Vampires

Perhaps the most well-known of the various curses that can befall a sapient, vampirism is both misunderstood and a bit of a question mark. Due to this, I went to great effort interviewing known vampires, Gods (and Goddesses), dragons, spirits, and virtually anyone who had any provable information on vampirism.

Origin

For this, I had to ask the Gods themselves, as no others could give me any answer beyond speculation. This was still a mostly fruitless endeavour, until the Goddess Eigengrau took pity on me and deigned to give me a short interview. It seems vampirism was a curse wrought upon a nobleman many thousands of years ago by all of the Gods, for a blasphemy so great, the Goddess Eigengrau only agreed to tell me what it was on the condition that I do not repeat what it was to anybody. Suffice to say, it was warranted.

Eigengrau robbed him of the ability to die naturally, Vordea took his ability to age, Zalas took the ability to love, The Raven King took his ability to procreate. Vaust took pity on the man, and simply took his reflection. Dead God Agbus’s punishment was the most severe, however. He took the vampire’s ability to stand in sunlight. He cursed him to burst into flame if the sun’s rays were to touch his skin, but it was Sargon the Judge who gave him the vampire’s defining attribute. Eigengrau herself told me it was Sargon’s “blessing”, as she derisively called it, that turned vampirism into what it is today. He cursed him to be unable to enjoy food, and forevermore be forced to feed on the blood of those he abandoned.

It was at this point Eigengrau told me she had the last laugh against Sargon and made it a disease, as in her own words, “the Judge is far too full of himself”. She said if Sargon is the Father of Vampirism, then she is the Mother. I then asked her what she thinks of the modern day vampire, and the answer somewhat surprised me. She calls the vampires her children, and said that while she cannot cure the divine disease the flows within them, she protects them from destruction at the hands of the other Gods, who regret their mistake. Perhaps the old folk legend of vampires being “Death’s Children” has some truth to it after all.

Diet

While the folk legends say vampires drain the blood of their victims dry, leaving them as husks, I wanted the truth so I was forced to track down a Baron who shall remain nameless in exchange for his co-operation. The diet of a vampire is indeed exclusively the blood of the living of any race, be it human, dwarf, elf, or even dragon. He described each blood as having a certain fragrance and odour to it, comparing it to wine. In addition, the smarter the person, the better it tastes.

When asked about draining victims dry, his expression changed to one of disgust and anger. It seems only the lowest of the low in “vampiric society” would even consider doing such a deed, as the risks are great and the reward philosophical at best. The Baron went on to say that he obtains his blood mostly from his servants and castle staff willingly, with occasional outings into town much like one might go to the Pub. It appears the Aristocratic Vampire is therefore no different than a regular aristocrat, except perhaps more honest.

A chance encounter at The Hissing Lobster Inn in the Dragontail Mountains allowed me to get another perspective. A query with the ever present Innkeeper directed me to an adventuring party who were staying in the Inn for the next several days. While initially hostile toward me, the reveal that I was writing a book on the behaviours and habits of the supernatural put them at ease. It seems the one clad in thick black robes was in fact a still young but quite powerful vampire. I first told her what The Baron told me about his diet and asked for her thoughts. She smiled at me and said that it was mostly true, saying the Baron was very clever about weaving half-truths into his claims. She declined to say what they were, calling them secrets not meant for mortal ears. It seems for the adventuring vampire, obtaining blood is done by the methods described in the folktales; creeping into a house, a kiss on the neck, and leaving just as quietly. Draining is reserved for murder targets, it seems.

Behaviour

Every single vampire I encountered, without exception, is exceedingly paranoid, perhaps for good reason. The vampire is vilified in folklore and in stories, so they need to constantly be on guard not to let their secret slip out, lest a mob of locals descend on them. The young lass in the Inn told me you gain no special powers from vampirism beyond the divine curses, so it’s mostly paranoia from centuries (or perhaps millennia) of being alive, avoiding mortals who might figure why exactly the Old Mage in the tower outside town never seems to age and only comes out at night. Dealing with vampires is like dealing with Port Sulala customs agents: Don’t, it’s not worth the hassle.

Appearance

Apart from the predatory eyes and exaggerated canine teeth, there is no way to tell a vampire from a mortal besides exposing them to sunlight. I did not see a vampire burn in sunlight first hand, but the vampires I spoke with described it in great detail. It is as if a conflagration suddenly overtakes the vampire, and they spontaneously ignite into flames. The stronger (and perhaps older) the vampire, the longer they can survive, but for the vast majority of vampires, it is lethal in less than 30 seconds, leaving behind only a pile of ash.