Vampire

This article contains the following content warnings: References, implicit and / or explicit mentions of Blood, a bit of Gore and General Violence. There is also murder and death of children. Be prepared. This is not, I repeat, not hidden behind spoilers or subscriber content!
Caution while reading is advised.

Overview

Vampires in Koria are not so well known as one could imagine. They are few in numbers, maybe twenty higher vampires and a few hundred lesser vampires. All of them stay in the shadows, hunt at night if needed and minding their own business.
Vampirism is a magical illness, a condition so to speak. It was created by accident and is now one of the more haunting conditions. It was created by a human, but every species can turn into a vampire if infected. There is no cure except for sunlight, decapitation or burning with (anointing) oil.
Most of the time even lesser vampires can control their bloodlust, but if they can not, people start to notice and then hunter come into play.

Regarding Bloodlust

Vampires don't drink blood for the blood itself or some "nutritious" effects; they drink it for the Vitamin D, because it is lacking the most in their bodies. They can't go into the sunlight, so where to get it from, right?

More or less characteristic

Higher vampires look a lot like normal humans. Except for their eyes which have a faint glow in daylight and a stronger glow in the dark. They can withstand the sunlight - when freshly fed - for a few minutes before they burn up. They can use magic even when their bodies have a really low magic-tolerance (see Arcana Basics for specifics), but most of the spells in their repertoire are really low-tier. Using stronger spells would have the same effect on them as direct sunlight, just from within.

Their poison is as lethal as the poison from the lesser vampires, but higher vampires can control if they use it or not. Lesser vampires can't.

To turn into a high vampire the victim has to be drained of all blood and a high dosage of vampire poison should be running through the now empty vains, infecting cells, arteries, heart and brain. Higher vampires have retained their intelligence, mind and - if one is believing in that - their soul. One of their many abilities is their healing ability. Not only by instinct, but also by choice with healing spells and concentration.

High Vampire Male by CrazyEddie via Midjourney

High Vampire Female by CrazyEddie via Midjourney

Lesser vampires are vampires who are basically beasts with the mind of a child and the intelligence of their former being. They retained their soul, but succumbed to the hunger which is caused by the poison. To turn into a lesser vampire is faster than to turn into a higher vampire. The prey is to be bitten, infected with an amount of poison (or all of it) while blood remains in their body. The mixture of both liquids causes the body to erupt and to mutate in the things most of the people associate with vampires: bloodthirsty, brutal beings.

Lesser vampires have the appearence of their species. At first at least. The more and more they induldge in their bloodlust their bodies mutate. Skin splinters and cracks, lips and teeth starts to bleed and look like some kind of living horror.

The more a lesser vampire is succumbing to their lust for blood, to their instincts, the more animal-like they get. Smart, deadly animals, which can heal really fast, sometimes even in minutes.

Lesser Vampire Male by CrazyEddie via Midjourney

Lesser Vampire Female by CrazyEddie via Midjourney

Origin & History

As stated above vampirism is an artificial condition. It was created by a human with the name of Crisandar, a scribe with a bit of magical potency. He worked as a scribe for a small library and his only task was to copy transcripts so they didn't get lost to time or catastrophic events. It was quiet and relatively good paid work and he liked to work during the night, because it was quiet and nobody disturbed him. But that was the problem: everything else like groceries, getting supplies or just socialise - he had a wife and two kids - was during daytime and he disliked it. It also drained his energy and for some reason people needed sleep, but he couldn't sleep during the day, mostly because of wife and kids.

He disliked it so much that he started to research in the library if there was anything he could do to get rid of the need to sleep or to enhance his body to a degree that he could use the hours of the night much better. Even reducing the need for sleep to a minimum would be helpful. So he thought.

The library wasn't helpful, so he started to dig into magic because he could use a bit of it. He used it mainly for light, but he could use magic. So why not try it with a stronger spell? It wasn't fruitful at first, but eventually he stumbled upon a Vael which offered her help. What he didn't know: she was a Vael long ago, now she was a Dark Witch, but who is counting, right?

The Witch brewed him a strong potion and developed a ritual which he should use during the next full moon. And he did in his small backyard.

Long story short, it worked. Kinda. He didn't need to sleep - only a bit of rest during the day - and could work during the nighttime. But he developed a serious allergic reaction to the sun which burned his skin and hurt his eyes. But there was this hunger; this hunger he couldn't satisfy even with the most precious food or drinks. And at one point he couldn't control himself because his wife smelled so good and he could hear her pulse...

After he reclaimed his senses his wife were drained of blood and his two children... lets say, there was not much left. After a few hours he stopped crying because his wife stood before him, angry, devastated, furious. They fought, destroyed the house and had their falling out. They couldn't kill each other.

Both are still alive. He wants to get her back, she wants to kill him. Not an ideal relationship, to be honest. Both didn't know how to control themselves for the first decades and that is the reason vampires are a thing in Koria.

Red Tales

"I thought you die when we eat garlic and you bite us?"
"Nah." grinned the vampire, grapping his prey by the throat. "We just like the taste."

— Vampire and his - now bloodless - prey

"We are here to get rid of this beast." stated the hunter while preparing his crossbow.
"Yes, but why is it always a ruin?" whispered his apprentice, holding a vial in his shaking hand.
"Because it is quiet." said the vampire behind them.

— Telling of an annoyed vampire

"Oh damnit." grumbled the inspector, put on his gloves and stepped carefully into the room. It was a conference room of Fallows & Sons. The occasion: new trade routes. The wooden walls, the large table, the cloth was all drained in red liquids and it was not wine. The remains of the attendees were scattered throughout the room. "How many?"
"Victims? At least ten." answered the guard. He looked a bit pale in the face. "But there are more in the back and in the kitchen."
"Attackers?"
"We think one or two, but no more than three. Probably two."
"Damnit, it were quiet for years now. All drained?"
"Yes."
"Then we might need a hunter. This is getting out of control."

— Inspector and a guard after vampires raided a meeting