Blodlich

Homo nemortuis

∙ Ghouls

∙ Liches

A blodlich (*Homo nemortuis defuncta / a.k.a H. admordeo*), sometimes called a wampyr, is a paranormal species of biologically undead, semi-transgenic (Desmodontinae), and facultatively haematophagic homosapienoids, similar to the vampire but distinct in that they they are a species and are not the result of any kind of demonic manifestation or manipulation. Like the jinn, they are capable of being both good and evil. Blodliches must regularly consume the blood of the living in order to maintain their powers and their undecayed state. If they do not sustain themselves their bodies

   will start to slowly decompose. This process can be reversed by consuming blood, which allows their body to regenerate. They cannot starve to death as starvation will only force them into a state of anhydrobiotic torpor. Being undead blodliches don't actually require food for sustenance and survive on blood for the sole purpose of siphoning vitality and life-essence with which to rejuvenate their deceased bodies which grants them some form of biological vitality. They are able to ingest and even digest most other kinds of food, but only in moderate amounts with the exception of meat which can potentially take up more than 28% of their diet. Aside from blood, physical needs are greatly reduced. They are nearly as close to humans as possible: they normally display the same attributes; the same physical appearance and intelligence as a human with the main exceptions being several shared supernatural traits as well as changes to their appearance, inner biology, mentality, and diet

As they are already dead, blodliches can only feel pain or fatigue in a limited capacity and seem to possess a supernatural ability to recover from seemingly all injuries far quicker than is believably possible. Thus they are extremely resilient and possess enhanced regenerative abilities so potent that they can regrow small appendages (ie. tongue, ears, nose), cartilage, brain matter, nerve endings, adult teeth, and even entire organs. They also have the ability to reattach limbs and even their own head (but only if they manage to retrieve it in less than 8 minutes). Their bodies are somewhat flame retardant and do not require oxygen to function. They also cannot be killed via drowning, deprivation, electrocution, suffocation, disease, most toxins (see Blodlich Weaknesses :), radiation exposure, falling from a great height, being run over by a car or other vehicle, heart injuries, pulmonary injuries, intestinal injuries, testicular injuries, or most other forms of injury. They may be vulnerable to explosions or being literally ripped to shreds although they also possess a viable capacity for self resurrection. Blodliches may often seem unconcerned or reckless, no longer burdened by the cares and worries of the living, and so tend to have a slightly misanthropic or antagonistic attitude towards humans.  Since they are undead their bodies do not age the same way humans do. However telomere damage over time can occur if they are not well fed, causing wrinkles to appear and their hair to turn white. Over the course of nigh on two-thousand years they gradual turn into very large batlike creatures before dying due to necrosis and brain damage at about 3,000 years.

## Etymology :

Blodlich (/blɒdˈlɪtʃ/;[1] from Old English blōd meaning "blood" and līċ meaning "corpse") is a type of undead creature, specifically a bloodsucking revenant. They are also mistakenly referred to as ghouls, vampires, and wights.

## Biology :

Blodliches have a high physical capability and are three to seven times stronger than the average human: they are able to send a human flying if struck with enough force, and can penetrate a human's body with their bare hands. They are also capable of jumping to heights not achievable by a regular human. Their bodies are also resistant to injury. A blodlich's senses are keener than those of humans. They can smell blood from afar and can even differentiate individuals based on scent.

**Muscles/Connective Tissue:** About 90 percent of wampyric muscles are of the fast-twitch variety (compared to 50 percent for the average human). This brand of musculature enables short bursts of maximal force, ideal when hunting prey. However, unlike typical fast-twitch muscles, wampyric muscles are extremely resistant to fatigue, thanks to a drastic increase in myoglobin and mitochondria. Ligaments and tendons thicken in response to the workload imposed upon them by the muscles. A blodlich should have the muscle mass of a bodybuilder, yet despite this they often appear to be of particularly low or medium build with a willowy and athletic frame.

**Skeletal System:** Osteoblast production causes a blodlich's entire skeleton to harden and thicken, both during the coma and after each feeding. All the bones are also very flexible and lightweight allowing for further enhanced speed and mobility. From the upper canines are distended two tiny and very thin razor sharp protrusions. They are formed during transformation, during which the upper eyeteeth experience growth as additional enamel is deposited on the crown of each tooth, creating razor sharp venipunctural teeth which are locked into place and are able to puncture veins with an almost surgical precision.

**Disease Resistance :** In addition to natural antibiotics that slow the growth of harmful bacteria, most viruses are simply incompatible with vampirized cells thanks to changes in their surface proteins.

## **Reproduction**

A male blodlich that is older than 450 years old (that being 450 years since it was turned) is capable of producing live (or "unlive") offspring by copulating with a female blodlich that is older than 70 years. These children are known as purebloods (H. n. nosferat). They are born un-dead yet age at a rather accelerated rate up until after puberty, only then do they stop aging. Purebloods are a pure and transcendent breed of wampyr. Blodliches older than 640 years can't make purebloods.

A male blodlich less than 500 years old can procreate with a sexually matured female human, thus creating dhampiri (*H. n. vivens)*. Once a blodlich reaches 800 years they become 100% sterile. All blodliches, regardless of age or disposition, are able to create another blodlich via hemogenous lateral gene transfer with another human, thereby achieving species conversion from *H. sapiens* to *Homo n. defuncta*. This is of course done via the Hemophagic Vitomortosis, otherwise known as HV.

## **Aging**

Being undead, blodliches don't age in the same way that humans do. Within HV's microbiome is Chpv-V (Chiropteran Parvovirus V), also known as the Desmodontinae strain, in addition to a type of Ghoulification spell. This causes them to transform into giant zombie like vampire bat-blodlich hybrids called night creatures, before eventually dying of necrosis and tissue deterioration at around the age of 6,000 years (give or take). Purebloods do not undergo this change and are completely immortal.

## **Powers/Abilities :**

* Living Dead Physiology
* Undead Pulse
* Dead Heart
* Skeletal Muscle Circulation
* Peak Human Condition
* Enhanced Stealth
* Enhanced Reflexes
* Enhanced Parkour
* Superhuman Speed
* Double Jump
* Walljump
* Weapon Proficiency
* Stimulated Endurance
* Accelerated Healing
* Regenerative Durability
* Blood Clotting
* Limb Reattachment
* Head Reattachment
* Vitalophagy (using blood as a medium)
* Desmodontinae Semi-Transgenic
* Blood Flow Vision
* Organ regrowth
* Mesmerization
* Fear Inducement
* Levitation
* Wallcrawling/ Surface Scaling
* Exspiravit Mimicry
* EMF Manipulation
* Mistform
* Atmokinesis
* Gray Necromancy
* Therianthropy/ Animal Morphing
* Animal Manipulation
* Bat Swarming/dispersion
* Dream Manipulation
* Dream Walking
* Pain Suppression
* Umbrageous Fast-travel
* Umbrageous Teleportation
* Shadow Camouflage
* Shadow Marionet
* Night Empowerment
* Cemetery Empowerment
* Exanimation Dormancy
* Coffin Sleeping
* Heroism Embodiment

## Infection :

A human can become a wampyr, either by drinking the blood of one, or by contracting the pathogen through other means. For those turned by exposure to wampyric blood, the victim first contracts an effect called *sanguinare creperum* which causes the person to convulse in pain and shock before dying soon thereafter. The victim must then spend three days in their exanimate state while the transfiguration rapidly takes place. Alternatively one can be transformed by being repeatedly visited and fed on by a wampyr over a period of several weeks, but only if the continual blood loss results in the victim's death at some point. During that time the victim is infected with a pathogen carrying the supernatural curse of wampyrism and begins to experience flulike symptoms in addition to compulsive overeating (usually at night), bilirubinemia, insomnia, and hyperthyroidism.

**The later progressive symptoms include:**

* Unintentional weight loss
* Loss of appetite
* Fever
* Chills
* Sensation of the patient's life being drained
* Delayed sleep phase disorder
* Fatigue
* Unaccounted-for strength
* Mydriasis
* Areas of discoloration
* Coughing up small amounts of blood

## ***Hemoglophagic Vitomortosis* - The pathogen**

Wampyric transfiguration in homo sapiens is caused by supernatural pathogen called HV which appears to be some form of supersized virus. HV, also known as HVRP (Human Vampiric Reanimation Plague), is short for COHV (Crypto Opiatic Hemophagia Vitomortosis). Other animals can be infected with HV, though the transfiguration is watered down to merely glowing red irises, fangs (if not already present) and immortality. In fact it is common for wampyri to have immortal, vampirized pets (or steeds).

HV contains a significantly larger genetic code base than typical viruses, and even most pathogens in general. Such capacity for functional complexity affords a broad scope for rewriting disparate regions of a host's genetic makeup, resulting in systemic transformation of the organism. However unlike a virus the pathogen is multigenomic, containing t's own microbiome signature which triggers a transformation in a dead or nearly dead human host to a member of the undead. HV possesses both RNA and DNA strands which grant it much more flexibility when infecting a human host. The pathogen is neither waterborne nor airborne, and perishes rather quickly in an open environment making it incredibly difficult to analyze in lab conditions.

Upon contracting it, HV introduces it's bacterial microbiome which sits resident in the host until the disease kills them, only then triggering the rapid full blown transformation from human to blodlich in little more than three days and three nights, and then finally reanimating the deceased the following evening on the stroke of midnight. However few certain changes to the human genome do take place before the victim expires, the most perplexing is the immediate change from whatever blood type the person has to the blood type coined "V" which is similar to O- and can allow successful transfusion to a human host of any blood type. However differing characteristics of blood type V involves a single Rh antigen and a number of HV antigens.

Changes to the blood itself include elevated iron and bile levels, high viscosity, immunity to prion diseases, and the production of hemerythrin in addition to hemoglobin. Wampyric blood is a very dark plum-red color as opposed to the brighter crimson of human blood. Blood volume increases by 7-10 percent and all oxygenated blood is redistributed and sequestered deep in the core.

While most viruses and other pathogens are highly specific in what tissues they target, HV is able to infect every living cell in the body, with the exception of red blood cells (which are replaced over time by the infected bone marrow. Vampirized bone marrow is able to produce altered and highly infectious erythrocytes, white ichor cells, as well as hemerythrin). It's also much less destructive, as it can effectively transform tissues without causing cancer or necrosis. In effect, the pathogen takes over the cell's machinery and uses it as a factory for more viral proteins. This usually kills the cell, since it can no longer perform its normal functions, and the release of pathogen progeny is quite damaging to the cell's membrane but with HV, the cell is instead altered so that it can "multitask" its own needs—such as regenerating its membrane—while also producing HV clones. Infection of the thyroid gland raises the host's metabolism, allowing the pathogen to spread even faster throughout the body. After reanimation the metabolism returns to normal and then slows down even further, allowing them to survive on a purely liquid diet, as well as less oxygen. As long as the infected stays well fed, the pathogen will also kill off any contaminants, insects, or microorganisms, even the bacteria that play a role in natural decomposition. The microbiome consists of multiple distinct strands in addition to isolated genes, all of which together result in all the changes mentioned in this document. HV is facultatively anaerobic and is immune to both antibiotics and environmental trauma. It has a particular immunity to digestive enzymes and is capable of remaining completely intact while being digested and immediately makes it's way into the bloodstream. However, it is neither water nor airborne, and perishes rather quickly in an open environment. The only possible way infection can occur is either through contact with infected blood, either through ingestion or blood-to-blood transfusion, and in rare cases other infected bodily fluids. Once infected, little can be done to stop it as it is incurable. Immunization is useless, as even a single virion will eventually lead to a complete infection, as the pathogen can apparently mutate to resist the human immune system, and the HV pathogen will die off if it is not met with the conditions necessary for infection—thus making both infection and immunization impossible. Any attempt to form stronger human antibodies, develop virus-resistant cell structures, or counter-viruses will inevitably prove unsuccessful as well. In order for there to be a full blown infection, infected blood (also called dark ichor) has to be introduced into the circulatory system of the uninfected subject. The ichor introduced must be at least 6% higher in volume than the subjects own blood. If any other method manages to work the transformation will be very slow and the end result will not be a pure bred wampyr.

## **HV symptoms and abilities (each activated in chronological order) :**

* Cold Resistance 1 - Pathogen is naturally able to withstand cold temperatures and climates.
* Cold Resistance 2 - Hardened virus capsid ensures pathogen survival in extremely cold environments.
* Ice Resistance - Pathogen able to survive and actively spread in cryogenized blood, and to some extent other bodily fluids.
* Drug Resistance 1 - Pathogen becomes resistant to class 1 and 2 antibiotics.
* Drug Resistance 2 - Pathogen develops resistance to class 3 and 4 antibiotics.
* Drug Resistance 3 - Pathogen highly resistant to all known antibiotics. Harder to develop any kind of cure.
* Heat Resistance 1 - Pathogen is evolved to withstand hot temperatures and climates.
* Heat Resistance 2 - Pathogen is evolved some resistance to high temperatures. Increased effectiveness in hot climates.
* Heat Resistance 3 - Pathogen avoids cellular breakdown in high temperatures. Increased effectiveness in hot climates.
* Immunization Resistance 6 - Attempts at immunization prove largely unsuccessful, the process becoming quite complicated and far more difficult than anticipated.
* Genetic Hardening 1 - Pathogen becomes incredibly difficult to analyse in the lab.
* Genetic Hardening 2 - The pathogen does not reproduce in lab conditions.
* Genetic Hardening 3 - The pathogen cannot be found or analyzed anywhere in nature outside of the infected host.
* Genetic Hardening 4 - The pathogen attains a ghostlike quality, becoming cryptic and elusive.
* Genetic Reshuffle - Multiple strains of the pathogen can exist, increasing the work needed to develop a cure.
* Full DNA Repair - The Host's DNA fully reconstructed, giving access to entire genetic code from *Homo nemortuis defuncta*. Pathogen can now entirely reshape human temperament.
* **Shadow plague -** Pathogen becomes umbrageous and embodies the esoteric elements of Shadow, Blood, Earth, and Spirit.
* Pupura - It causes faint purple spots to form due to pathogen spread. However it is not fatal.
* Septicemic Plague - Pathogen has the ability to infect the blood stream and develop into a septicemic form of plaguelike pathogen. Rare and very lethal (although it results in reanimation).
* Pneumonic Plague - Pathogen has the ability to infect and alter respiratory system and develop into a pneumonic form of plaguelike pathogen. Airborne transmission however remains impossible.
* Facultatively anaerobic resuscitation - Gives ghouls the ability to temporarily switch to anaerobic respiration in order to circumvent oxygen deprivation. Further adaptations prevent lactic acid buildup and other factor's that could cause permanent damage.
* Bubonic Plague - Pathogen has the ability to infect lymphatic system and develop into a bubonic form of plaguelike pathogen.

1. Minor Buboes - A person's infected lymph nodes become mildly swollen. When they burst, the aerosolized pus can fly at other people, which may infect them. HV buboes are not painful and go away after the first 3 weeks after transformation.

* Fluidic transmission - Pathogen is mainly blood borne. Infection through exposure to other bodily fluids is possible but much less likely and infection takes longer in such cases.
* **100% Systemic Infection -** Pathogen affects and mutates nearly every organ and tissue type in the body.
* Digestive immunity - Pathogen is immune to digestive enzymes and is able to enter the blood stream fully intact. Ingestion of infected blood becomes by far the most rapid and efficient method of infection resulting in almost instantaneous death followed by reanimation 3 days later. The host becomes more inclined to force feed victims his or her blood in order to make new revenants in order to form a nest.
* Blood gift -  It allows the pathogen to replicate in the host's bloodstream.
* Extreme Haemoaerosol - It allows the pathogen to survive for long periods of time in the blood that has exited the body, increasing infectivity significantly.
* Sanguinare Effect - It causes HV to release toxic mutagens when infected blood is ingested by an uninfected host which will end up killing them in less than 2 minutes, turning them into a ghoul in the process.
* Total Organ Failure - Infection leads to catastrophic cell death of multiple tissue types causes body-wide organ failure and a swift death.
* Brain Dormancy - brain remains alive but in a completely dormant state during the postmortem transformation.
* Inter-genus Species Conversion - Converts *Homo sapiens* to *H. nemortuis*.
* Enhanced cytopathic reanimation - Activation takes place at the stroke of midnight, precisely three days and three nights after total organ failure and death. By then species conversion and all other previous symptoms/abilities have been developed and completed. Formation of complex neural structures enables re-animation of dead cells and instantly regenerates any damaged ones and additionally restores lower level vitals. All the physiological changes developed during dormancy also become fully active. This ability turns the dead into ghouls while still retaining personality and higher brain functions. For reasons unknown, brain scans show complete brain death despite the brain being fully active at this point.
* Rigor mortis negation - Even in it's exanimate state (which accounts for their "sleep"), the corpse is uncharacteristically pliable and not at all rigid, allowing for mobility that is eerily like that of the living.
* Adrenal surge - Mutation of the adrenal cortex causes adrenaline over-production, increasing alertness and combat advantage.
* Nocturnal - Infected struggle to sleep at night and are very lethargic during the day.
* Pheromone secretion - Axillary steroids manipulates pheromone production, making victims more charismatic and able to easily manipulate/ seduce others.
* Photophobia - As the disease infects the brain, excessive optic nerve impulses trigger an extreme intolerance to light.
* Cathemeral Shift - Stimulation of primary visual cortex improves vision in bright sunlight, making it less difficult.
* Polyphagia  (short-term symptom) - Compulsive hunger forces continuous eating in huge quantities until the need to absorb vitality is finally recognized for what it is.
* Cannibalism - An urgent, compulsive need to bite or eat other humans in order to gain their vitality, significantly increasing infectivity as well as lethality.
* Vampiric Hunger - Ghouls prefer to suck the blood from their prey instead than eat their flesh. Prey more likely to remain intact and become a ghoul.
* Jugular Bite - The infected feel an urge to go and bite others on the neck, significantly targeting the lower jugular area, directly penetrating the carotid artery with surgical precision and sucking the blood in through the teeth.
* Naja Mortis - Muscle growth around submandibular duct allows the throat to act like a suction, drawing in more blood much quicker and more efficiently.
* Hematophagous Denticulation - Hormone changes trigger growth of venipunctural teeth and other hormonal and systemic adaptations that further enable the consumption and metabolization of blood and even raw meat.
* Reduced Mandibular Strain - Decreases the strain imposed on the teeth during biting and feeding.
* Highly Reduced Nailbed Strain - Greatly decreases strain imposed on the nailbeds during snatching, grabbing, clawing, and scratching.
* Laughing Demon - It triggers proneness to sarcasm, dark humour, offensive quips and antagonistic behaviour in the host through hormone adjustment, which increases severity. This infuriates attackers, causing them to act without caution, giving the ghoul the upper hand.
* Vampiric Neuro-genesis - Modifies human\ genes to increase the host's intelligence. Irises become unusually bright and faintly bioluminescent, along with a rather inhuman increase in retinal reflectivity, mild darkening of the sclera which then takes on a slight bluish green pigmentation. No immune response is triggered.

1. Night Wraith - Allows revenants to feed much more stealthily during the night as well as concealing their presence. This allows the revenant to feed for extended periods of time without being spotted by a human, a wampyr hunter, or other potentially hostile creature.
2. Assassin - Ghouls will use their stealth abilities when attacking, increasing their effectiveness when needing to fight.
3. Enhanced Motor Control - Nutrient flow to the parietal lobe increases, improving movement and coordination. Increases severity, particularly in urban environments.
4. Better movement - Ghouls develop much faster reflexes with a more lithe and athletic physique and almost catlike grace.

* Dark Pustles - Infectious cysts resembling Tardieu spots develop, filled with a dark purple umbrageous pus that contains pockets of the pathogen, sparsely spreading across the chest, shoulders, forearms, and some around one side mouth. Increases infectivity and is much harder to cure.
* Apparent Dyspnea - Because of the ghoul's semi-anaerobic nature, their breathing may appear as if they are dying or struggling to breathe.
* Contentedness - It makes hosts like being a vampire more, because they realize that being happy makes their undeath more enjoyable. This makes them less interested in cure development or resisting their true nature.
* Putrefactive Resistance - Pathogen denatures anaerobic microorganisms from digesting proteins - slowing decomposition of corpse. When well fed, regenerative and immune response activation not only slow but completely prevents this.
* Liquefactive Resistance - Pathogen denatures hydrolytic enzymes, slowing liquefactive necrosis and decomposition of corpse. When well fed, regenerative and immune response activation not only slow but completely prevents this.
* Autolytic Decay Immunity - Pathogen completely halts release of digestive enzymes from cells' lysosomes - further preventing the complete decomposition of corpse.
* Hemopotent Regenerative Activation - Active ability enables regeneration of all damaged cellular tissue in the body of the corpse when well fed, creating an unnatural state of eternal preservation or incorruptibility.
* Hemopotent Immuno-stimulation - Reactivating the corpse's immune system, also raising their immune response high enough to fight off bacteria and insects, providing that the ghoul is well fed. All manner of microorganisms and arthropod's will not go anywhere near the flesh of a recently fed ghoul. The revenant's body is suffused with dormant HV virions which are automatically activated in quick violent response to invading pathogens and other contaminants, but this response is enabled only through frequent feeding.
* Cancer Immunity - Proliferation of cancerous cells is actively circumvented by a potent and quick reacting "over-crowding" gene which prevents cellular division once individual cells come into contact—a mechanism known as "contact inhibition." Basically, vampirized cells will commit mass suicide when overcrowded, thus making tumor formation virtually impossible.
* Enhanced sensory integration - Nutrient flow to the occipital and temporal lobes increase substantially. Enhanced sight and hearing improves hunting capabilities.
* Hyperosmia - Thinning of the nasal epithelium significantly heightens revenant sense of smell.
* Blood in the Air - It causes ghouls with their heightened senses to seek fresh blood. They can also detect veins via thermal vision.
* Triggered Subconjunctival Bleed - When provoked or about to feed blood gathers to in the anterior chamber of the eye gives a red appearance to the iris and cornea. When done feeding or at will eyes will return to normal.
* Triggered Vasodilatory Response - When provoked or about to feed vasodilation of the blood vessels in the eye cause the sclera to appear red. When done feeding or at will eyes will return to normal.
* Anticoagulant - Revenant saliva contains strong anticoagulant properties allowing for better feeding.
* Procoagulant - Once finished feeding the victim's blood clotting factor is hastened substantially so that the bite wound is less detectable.
* Frost breath - A ghoul's breath is always quite cold and emit's fog in warm and temperate temperatures due to condensation.
* Temporal Lobe Manipulation - Ghouls attracted to movement and will likely abandon victims once dead.
* Neuro-enhancement - Pathogen able to enter brain cells and modify DNA, improving existing neural pathways. Increases the ghoul's intelligence.
* Cultural Ascension - Ghoul becomes more refined, charismatic, and aristocratic with a darkly sophisticated and mysterious air surrounding them.
* Hominidae Bridge - It allows ape, hominid, and human strains of the pathogen transmit between species, increasing the chance of mutation and enabling the infection to spread from hominoids to humans (and vice versa).
* Desmodontinae Bridge - It allows vampire bat and human strains of the pathogen transmit between species, increasing the chance of mutation and enabling the infection to spread from bats to humans (and vice versa).
* Inter-genus dissemination - It increases the chance of wampyr to human transmission.
* Inter-genus dissemination 2 -  It allows the pathogen to be highly effective at spreading between human and wampyr species, increasing the chance of wampyr to human transmission.
* Extreme Zoonosis – Infection crosses multiple species barrier. Increase infectivity, especially in rural and urban areas, mutation chance and cross-country transmission.
* Lumbrical hypertrophy - It significantly strengthens the grip of the revenant, making it nearly impossible for victims to break free.
* Engorged Quadriceps - Nutrients are stripped from other parts of the corpse and used to repair leg muscles to improve speed and efficiency during group hunts.
* Masticatory Tension - Masticatory muscles become engorged, increasing the effectiveness of biting.
* Peptide Surge - Growth hormone production triggers extreme metabolism of fat to build muscle.
* Super Sprinter - A drastic mutation of the gene ACTN3 increases alpha-actinin-3 production and alters it in a way that results in 93% of the muscles in the body to develop extensive fast twitch fibers allowing for much greater speed while at the same time acquiring equally high levels of endurance.
* Illusory Muscle hypotrophy - Water and fat stores shrink, making all the muscles in the host's body to appear smaller and leaner without reducing any of their strength. This makes the host appear less buff and dangerous than they actually are, causing potential prey to feel less threatened by their presence.
* Autothysis - Explosive mix of hydrogen sulphide and methane collects inside revenant. Significantly increases severity and revenant combat advantage.
* **Extreme Exsanguination Resistance -** Adaptation's to the blood and circulatory system make blood loss extremely improbable with even the most intensive injuries.
* Mummification - A severely injured, starved, or decayed revenant is able to enter a state of hibernation. Significantly reduces rate of revenant decay and also conserves energy.
* Pack Instinct - Active ability lets revenants form packs or nest hunting groups to travel across land and water to attack new lands.
* Structured Travel - Revenants focus on nest leaders - focusing the pack or nest on the direction of travel and increasing travel speed.
* **Cranial Metastasis -** Partial neuron development triggered in the lungs - allowing decapitated corpses to reanimate as well as remain animate for extended periods of time.
* Dermal Calcification - Mutations in the endocrine system cause vulnerable parts of skin to harden and calcify beneath the top layers of skin. Calcification, however, does not change the way the skin looks.
* **Skin hardening -** An extrasensory adaptive response to approaching sharp tools, objects, or weapons causes tiny, interconnecting webs of keratin to shoot across the area before the contact is met, thus hardening the skin and making penetration unlikely. This ability is inactive while the ghoul is unconscious.
* Venous protection - Hardened, protective mucous membranes develop around the vein walls making them harder to pierce. The arteries do not change because they are used for infecting others.
* Heart protection - Calcification of cardiac muscles and the ventricle and aorta walls actively make it more difficult to remove the heart from the body.
* Extraordinarily break-resistant and birdlike bones - Osteoblast production causes the entire skeleton to harden and thicken as the bones become very strong, flexible, and shock resistant without any adverse effects. Further adaptations to the skeletal system causes the bones to also become more lightweight and somewhat birdlike - allowing for increased agility and speed.
* Affection - It makes hosts develop relationships via the manipulation of their adrenal cortexes, increasing infectivity and mutation chance.
* Adrenergic Constriction - It causes beta-receptor blockers, which dampens anxiety in the host. It also lessens the severity of allergic reactions to the host body.
* Anxiolytic Infusion  - It causes a release of neurotransmitters, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, that minimizes allergic reactions to the host body. This also reduces severity, as well as having the secondary effect of making it a little harder for the HV pathogen to be spotted.
* Cerebral Shadow Tendrils - It allows shadow tendril production to begin, increasing the control of the host over their own brain and makes their personality darker and more gothic. This in turn enables dream manipulation and limited telekinetic and telepathic abilities.
* Cytokine Storm - It causes cytokines and immune cells to have a positive feedback loop, which in turn causes elevated immune effectivity
* Vampirized Bat - It causes Eastern European bat species to become natural carriers of HV, those infected becoming hematophagous and addicted to human blood. Unlike wampyri, they are able to quickly spread HV to humans via biting. This mainly takes place in bat colonies around Hungary and Romania.
* Capillary Worm - HV brings arise to a new species of worms that are able to spread infection to humans by entering orifices such as the nose, ears, and mouth, thus entering the blood stream. Once a human is infected the worm dissolves. However humans have a very aggressive instinctual response to them, able to quickly kill them, thus infection is very unlikely. Worm infection leads them to becoming free wandering wights that can only be cast into servitude if a wampyr manages to dominate them.
* Corpse Feeder 1 - It draws infected worms to corpses, therefore increasing infectivity when people die. This makes infection much more probable since the dead cannot attack worms and are thus reanimated as wandering wights.
* Cranial Dispersion - Causes brain matter to be propelled forcefully from fatal head wounds. If the ghoul manages to survive (as they are quite likely to do) their brain will regenerate without any permanent defects and at the same time potentially creating a new wampyr because the brain matter is propelled forcefully enough to split the exposed flesh of anyone who is close enough.

## **Wampyr Weaknesses:**

* Ordinary Silver - Damage inflicted by weapons or tools made silver, especially if it pierces the flesh, can weaken wampyri and inhibit their healing abilities.
* Blessed Silver - The mere presence of objects or artifacts made of silver that has been blessed by a cleric or priest can weaken but not kill most wampyri. Physical contact can even burn their flesh.
* Dead man's blood - The ingestion of blood from a person who has been deceased for some time can be used as a method to incapacitate wampyri briefly.
* Running water - During the first seven year period wampyri are unable to cross running water without human help (ie. being ferried across by a human).
* Decapitation - Wampyri are severely debilitated when their head is cut off. If they fail to retrieve it in less than eight minutes they will be rendered dead. However if the head somehow finds it's way less than 2 feet from the rest of the body they will be revived and can easily reclaim and reattatch their head.
* Staking - Being impaled with a stake or sharp object of any kind, even through the heart, has no effect on wampyri unless they are firmly pinned to something behind them (ie. a wooden coffin or solid earth) and even then they can merely remove whatever is holding them. Since they lack a working heart piercing or otherwise damaging it will do no good. Blood loss is highly unlikely because of the high viscosity, extremely accelerated clotting abilities, and immense oxygen storage capacity of wampyric blood.
* Blood loss - Although highly unlikely, blood loss can debilitate and even incapacitate a wampyr but rarely ever kills it and all they need to do is feed until their blood volume is replenished.
* Fire/burning - Wampyr can take damage from fire although they are somewhat flame retardant and their recovery rate is uncanny. No matter how badly burned unless even the bones are incinerated completely with the ashes being scattered by running water they will regenerate rapidly on a molecular level with not even a hint of scarring.
* Heart removal - Complete removal of the heart, unless done surgically, can be quite a problem because although the heart does not work all the veins and arteries are still connected to it therefore excessive blood loss could very well take place. However it hardly matters whether or not the heart is cut in half and/or burned and if a wampyr survives they will simply grow a new one.
* Starvation/blood deprivation - Being deprived of blood not only waters down the body's putrefactive immunity (thus it merely becomes putrefactive resistance) but also cuts them off from most of their powers and results in a state of withdrawal, also called 'blood rage', which is very similar to *delirium tremens*, the underlying symptom of which is formication which may be caused by microbes and tiny insects slowly decomposing the flesh.
* **Sunlight** - Wampyri are not harmed by sunlight, nor does it severely weaken their powers. However it can cause them to become feverish and uncomfortable. In addition they are photophobic and have hemeralopia due to reflectivity of the retina. They are also mildly Eosophobic feeling an unsevere compulsion to avoid sunlight and the day in general. In addition they do develop sunburn rather quickly, developing second degree burns in less than five hours. However sun exposure is nonlethal and heals much quicker than most sustained injuries.
* **Mistletoe** - European Mistletoe (Viscum album) can be toxic to wampyri if it is ingested or the wampyr is injected with it. Symptoms are gastrointestinal upset, vomiting, and swelling.
* **Deadly nightshade** - Out of all the belladonna plants said to be poisonous to humans only *Atropa belladonna* effects wampyri. It can cause their veins to turn dark green, gray discoloration, bleeding from the nose and mouth, insanity, hallucinations, weakness, fatigue and if not cured eventually true death.
* **Wolfsbane** - Wolfsbane, or monkshood, especially *Aconitum lycoctonum*, can burn the flesh of a wampyr on contact but is not particularly lethal.
* **Vervain** - all verbena plants are a general weakness to wampyri, the mere presence of a vervain plant inhibiting their powers and inhalation can cause drowsiness and even fainting. However only blue vervain (*Verbena officinalis* and *Verbena hastata*) can actually burn their flesh and generally piss them off, but only if it is gathered after sunset or before dawn on the dark of the moon. Drinking the a tea made of vervain is said to ward off most vampiric entities.