spread in the singular most brutal method of any of the vampires. The Drake must break every single one of the recipient's bones, including the skull. If the recipient does not die and makes a full recovery, they will find that they can summon the siphon claws at will. During the recovery period, it is common for the Drake to only be able to summon one or two claws, or for the claws to be very short and blunt.

Known Surgeons include Isra Sumayya Abdullah.

### Twominds/Slugs

Some see Twominds as the most important of the vampires, as their powers allow the group to function more efficiently. A Twomind plants a "slug" on the brain of their victims. To accomplish this, they summon a long hook-like claw, similar to the Drakes', that travels up the victim's nose and deposits the parasite. When this is done on other vampires, the recipients of the slug become much more efficient in their abilities. When this is done on a non-vampire, it gives the Twomind the ability to remove certain memories and to steal "brain cycles" from the victim. They are sometimes, usually in anger or disgust, referred to as a Slug due to the nature of their power.

In strong direct light, the connection between a Twomind and their slugs is disrupted. The stronger the light, the weaker the connection becomes.

The powers of a Twomind are spread by having the victim perform a long, difficult cognitive task. This is typically done through an elaborately constructed ritual, as most tasks are not sufficiently cognitively complex.

It is very important to note that if a vampire without a Twomind's slug on them goes too long without using their ability on another living being with a soul, that the vampire's power will become harder and harder to perform and eventually be impossible to perform altogether. The

There are no known Twominds at this time.

### Mistants

Mistants are vampires that steal an individual's connection between body and soul. They emit a translucent cloud of gas from the pores of their body. This gas somewhat resembles mist, but has a strange, sour taste to it. Any who breathe this in will suffer the effects immediately. The chaotic nature of the soul will become more and more scrambled, making it harder and harder for it to interact with the body. In turn, this decreases the entropy of the Mistant's soul and makes them more connected with their body. Mistants can gain incredible sharp senses of perception as a result of this ability.

In strong light, the boosted perceptions of a Mistant are overloaded. They will become blinded and deafened if the light is too strong or if left out in it for too long.

The powers of a Mistant are spread by casting the benefactor's own shadow on the recipient for at least 24 full hours continuously. If the shadow even wavers off the victim, even for a moment, the ritual will have to be restarted.

There are no known Mistants at this time.

### Sycophants

Sycophants are vampires that steal a person's own emotions and sense of likability. This is done simply by talking with the victim. Once a few words are exchanged while the power is active, the vampire will be able to sense the victim's surface-level emotions, just like many psionics are capable of. This will eventually leave the victim feeling socially drained.

In strong light, it is harder for the Sycophant to establish the connection with their victim.

The powers of a Sycophant are spread by the Sycophant convincing several people emotionally close to the recipient of a lie about that person. As powers are usually spread willingly, the recipient will usually have a hand in crafting the nature of the lie to be as plausible and non-damaging as possible.

Known Sycophants include Canlin Destrow

## Culture

*See also: The Coven*

Vampire culture is very secretive by its nature. They primarily live together and have no homeworld to call home. Instead, they are a nomadic people and change planets every few years. While individuals are de jure allowed to leave the group, their secretive nature takes hold and they will hunt down any and all who leave.

There are some codes that vampire culture primarily upholds. The primary ideal is that they only turn individuals by consent, and never by force. This is reinforced by the difficulty of spreading the powers when the victim does not want them.

The reason that vampires live together is to ensure their secrecy. Each type contributes a form of protection to the group that would make them vulnerable to be without.