Post by Bippwatt on Jan 7, 2017 6:24:24 GMT
Vampires.
Those most feared of things that go bump in the night.
Come one and Come all. Here you shall find the font of Knowledge to wield against all of the Vampires of the worlds. Protect this Knowledge and use it well.
Those most feared of things that go bump in the night.
Come one and Come all. Here you shall find the font of Knowledge to wield against all of the Vampires of the worlds. Protect this Knowledge and use it well.
In the world of the unnatural, Vampires are one of the many more dangerous predatory creatures and fear by many, even among those who possess power of their own to throw at such things.
Here, you shall find a summary of the various kinds of vampires, organized by their House
Here, you shall find a summary of the various kinds of vampires, organized by their House
Red House
Perhaps the most unnatural of all the Vampires, these are little more than humanoid bat-demons wrapped in a human skin. They are incredibly strong, capable of magic if they had the ability before being turned and their saliva induces a very strong euphoric effect in most mammals.
They are burned by sunlight and their weakest point is their stomachs. Rupturing their stomach drains the blood that they have most recently feasted on and thereby weakens most of their abilities, if not downright incapacitating them.
They are burned by sunlight and their weakest point is their stomachs. Rupturing their stomach drains the blood that they have most recently feasted on and thereby weakens most of their abilities, if not downright incapacitating them.
White House
The most human-like of the entire group, the White House of Vampires are emotion vampires. They drain an emotion from humans as their nurture demands.
All of them tend to be extremely beautiful and have rather powerful suggestion powers, nearly bordering on downright mind control. They can also be, if necessary, one of the physically strongest and fastest vampires. However to do so is extremely draining and if they push themselves too far, they must feed deeply to recharge, especially if wounded as well. In such situations, their other nature, the "demon" within them takes control and kills the victim, draining every last bit of their life force. From a social perspective, they respect cloak and dagger techniques more than open violence or direct attacks. In fact, resorting to such is effectively social suicide, as you are effectively admitting that you cannot handle the situation. Deception and trickery is highly respected. And if you are forced to move openly, ensure none live to tell the tale.
There are several primary subsets of these that have the most traction and the most power in the worlds as a whole.
The first is the Calidasa family. They feast upon despair and can tend to inspire it in their prey. Their weakness is pure hope.
The second is the Rowan family. They feast upon rage and wrath and can also cause others to feel it. Their weakness is genuine serenity.
The third is the Velcalmos family. Their emotion of choice is fear and create it in their wake. Their weakness is absolute bravery.
The fourth is the Raith family. Their emotion of choice is lust. They tend to be even more beautiful than most White House Vampires, inspiring lust without even trying. Their weakness is true love. As an added sidenote, it has been noted that a Raith vampire cannot inspire lust in a victim that would not typically be attracted to them. IE: a straight man wouldn't be susceptible to a male Raith's compulsion. This also means that someone who is asexual in a fashion that they have no sexual desires would be immune to Raith vampire wiles, while bisexuals would be susceptible to both male and female Raith vampires. Please note, that it is sexual desire that this is based off of. Love has nothing to do with what the Raiths' inspire. Love is, in fact, their Kryptonite.
The fifth is the Ardonoc family. They prefer the sweet taste of pride and hubris. They tend to be muses for artists and the like, inflating the artist's pride. Their weakness is true humility.
The sixth one is the Karthwasten family. Their food comes in the form of sorrow, with the weakness of pure joy.
The seventh is the final major one. The Kynareth family prefers to partake of shame, capable of somehow causing humans to feel such emotion simply by looking at them. Their weakness is total confidence
There are many more minor houses, who prefer the taste of other emotions, some very specific. Some even sip of more positive emotions, such as amusement, satisfaction, ect.
All of them tend to be extremely beautiful and have rather powerful suggestion powers, nearly bordering on downright mind control. They can also be, if necessary, one of the physically strongest and fastest vampires. However to do so is extremely draining and if they push themselves too far, they must feed deeply to recharge, especially if wounded as well. In such situations, their other nature, the "demon" within them takes control and kills the victim, draining every last bit of their life force. From a social perspective, they respect cloak and dagger techniques more than open violence or direct attacks. In fact, resorting to such is effectively social suicide, as you are effectively admitting that you cannot handle the situation. Deception and trickery is highly respected. And if you are forced to move openly, ensure none live to tell the tale.
There are several primary subsets of these that have the most traction and the most power in the worlds as a whole.
The first is the Calidasa family. They feast upon despair and can tend to inspire it in their prey. Their weakness is pure hope.
The second is the Rowan family. They feast upon rage and wrath and can also cause others to feel it. Their weakness is genuine serenity.
The third is the Velcalmos family. Their emotion of choice is fear and create it in their wake. Their weakness is absolute bravery.
The fourth is the Raith family. Their emotion of choice is lust. They tend to be even more beautiful than most White House Vampires, inspiring lust without even trying. Their weakness is true love. As an added sidenote, it has been noted that a Raith vampire cannot inspire lust in a victim that would not typically be attracted to them. IE: a straight man wouldn't be susceptible to a male Raith's compulsion. This also means that someone who is asexual in a fashion that they have no sexual desires would be immune to Raith vampire wiles, while bisexuals would be susceptible to both male and female Raith vampires. Please note, that it is sexual desire that this is based off of. Love has nothing to do with what the Raiths' inspire. Love is, in fact, their Kryptonite.
The fifth is the Ardonoc family. They prefer the sweet taste of pride and hubris. They tend to be muses for artists and the like, inflating the artist's pride. Their weakness is true humility.
The sixth one is the Karthwasten family. Their food comes in the form of sorrow, with the weakness of pure joy.
The seventh is the final major one. The Kynareth family prefers to partake of shame, capable of somehow causing humans to feel such emotion simply by looking at them. Their weakness is total confidence
There are many more minor houses, who prefer the taste of other emotions, some very specific. Some even sip of more positive emotions, such as amusement, satisfaction, ect.
Gold House
Similar to the White and Blue Houses in the general idea of how their feeding functions, the Gold House has the singular distinction of being almost immune to magic, thanks to their food of choice. Any magic directed at them is simply absorbed and becomes food.
These Vampires are the worst nightmare of many mages. Except those few who have mastered the art of whacking things in the face. Unlike most Vampires, Gold House are physically weaker, only a touch stronger than a typical human. They are ridiculously fast, though. Also rather quick healers. Their greatest weakness would be anti-magic fields or devices. If coming into contact with such a thing without proper protection, they would drop like a puppet with its strings cut, until they were removed from the influence of the field and a source of magic was placed within the area of their aura.
Like White House, they are born, rather than turned.
These Vampires are the worst nightmare of many mages. Except those few who have mastered the art of whacking things in the face. Unlike most Vampires, Gold House are physically weaker, only a touch stronger than a typical human. They are ridiculously fast, though. Also rather quick healers. Their greatest weakness would be anti-magic fields or devices. If coming into contact with such a thing without proper protection, they would drop like a puppet with its strings cut, until they were removed from the influence of the field and a source of magic was placed within the area of their aura.
Like White House, they are born, rather than turned.
Blue House
Put most simply, knowledge vampires. They drain the intellect and knowledge from their victims and gain supreme mental powers as a result. They are unsurpassed telepaths and psions, their minds quite literally becoming their weapon. They were created, in their current form, mostly by Mhoram Stramasmos. The previous incarnation was a pathetic excuse for a vampire, unable to do much more than act emo and sparkle weirdly in sunlight. Mhoram overhauled their genetics with magic and a healthy dose of White House genetics but used some of his own DNA to imbue them with an insatiable thirst for information and knowledge, which manifested as what their darker half hungers for.
Most Blue House vampires swear fealty to Mhoram, either as some strange father figure, or their patron deity/saint.
Like White and Gold House vampires, Blue House vampires are born, not turned.
Most Blue House vampires swear fealty to Mhoram, either as some strange father figure, or their patron deity/saint.
Like White and Gold House vampires, Blue House vampires are born, not turned.
Black House
The Black House of vampires is the type of vampire most people think of when one says "Vampire". Bram Stoker got most of their weaknesses right.
Sunlight, wood in the heart, burning, beheading, holy water, garlic, symbols of faith(not just crosses. The Star of David would work for a devout Jewish, just as a pentacle would work for a Wiccan(or a wizard whose belief lies in their power) or Thor's Hammer would work for a heathen.)
One thing that Stoker missed, though, was their weakness to necromantic magic and healing magic. While they can be powerful casters in their own right, the bodies they inhabit are invariably in some state of death. Some are rotted to nearly skeletons. Others look very chalky white and smell a bit...off. This causes necromantic magic to have a certain...effect on them. Not always beneficial to whomever is casting, but if you know what you're doing, you can use their susceptibility to it to your advantage. Also, as they are most definitely undead, they also suffer extream pain when the target of positive energies, such as healing spells. Likewise, spells that channel negative energies restore them. A good rule of thumb with Black House Vampires: If it works on other undead, it probably works on them.
Unlike most vampires, Black House vampires are neither born nor turned. They are created, usually by powerful mages, typically well-versed in necromantic arts. The process involves raising an undead creature with intelligence but absolutely no will or identity, then transferring one's own soul to the undead construct. Done properly, the mage's old body effectively enters a vegetative state until its bodily functions fail, while the new Black House vampire is now the mage, effectively sustained by the mage's own lifeforce. Most stories of Liches come from Black House vampires. In fact, some people call them Liches, rather than vampires. They do seem to lack quite as much bloodlust as other of the bloodsucking varity. Honestly, they may not even drink blood, save for a few bizzare and perhaps unhinged examples. It may simply be another case of confusion with the Grey House, as Dracula was.
Sunlight, wood in the heart, burning, beheading, holy water, garlic, symbols of faith(not just crosses. The Star of David would work for a devout Jewish, just as a pentacle would work for a Wiccan(or a wizard whose belief lies in their power) or Thor's Hammer would work for a heathen.)
One thing that Stoker missed, though, was their weakness to necromantic magic and healing magic. While they can be powerful casters in their own right, the bodies they inhabit are invariably in some state of death. Some are rotted to nearly skeletons. Others look very chalky white and smell a bit...off. This causes necromantic magic to have a certain...effect on them. Not always beneficial to whomever is casting, but if you know what you're doing, you can use their susceptibility to it to your advantage. Also, as they are most definitely undead, they also suffer extream pain when the target of positive energies, such as healing spells. Likewise, spells that channel negative energies restore them. A good rule of thumb with Black House Vampires: If it works on other undead, it probably works on them.
Unlike most vampires, Black House vampires are neither born nor turned. They are created, usually by powerful mages, typically well-versed in necromantic arts. The process involves raising an undead creature with intelligence but absolutely no will or identity, then transferring one's own soul to the undead construct. Done properly, the mage's old body effectively enters a vegetative state until its bodily functions fail, while the new Black House vampire is now the mage, effectively sustained by the mage's own lifeforce. Most stories of Liches come from Black House vampires. In fact, some people call them Liches, rather than vampires. They do seem to lack quite as much bloodlust as other of the bloodsucking varity. Honestly, they may not even drink blood, save for a few bizzare and perhaps unhinged examples. It may simply be another case of confusion with the Grey House, as Dracula was.
Grey House
Grey House Vampires are closely related to Black House vampires in that they are created by powerful mages, becoming the mage in the process. They share some vulnerabilities, but several of the Black House weaknesses do not work on Grey House Vampires.
First, sunlight. Sunlight has no effect on Grey House Vampires. They are not enough of a perversion against nature for them to be burned by the sun. Second, holy water and symbols of faith. They possess no inherent "unholyness" for such things to do more than they do to a mortal, which makes them wet (for the holy water) or blind them (the light generated by a symbol of faith). Third, not actually being undead, they are not susceptible to necromantic magic. They are healed by positive energy and harmed by negative energy, as normal for living beings. Effectively, the only ways to be rid of them is a wooden stake to the heart, burning, or beheading. Even garlic doesn't work on Grey House
Grey House Vampires cannot take as much damage as Black House Vampires, due to their inherent living status. They are also not quite as strong or fast, limited by actual living flesh. However, they have far fewer weaknesses. Also, they are more capable of casting magic, having the natural source of magic, life, available, since they are still, in fact, alive. In fact, their magics become stronger typically. They are also naturally adept at compulsion and enchantment magic, able to snare someone with a glance, turning one into a willing slave with a whisper.
These all lean toward Grey House Vampires being the most superior. However, they have two other things that leave many not willing to make the trade. First, they require fresh, human blood to survive, drawing the sustaining force of life from that blood. Grey House Vampires must drain their victims dry, killing them, or they lose more energy than they gain from the act. Second, they also must, as part of the process of becoming one, bind their life to another object. This object, known most commonly as a phylactery, must be breakable, but it will never accidentally break, even if hit, dropped or thrown. To break it, it must be intentional and it must also be with the express purpose of severing the connection between Vampire and object. (IE: if you don't know that it is a phylactery, you can't break it. Even if you attempt to break it, fail, and then assume that it's a phylactery, you still will be unable to break it, for you still don't know that it is a phylactery) If a phylactery is broken, the mage's essence is ejected from the body, the prior owner returning to it. (As it was a living body, the displaced spirit or soul would be drawn back to their body like a nail to a lodestone.) If the mage's body is still alive, then the mage returns to that body. If not, the spirit of the mage roams the world until it is either caught unguarded by the dawn or until it fades into nothing, which, depending on how long the mage lived in the body, could be never.
Finally, the phylactery also serves as essentially a protection amulet from the vampire. Anyone who possess the phylactery is safe from the any and all of the vampire's powers and magics. Any attack directed toward the current wielder of the phylactery, intentional or not, is simply absorbed within a foot of the wielder. While the wielder cannot enforce commands on the vampire while having the phylactery, it does tend to make them subservient to the weilder, as they are able to strike them as they wish, with no fear of repercussion.
First, sunlight. Sunlight has no effect on Grey House Vampires. They are not enough of a perversion against nature for them to be burned by the sun. Second, holy water and symbols of faith. They possess no inherent "unholyness" for such things to do more than they do to a mortal, which makes them wet (for the holy water) or blind them (the light generated by a symbol of faith). Third, not actually being undead, they are not susceptible to necromantic magic. They are healed by positive energy and harmed by negative energy, as normal for living beings. Effectively, the only ways to be rid of them is a wooden stake to the heart, burning, or beheading. Even garlic doesn't work on Grey House
Grey House Vampires cannot take as much damage as Black House Vampires, due to their inherent living status. They are also not quite as strong or fast, limited by actual living flesh. However, they have far fewer weaknesses. Also, they are more capable of casting magic, having the natural source of magic, life, available, since they are still, in fact, alive. In fact, their magics become stronger typically. They are also naturally adept at compulsion and enchantment magic, able to snare someone with a glance, turning one into a willing slave with a whisper.
These all lean toward Grey House Vampires being the most superior. However, they have two other things that leave many not willing to make the trade. First, they require fresh, human blood to survive, drawing the sustaining force of life from that blood. Grey House Vampires must drain their victims dry, killing them, or they lose more energy than they gain from the act. Second, they also must, as part of the process of becoming one, bind their life to another object. This object, known most commonly as a phylactery, must be breakable, but it will never accidentally break, even if hit, dropped or thrown. To break it, it must be intentional and it must also be with the express purpose of severing the connection between Vampire and object. (IE: if you don't know that it is a phylactery, you can't break it. Even if you attempt to break it, fail, and then assume that it's a phylactery, you still will be unable to break it, for you still don't know that it is a phylactery) If a phylactery is broken, the mage's essence is ejected from the body, the prior owner returning to it. (As it was a living body, the displaced spirit or soul would be drawn back to their body like a nail to a lodestone.) If the mage's body is still alive, then the mage returns to that body. If not, the spirit of the mage roams the world until it is either caught unguarded by the dawn or until it fades into nothing, which, depending on how long the mage lived in the body, could be never.
Finally, the phylactery also serves as essentially a protection amulet from the vampire. Anyone who possess the phylactery is safe from the any and all of the vampire's powers and magics. Any attack directed toward the current wielder of the phylactery, intentional or not, is simply absorbed within a foot of the wielder. While the wielder cannot enforce commands on the vampire while having the phylactery, it does tend to make them subservient to the weilder, as they are able to strike them as they wish, with no fear of repercussion.
Green House
These vampires are perhaps the most common and, besides White House vampires, the hardest to distinguish from humans.
Like Red House, they drink blood. Unlike Red House vampires, they are completely human in their anatomy, besides the fact that they are technically dead.
They have similar weaknesses to both Red and Black House vampires, though most of these weaknesses are lessened.
For example, they are harmed by sunlight. However, while a Red House vampire would catch fire and burn down to ash within twenty seconds of direct contact with sunlight, a Green House vampire merely is scorched by it. They are capable of mitigating this with artificial tanning and really good sunscreen.
To be clear, it is not the ultraviolet light that burns any vampire, but rather the purity of light. No light besides sunlight will burn a vampire. Some mages can summon sunlight, but these mages are few, as it requires untarnished joy and purity of spirit to summon the purity of the light required to harm a vampire.
Green house vampires are also allergic to garlic. It causes rashes on contacy with skin and ingested, it will cause significant intestinal damage as well as inducing vomiting. Vampire hunters who specialize in Green House vampires often consume large amounts of garlic, as it poisons their blood. Some even eat whole cloves of garlic raw, in order to preserve the potency of the plant.
While these are good deterant weaknesses, Green House vampires are also vulnerable to wooden objects, thrust into the cardiovascular area of the body. This disintegrates their body down to a skeleton, effectively killing them. However, the wooden object must remain pierced through the location of the heart, otherwise their flesh is rebuilt around the skeleton and they are once more alive and functional.
The only way to permanently kill a Green house vampire is to stake or behead them (which has similar results to staking) then seperate the skeleton. Even half a foot of distance from one part of the skeleton to the other is enough to prevent them from coming back. However, expert hunters know that the best bet to to separate the skeleton into at least twenty pieces. Most hunters will send at least five pieces to the bottom of the ocean in steel boxes. Some will also keep one piece on their person, usually a knucklebone or some other small piece. Experienced hunters of Green House vampires can be identified by the strings of small bones, either as necklaces, or chains or whathaveyou.
With the skeleton separated, a wooden stake can be removed from the heart cavity without the vampire returning.
Green House vampires prefer to keep a low profile, resulting in them going unnoticed for long periods of time. However, with a few notable exceptions, once they are noticed, the town either drives them out or calls in hunters to take them down.
In the former case, it rarely works out, as it winds up becoming a witch hunt. Frequently, the vampires escape and find a new place for awhile. Then they return after a generation or two.
In the latter case, the vampires rarely make it out alive, unless the hunters are inexperienced.
Green House vampires are, like most vampires, stronger, faster and more resilient than humans. Though not as strong as a Black House vampire or as fast a White House, they hold their own against Red House vampires and can easily break a human in two.
They also have the ability, rather unique among vampires, to bespell humans by locking eyes with them, frequently called glamour. Once glamoured, they are completely under the vampires' control, unable to resist until an outside influence breaks the glamour.
Like Red House, they drink blood. Unlike Red House vampires, they are completely human in their anatomy, besides the fact that they are technically dead.
They have similar weaknesses to both Red and Black House vampires, though most of these weaknesses are lessened.
For example, they are harmed by sunlight. However, while a Red House vampire would catch fire and burn down to ash within twenty seconds of direct contact with sunlight, a Green House vampire merely is scorched by it. They are capable of mitigating this with artificial tanning and really good sunscreen.
To be clear, it is not the ultraviolet light that burns any vampire, but rather the purity of light. No light besides sunlight will burn a vampire. Some mages can summon sunlight, but these mages are few, as it requires untarnished joy and purity of spirit to summon the purity of the light required to harm a vampire.
Green house vampires are also allergic to garlic. It causes rashes on contacy with skin and ingested, it will cause significant intestinal damage as well as inducing vomiting. Vampire hunters who specialize in Green House vampires often consume large amounts of garlic, as it poisons their blood. Some even eat whole cloves of garlic raw, in order to preserve the potency of the plant.
While these are good deterant weaknesses, Green House vampires are also vulnerable to wooden objects, thrust into the cardiovascular area of the body. This disintegrates their body down to a skeleton, effectively killing them. However, the wooden object must remain pierced through the location of the heart, otherwise their flesh is rebuilt around the skeleton and they are once more alive and functional.
The only way to permanently kill a Green house vampire is to stake or behead them (which has similar results to staking) then seperate the skeleton. Even half a foot of distance from one part of the skeleton to the other is enough to prevent them from coming back. However, expert hunters know that the best bet to to separate the skeleton into at least twenty pieces. Most hunters will send at least five pieces to the bottom of the ocean in steel boxes. Some will also keep one piece on their person, usually a knucklebone or some other small piece. Experienced hunters of Green House vampires can be identified by the strings of small bones, either as necklaces, or chains or whathaveyou.
With the skeleton separated, a wooden stake can be removed from the heart cavity without the vampire returning.
Green House vampires prefer to keep a low profile, resulting in them going unnoticed for long periods of time. However, with a few notable exceptions, once they are noticed, the town either drives them out or calls in hunters to take them down.
In the former case, it rarely works out, as it winds up becoming a witch hunt. Frequently, the vampires escape and find a new place for awhile. Then they return after a generation or two.
In the latter case, the vampires rarely make it out alive, unless the hunters are inexperienced.
Green House vampires are, like most vampires, stronger, faster and more resilient than humans. Though not as strong as a Black House vampire or as fast a White House, they hold their own against Red House vampires and can easily break a human in two.
They also have the ability, rather unique among vampires, to bespell humans by locking eyes with them, frequently called glamour. Once glamoured, they are completely under the vampires' control, unable to resist until an outside influence breaks the glamour.