Vampirism

## **History**

The history of Vampirism is largely unknown to the populace of Ludwag, a secret kept closely guarded by the few *high vampires* who exist in Azura. Stories were disseminated as misinformation by the high vampires often ferried by rumor and lies have muddied the vampire myth. This has left the common Ludwagian confused or outright stumped on the true origin of vampires.

The *High vampires* know the truth, the curse is not divine, not aetherial or intentional at all. The curse started as an accident. An individual known as the ***Progenitor*** is thought to have experimented with ***wild magic***, testing its boundaries and abilities like an overzealous child with a new toy. The person with a lack of restrictions quickly found themselves wielding untold amounts of wild vitoric energy flowing through the realm and the continent as a whole.

The power they held corrupted their mind, driving them to experiments largely thought to be insane, impossible, or otherwise inhumane. Soon enough, after their imagination had run thin, experiments on live animals began with rats, mice, wolves, and bats. Utilizing the raw power they possessed drove them into insanity with a single goal: immortality. They toiled with the energy, with lives and souls that were not theirs, continuing to work tirelessly; they feared nothing more than death itself. Through countless trials with the deaths of many animals and people, the Progenitor managed to produce a spell that he thought would work.

Fate must’ve had a twisted sense of humor, as the combination of raw energy and the blood of so many altered him severely. He received his wish, he did not age. He was the first “modern” accursed, or what will become known as **vampires**.

- -

What was once could be determined individually as animal or human shifted and altered and became something new. In that time the warped body he couldn’t recognize became his own, he was content with his long-lasting life.

His body however rejected these unnatural restraints, calling desperately for food. The man tried to satiate his hunger with bread, vegetables, and cooked meat. None of this affected his gnawing appetite thus he continued to degrade mentally and physically. In desperation, he attempted to eat raw venison and found its blood-like sweet nectar. His pain subsided, and his sanity slowly recovered as a result. His mind quickly realized that his body longed for blood...

Years passed as he consumed animal blood in large quantities. He slaughtered the cows, and as that livestock ran short, he began to grow desperate once more. This time he killed dogs, cats, wild-life all sorts. His hunger grew until the man slayed a traveler, consuming him. The deranged Progenitor found that the blood of sentient humanoids tasted even better, and it worked to keep his sanity in check, but more importantly... it rejuvenated him.

The decades now passed, the Progenitor continued to kidnap and siphon the blood from people with the fangs he had grown so long ago. Unknowingly, some of those he left alive became vampires in their own right. These original few are thought to be the current **high vampires**, the original descendants of the *Progenitor*. As sons and daughters became grandparents, fear took hold of the people in the area. Soon, parties were formed and expeditions trailed the Progenitor’s escapades one by one, slowly gaining on him with each careless mistake he made in his state of bliss and self-imposed false security.

At an unknown date and time, a party of mercenaries managed to track down the Progenitor, where they attempted to cut him down in anger. There was no chance of redemption, as the mercenaries burned down decades; perhaps even a century of his research to ash and dust. All that remained were the few who had been passed down the vitoric energy, transforming them into vampires. The Progenitor fled, disappearing into the night, keeping in touch with his *‘children'*. His work was destroyed, his legacy was not.

- -

Through the years, the separated new vampires had caught wind of the Progenitor’s work, seeking out what little could be scavenged from the fires and angry populace. Some accepted their new way of life, using the small incomplete rituals to form themselves from incumbents into fully-fledged vampires. Others committed suicide, unwilling to change with their lives and corresponding events. What remained of the small group of people were now fewer in number, but they had no choice but to carry out the magician’s work with the arcane energy that he had used. Unless of course, they desired a long and painful death by starvation.

Through necessity, these original vampires spread the curse more and more, sometimes intentionally and sometimes accidentally. Vampirism turned into one man’s mistake, meddling with forces he was not supposed to, into a widespread curse, despised and hunted down for its brutal and parasitic nature.

## **Abilities**

### **Forms and Levels**

*Incumbent Vampires*, alternatively referred to as “Lesser Vampires”, or “Fledgling Vampires” are those recently blighted with the curse of Vampirism. At this stage, a cursed individual grows pronged fangs where their canines had once been, develops a pale complexion, with the skin oftentimes becoming an off-color of the originals, and is granted the ability to see in the dark with relative ease. *Incumbent Vampires* grow to be considerably photosensitive, and often must shield their eyes from the sun to avoid discomfort and irritated eyes. Most incumbent vampires are recluses, because of their inability to hide their vampiric traits. They require **blood** to survive, and if they do not feed often, they will become *deprived vampires*. At this stage, Vampires develop a phobia of holy symbols (ex: amulets, rosaries), often becoming irrationally paranoid in their presence. However, with all phobias, this can be stunted through time and exposure. Incumbent Vampires are **not ageless**, nor do they have control over wild magic. Anyone blighted with the curse of **vampirism is** **unable to have children.**

Upon becoming an *Ascended Vampire*, the individual can conceal their features more than before, at the cost of having to **constantly consume blood**. Ascended Vampires can return color to their skin and retract their fangs when sufficiently fed, effectively concealing themselves and going on about their days integrated into society. However, there are still some obvious signs that cannot be ignored. The vampire’s tendency to be irritated and disoriented by light remains the same, if not heightened. They often avoid going out during the day entirely, using large cloaks and body coverings to shield themselves if they do. Aside from this, the strength a Vampire possesses in this stage is obvious. Their speed maxes out at around 18 mph, far greater than that of the average person.

### **Blood Omens**

*Blood Omens* are a central ability for Vampires. This ability is a gift of their unnatural blood that was granted to them by the Progenitor’s own experimentation, allowing them to **shift their appendages into useful objects**. At an *incumbent level*, they are capable of shifting *one* of their limbs into a lethal weapon. What they can do with this limb is limited, however. The incumbent can choose to strengthen their limb to the level of *boiled leather*, grow claws capable of slashing through *chainmail and gambeson*, extending their limbs to *4 feet* for grappling attacks, and more. Upon ascending to a higher level, the Vampire is capable of performing these blood omens with *all* of their limbs. Their proficiency increases with their leveling, now being capable of hardening their limbs to the level of *stone*, their claws being able to cut through *chainmail rings with ease*, and can extend their limbs *10 feet*. At this point, they can essentially form their limbs into any shape they desire, though they are **unable to pierce plate**, they are likely able to use their increased strength to assist them in striking down heavily armored foes.

### **Regeneration**

Vampires possess an extremely powerful regenerative ability when sufficiently fed. An *Incumbent Vampire* is able to close **small cuts, slashes, and bruises within a few seconds** when they have *recently* fed on someone. However, deeper cuts and slashes, bone breaks, and injuries of that caliber require *additional feeding to heal* as opposed to healing on its own. They are **unable to regrow lost limbs** and appendages **at this level**. Upon becoming an *Ascended Vampire*, their regenerative ability is heightened. Smaller cuts and slashes become unfeasible. Deeper cuts, slashes, and bone breaks are healed within a **few minutes**. Severed limbs and appendages may even be regrown, though they will take a **few hours** to do so.

* **(PTC is still required to remove a vampire’s limbs)**

## **Vampire Forms**

Vampires are able to choose between **3** separate forms. Often they’ll alternate between 2 forms or stay mostly at 1. Each form is unique and entirely different in looks, form, and operation. It is theorized vampires are able to change their forms due to the connection they have with their blood with its affinity and close ties with wild magic. The first form is the vampire’s normal base form, nothing has changed since infection besides their irritation to light, their skin becoming pale and their fangs growing out to allow puncture wounds to lap up and consume blood. The second takes the form of a normal bat, and lastly the third is a hybrid of the 2.

* **Normal forms**

A vampire’s normal form is determined by what they looked like originally. The only variation from their non-cursed form is the fact their skin is noticeably paler (than the average person of their race.) They also develop fangs from their canine teeth, giving them a distinctive fanged appearance.

· *Vampires can still hide their fangs.*

· *Incumbents are able to shrug off lesser injuries such as shallow stabs and slashes, including a couple minor fractures. Ascended Vampires are able to push through more major strikes such as multiple broken bones, or deep and penetrating thrusts. Yet Ascended struggle to tank the loss of limbs, shattered bones, or large amounts of flesh being sliced off. (A majority of their upper or lower body.)*

*It should be noted that a Vampire's pain tolerance is not infinite, they will feel the effects of agonizing pain when their limit is passed. Pain tolerance also does not mean they can ignore pain, but it means they can push past the pain to achieve acts that normal sentients cannot do without going into shock. It is expected this be roleplayed correctly.*

* **Regular Bats**

A vampire is able to transform itself into a small bat and fly at a maximum of 30 MPH. (Hard capped.) They stand at 16 inches tall. Vampires cannot use echolocation even if they are in the form of a small bat, for all intents and purposes act like themselves and have the traits their original race has. They hear, smell, see and touch like how they did out of the small bat form.

* **Hybrid**

The hybrid form is a large humanoid bat capable of sustaining short bursts of flight at 15 MPH. Like the previous 2 forms, they operate the same, except for their strength which increases comparably to a strong orc. When in this Hybrid form vampires grow up to 6’6 feet tall, if a vampire is taller than 6’6'' they grow a single inch above their previous height. Hybrid forms can also exist in daylight, able to be used in combat anytime. Vampires can use KHP maximum untransformed, however, in Hybrid form they have to take it off. Hybrid forms cannot pick up people or animals weighing more than 50 LBs with their legs.

*· Forms can not be changed within **combat**. The only exception is a vampire changing from **normal to Hybrid**, which they can not do with other forms and vice versa.*

*(Ex. In a combat situation, it merely takes too long for a vampire to change back from hybrid to normal or small bat, thus preventing them from easily changing or slipping away for fairness.)*

##### ***Deprived Vampire***

* Vampires malnourished from blood. They devolve to become on par to a beast, diminishing into animalistic attributes  with senseless wanton for blood. Deprived Incumbents are deranged, feral and entirely savage with no possibility of aiding their maligned state - only seen nocturnally.

## **High Vampires**

Creatures so rare others doubt their existence and knowledge about them may be found in the oldest minds of former vampire hunters. High Vamdemi are deemed to be extinct, as none has been reported to live in Ludwag for ages. No books or notes tell about their descriptions or strength, although even if they loom, they shall remain elusive from any mortal, lurking in the darkness, silently awaiting to sow terror across Azura once again.

* **High Vampires are strictly staff and event-locked.**

### **Katteri Vampires**

* (5/22/2021) Katteri vampires are **no longer** attainable. Current Katteris can't infect / progress any further.

## **OOC CLARIFICATION**

* Blood Omen conjured weapons can not pierce **Plate armor +**.
* Blood Omen conjured **body enhancements**, such as wings, can not be sustained for more than short bursts.
* Blood can change forms to be like weak (nitric) acid, harden to the strength of wood or act like a liquid via Blood Omens.
* Blood omens can not form pseudo-limbs if **PTC’d.**
* Blood omens can not harden to the level of **plate armor**, skin can be hardened to resemble ***boiled leather.***
* Vampires must be approved through one-moderator approval after **a month of development**.
* Blood Omen can also be **used while in Hybrid form**, yet not on regular bat form.
* Blood Omen conjured weapons take a **few seconds** to form.
* It takes time for pseudo-limbs to form, small ones take a few seconds, large ones take a minute.
* Vampires can only use **HP** (Half-Plate) as maximum while untransformed, however, in Hybrid form, they will have to take it off.

***All Blood Omen abilities that a Vampire wishes to use must be written down in an application for Moderators to review.***

* Vampires can only have **5 custom Blood Omens** as maximum. It takes too much effort for a Vampire to create beyond 5 blood omen abilities due to the process of creating a blood omen is physically and mentally taxing, primarily consisting of experimentation and physical exertion (forcing your blood to bend to your will), and extreme focus. The vampire fights against their own body to try and force it to bend to the will of their actions over the course of a few hours or even days. Every time a new blood omen is created, more and more energy must be exerted as the vampire’s body fights back against these changes.

***BLACKLISTED BLOOD OMENS***

* You cannot create pseudo sentient creatures. (Blood animals, or insects that can act on their own, or in swarms.)
* You cannot fundamentally change your physical characteristics internally. (Strength levels and speed levels without any structural differences.)
* You cannot control your internal blood flow to heal yourself beyond normal means for an ascended.
* You CAN change some things cosmetically internally, your eye color can be changed as for concealment purposes, and you can very slightly alter the color of your blood from regular crimson to mahogany red. You CAN have some form of x-ray to see blood flow, but it counts as an omen.
* You cannot have an ability that renders you intangible or your mortal form unable to be harmed by others by any given means.