Vinya
Some heroes are known and loved by many people, having done great deeds that myths will describe for many centuries. Other heroes go by in relative silence, not remembered through the ages, but heroes nevertheless. Then you have people like Vinya - considered a villain by most people, yet an important hero for a small minority.
Vinya has been a vampire for centuries. Most of this existence has been in hiding from the rest of the world. Being a vampire is not a way to become popular among ordinary people - if you're unlucky it might get you killed. Vinya knew this, yet didn't like it.
She had to do something.
The Lich
Thinking through her options, Vinya realized that there was one other kind of undead that people feared, though unlike vampires they were able to live as long as they didn't do anything that broke any laws - the Liches. True, the Liches didn't live on the literal life blood of humanoid creatures, but still. Vinya had a tiny hope that her fellow undead would at least have a little sympathy of her kind's unfair treatment.
It was risky. She knew this before entering the Death's Table area. They might kill her before she was able to speak. Still, she found herself in the halls of the Necropolis, trying to get an audience with Obrivas himself. If she was going to talk to a Lich, why not go to the oldest and most powerful one?
At least she was allowed to state her business directly to the Undying One himself before she was dragged out into the courtyard to be killed by the sun.
The sun had severely done damage to her left arm when Obrivas told the guards to bring her back inside.
The Discussions
Vinya was in great agony from her now crippled left arm, and she was angry at everyone in this wretched place for treating her like this. Yet, she bit back her anger. Fits of rage would only get her killed.
Back inside, Obrivas asked her to tell him what she wanted. She told him about how unfairly vampires were treated, just because they might hurt people. She talked about the few, yet proud vampires that would rather work with the living than against them. There had to be a way where they could come to a sort of agreement where they could live in relative peace.
All she asked was that her kind didn't get instantly killed wherever they went.
Obrivas listened. He didn't interrupt her even once. Vinya wished it was possible to read his face, but the absence of muscles made it impossible. When she was finished explaining the Lich spent some time in thought before listing his concerns. Vampires killed humanoids - it was their nature. Almost all vampires would rather hunt and kill humans than live on inferior blood. No humanoid with their minds intact would possibly offer themselves up as vampire food. And what about other places? He couldn't possibly control what people outside Death's Table did or didn't do.
This lead to hours of discussion. Vinya was in great pain, and scared that the Lich would refuse to discuss any further and throw her out into the harsh sunlight to die at any time. Yet, she kept discussing with the Lich, trying to keep her feelings at bay, not screaming in frustration and rage.
The Agreement
Vinya and Obrivas discussed pros and cons of many possible solutions for days without break. A week after they started they'd come up with some rules. Vampires shouldn't drink blood from unwilling humanoids, but if they ever found a willing one who knew about the risks it was allowed. Vampires should keep inside the Death's Table area for safety, both for themselves and for the humanoids living in and around the area - and for control.
It was hard for Vinya to agree to these terms. Death's Table wasn't a very large area, and being confined here for eternity sounded less than optimal. Yet, following these rules would raise her chances of staying alive, and she could always discuss changes in the rules at a later date.
With some reluctance she agreed to the terms. This was in AE 1593, a bit more than 500 years ago.
The Aftermath
Most vampires refused to acknowledge the new rules, and were hunted down and killed in the same way as they'd always been. A handful of the local vampires agreed to the terms, thinking as Vinya that it would raise their chance of survival. Most of these lived a much safer, yet less free life than they would have without the agreement, though a majority lost against the Hunger and were killed during the years following. Counting Vinya, there are now three vampires left from the agreement was put into life. None of these three regret their decision.
Vinya's plan of changing the terms of the agreement to include more freedom has failed until now, but she discuss it with Obrivas a couple of times per century. She is generally happy about how it all went, even though she's basically a prisoner. Yet, she is a safe prisoner. Her arm is still crippled, and she harbors some resentment towards Obrivas for letting it happen, but she realized a long time ago that the ancient Lich is so much more powerful than her, so she suffers in silence. She now teaches at the Necropolis, teaching young Necromancers about the different kinds of undead in the world.
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