Vampirism
Vampirism is a condition where a person is permanently suspended in a state of undeath that requires them to sustain themselves off humanoid blood.
Some vampires feed by becoming lords of the land they reside on and keeping serfs under their thrall. These Lords' treatment of their thralls differs wildly from vampire to vampire. Some become vampires, usurp the Lordships, and quickly suck their tenants dry, destroying a small town in a matter of months. Others take great pains to keep their towns happy and well-fed, feeding off them in a responsible rotation and using their mastery of fear mostly to keep their secrets. It primarily depends on the personality of the vampire and their taste for blood; some vampires prefer the taste of fear in blood, while others want vigorous, healthy blood in ample supply.
Causes
Only a vampire can create another vampire. They do so by sucking the blood of a mortal and then feeding that same mortal some of their own blood. The mortal must actively drink the blood for the transformation to take place; blood dripped passively into their mouth when they are unconscious, for example, does not cause the transformation to take effect. However, the target may be charmed or otherwise tricked into drinking the blood.
Symptoms
When a person becomes a vampire, they retain a similar appearance to what they had in life, with a few subtle changes. Their skin becomes paler, as if any sun or life had been drained from it. Their canine teeth become noticeably sharper, almost fang-like. The eyes of a new vampire are an unnerving bright yellow, fading to a more natural-looking amber or gold hue after three to six months. A vampire's eyes darken as they go without blood, fading from gold to brown to a deep black over the course of roughly two weeks. The hair on a vampire's head becomes fuller, thicker, and often wavier or curlier than it was in life.
Treatment
Despite all their power, vampires do have a few weaknesses. Water blessed by an ordained follower of any priest or Celestial burns a vampire's skin like acid burns living flesh. Silver-plated weapons disrupt their supernaturally fast healing abilities, making them easier to wound. The only thing that can make a vampire mortal is exposure to the sun or sunlight. Over the course of decades of careful, controlled exposure, vampires can build up a tolerance for dim sunlight. Vampires who live in dim, cloudy, or largely subterranean cities can even live somewhat-normal lives, going largely undetected by the populace.
History
Vampires are the creation of the Demon Lord Camazotz. In ancient Dovrian legend, they were one of the Eight Plagues of Dovria brought on in the Age of Anxiety.
Cultural Reception
Vampires are an incredibly popular subject for art, appearing in countless songs, paintings, ballads, plays, operas, and copper novels. Romances between vampires and humans are a particularly popular subject of these fictions. Sages who study the Undead stress that under no circumstances should a mortal ever attempt to have sex with a vampire.
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