Vampirism

by

Kæthren Bathúri

A few notes before we begin:

1. If you’re reading this section because you suspect you’ve already run afoul of a vampire, close this book and leave the area post haste. These pages are for preventative education, not crisis management.
2. If you have encountered one of my kind and are still breathing, I have some excellent news, you are extremely unlikely to be slain, as they are the more reasonable of our kind.
3. The hope is to bridge the gap between what is known about our kind and to work towards a future where the Night & Day folk can live peacefully.
4. The feeding requirements listed here are approximations at best. Vampires, like most predators, tend to be inconsistent about their dining.

Greeting reader, I am Kæthren Bathúri, a scholar of all mystical and dark. I am the grand Magister Librarian of House Doctrina. To assuage you of all misconceptions, I am, indeed a vampire. However I am first and foremost a scholar and gentlewoman. The following is my notes on a few of the "afflictions" as the common folk know them as.

Vampire Varieties

Lesser Vampires

Often known as Wights, Lesser Vampires (broadly considered the most common variety) are created when a True Vampire drains a mortal (Ārdan, Sylvan, or otherwise) completely of blood and then goes to the trouble of burying them. The individual typically rises on the next New Moon or Blood Moon (whichever comes first).

In the case where you encounter a blood starved Wight, The key to surviving is to understand they they’re newly undead, meaning they’ll be disoriented, hungry, and often deeply confused about their condition. They have yet to learn the control of their True Vampire cousins. However as long as one is fed they can be reasoned with just like anyone else.

Practical Note: If you’re creating a Wight for your party (and I question your judgment, but who am I to interfere?) remember to keep them balanced. They will need at least one Trait and one Flaw, which can be found below. Fair’s fair, even in undeath.

True Vampires

To become a True Vampire (often referred to simply as a Vampire), a Wight must taste the blood of another True Vampire, after which they will then be brought into the house of their regent (the Vampire from whom they have drank). At this point they will loose all but one of the Wight Traits and Flaws, and take an equal number of Traits & Flaws from their House. In addition they gain one of their House's Greater Powers, gaining an additional House Power at Level 5.

The transition from Wight to True Vampire is ultimately an upgrade. As one gains more control over their hunger, as well as greater power.

The Great Houses

There are 7 Vampiric Houses:

• House Belua, the House of Beasts. Shape shifters and masters of animals, they command the wild things of the world. They prefer to keep to the wilds, hunting large game and the foolish mortal that wanders carelessly into their hunting grounds. They favor hunters, survivalists and those with a connection to nature & animals. Common Nicknames: Beasts, Wild Ones
• House Doctrina, the House of Mystics. Powerful blood sorcerers and scholars, they are feared for their understanding and mastery over magick. They integrate themselves into magical societies, guilds, and academies. They favor those who were mages in life or have the potential for such things. Common Nicknames: Warlocks, Witches, Spellweavers
• House Merinita, the Fey Blooded. These Wyrdlings tend to see themselves as the most hospitable, making homes on the fringes of societies, acting as the “witches of the woods.” They tend to favor those with mercurial tendencies, and a more “blue and orange” morality. Common Nicknames: Wyrdlings, Faries
• House Reglis, the House of Kings. The ladies and lords of House Reglis fancy themselves as the rightful leaders of the communities they are a part of. Domineering and cunning, they weave complex plots to ensure that things go exactly as they intend. They favor those of noble blood, strong will, and with capable leadership skills. Common Nicknames: Lordlings, Bastards
• House Strigoi, the House of Death. Possessing an affinity to commune with and command the dead, these Vampires favor places with strong ties to death and the afterlife, making homes among the catacombs of large cities. Often hunted by the Churches of Ophia. They tend to favor those with an affinity for the dead such as morticians and the grieving. Common Nicknames: Ghosts, Zombie, Plague bringers
• House Vatis, the Seers. Blessed (and equally cursed) with knowledge they often should not know, the Vatis are prone to bouts of madness. As such, they often prefer to be solitary, only interacting with others if they deem their wisdom of great importance to share. They also have an uncanny ability to go unseen so long as they do not draw attention to themselves. They favor those already suffering from some form of mental illness. Common Nicknames: Lunatics, Seers
• House Voivode, the Pact Keepers. Often confused for House Doctrina, the Voivodes are a cruel and vindictive bunch, seeing themselves as separate from Ārdans and other living folk. They are flesh smiths and infernalists. Some believe they are a bloodline of House Doctrina that made a pact long ago with Lūdthār, Ytīa, or any manner of fell things (depending on who you ask). They tend to favor those which they sense evil within. Common Nicknames: Devils, Monsters, Flesh Smiths

Feeding & Blood

Each house has some variation on the need for blood.

True Vampires have a BLOOD POOL equal to half their “Key Trait,” which is used to fuel their Greater Powers.

Wights on the other hand do not possess any Greater Powers, and thus do not have a dedicated Blood Pool. If their Blood Pool reaches zero (or in the case of a Wight, if they have not fed in 3 Nights), they must feed on new blood within 3 Nights or risk the RAVENOUS TRIBULATION.

Ravenous: When Ravenous, you can only roll half your dice (rounded up), except when hunting for Blood or in Combat Flow. You must make an Endurance roll at the start of each night (or when blood is in the air). If you fail this roll, you attempt to feed immediately as your next action on the closest living being to you. This Tribulation is removed only by consuming blood.

Wights:

Talents:

• When making Might rolls, they may count both 5s and 6s as successes.
• Gain +1 die to all Swiftness rolls and can move to anything Near without using an action.
• At the start of your turn, roll your Path Die(or a d6 if they do not have path die). On a result of 3 or higher, recover 1 Life Point, outside of combat, you heal up to half their max HP
• When using Charm to influence others, they may roll with +2 dice.

Flaws:

• When exposed to direct sunlight, they gain the Burning Tribulation
• Weapons made from wood that pierce their heart(requires 3 successes to do so to a resisting target) inflict the Unconscious Tribulation
• They cannot cross flowing water (streams, rivers) without taking 1d6 points of damage
• When someone brandishes a holy symbol at them, they must roll Endurance or suffer the Intimidated Tribulation

Feeding Habit:

Wights suffer for the lack of true vampire blood, they must feed on mortal blood every night or else they suffer The Ravenous Tribulation.

House Belua

Greater powers:

• Shape of the Wild Things: Spend a blood point and roll Survival, gain some aspects of the beasts, granting a number of traits equal (see list) to your number of successes.
  • Natural Weapons: allow attack rolls to be done with Survival
  • Sense of the Beast: sharpens the exciting senses, 5s & 6s count as successes on Awareness rolls
  • Movement of the Beast; gain a swimming speed or flying speed (requires 2 successes)
• Answer the Call: Roll Power and summon forth a number of animals equal to your successes, these animals must be local to the area. They are loyal to you and will serve you. You may spend another blood point to possess the mind of one of these beasts and control it while your physical form lies motionless

Traits:

• Lethal Predator: sharpen your claws and slice deeply, damage done by unarmed attacks deals an additional d4
• Voice of the Wild: Ability to speak to animals
• Ambush: Allows one to roll stealth with Survival while in a "natural environment"

Flaws:

• Carnivore: Must consume fresh blood rich organs to replenish blood pool
• Beastly Appearance: Gain a permanent non-beneficial animal trait; beastly eyes, animal musk, etc. Charm rolls take a -1 die when your trait is obvious
• Blood Thirsty: unable to make non-lethal attacks

Feeding Habit:

The beasts crave the hunt, they only gain blood from actively stalking, chasing, or overpowering their prey

House Doctrina

Greater powers:

• Hemoturgic Might: Upon spending a blood point and casting a spell, you may roll a number of path die equal to half your level and add it to the damage of the spell, however you also take an equal amount of damage to the dice rolled
• Metamagic: Spend a blood point to augment one of the attributes of a spell (range, duration, elemental affinity, etc.)

Talents:

• Blood Glyphs: Allows the caster to draw glyphs with blood, suffusing a spell into it. The caster sets a condition for the spell to go off.
• Hemoturgy: If a spell slays an enemy the caster may make a power roll, causing the victim to explode into burning hot blood, each success deals 1d6 damage to everyone near the epicenter
• Sense Presence: Allows the Vampire to pierce illusions and mystical disguises with a power+Awareness roll. If successful the vampire sees through the illusion, however on a failure, they are unable to use the power without expending blood until next moonrise

Flaws

• Idrāsil's Ire: All positive effects granted by adherents Idrāsil do not work on the Vampire, and all hostile magical effects score 2 automatic successes
• Backlash: failing a spell casting roll enhanced by Talents or greater power causes a path die worth of damage to the caster.
• Twice Dammed: Must feed on those who posses at least two spells

Feeding Habit:

Must feed on those with great intellect or possessing magical aptitude (Sage or power stats of 6+)

House Merinita

Greater Powers

• Fae Meal: Allows the Wyrdling to enchant a meal by sprinkling some of their blood over it. Anyone who consumes this food becomes "owned" by the Wyrdling, allowing them to make a Charm roll to control them for a number of commands equal to successes rolled. Commands are always followed to the exact wording. Commands that are directly harmful to the subject costs 2 successes
• Binding Words: The Wyrdling and subject make an agreement of some verity, both agreeing to uphold an end of some kind. If either side violates their end, they suffer the misfortune tribulation until they atone and complete there side. Misfortune: subtracts a success for every 1. A Wyrdling may only use this power again once they complete a current bargain.

Talents:

• Folderol: Any checks made to determine if someone is lying allows successes on a 5 or 6
• Whisper to the wind: Allows the Wyrdling to whisper a message to the wind, carrying it a number of miles equal to their key trait. To use this more then once a night requires a successful power roll
• Bend the to Natural: The Wyrdling rolls Power and bends organic material to whatever shape they desire. 1 success is all that is necessary for simple changes, while 2 or 3 are needed for more complex changes.

Flaws:

• Bard's Tongue: a wyrdling must make an Endurance roll to directly lie
• Fae Bane: Cold iron(that is iron or steel that has been worked into any shape) is extremely toxic to the wyrdling. Touching it directly causes 1d4 damage per rotation of direct contact and weapons made from cold iron deal 2 extra damage when hitting
• Fey Mark: The Wyrdling is obviously supernatural and they inherit certain faerie physical features, such as 6th fingers, odd body proportions, odd colored skin tones, or many other possible traits. This makes them extremely easy to identify for hunters.

Feeding habit:

They must feed on someone they have made some kind of deal with in the past.

House Reglis

Greater Powers

• Monarch's Voice: Spend a blood point and spread the effect of one of your talents or other greater power to a number of targets equal to half of your Charm pool, if some kind of contested roll is made, roll against the highest dice pool
• Subjugation: Upon activation, speak a command phrase and roll Charm vs the target's Endurance, if they fail they must follow the command

Talents:

• King maker: Able to assist others with Charm rolls by feeding them a bit of your blood. until next sunrise the effected score successes with 5s or 6s on Charm rolls
• Force Emotion: Make eye contact and roll Charm contested by Endurance, on a success the target's emotions are shifted in accordance with the vampire's wishes
• Majesty: May defend themselves with Charm, as the aura of authority cause others to second guess their decision to strike them

Flaws:

• Control freak: The king sees himself as such, when they fail to exert their will upon someone, either by words or powers, they take a -1 to all rolls against that person until they successfully exert said will
• Subject: The lordling has trouble denying their regent, they must make an Endurance roll to refuse an order given by their regent. If their regent is dead, this is instead transferred to another member of the House, typically the regent of their regent.
• Feeding Exclusion: The lordling must determine a kind of prey they refuse to hunt(drug addicts, clergy, homeless etc.), if they consume blood from this kind of prey they immediately vomit up said blood.

Feeding Habit:

The lordling must feed on the blood of somebody in lower station than them. For example, a low ranking lawyer may be able to feed on the working class peasantry but not the lords serve, while the king may feed on most anyone within their city.

House Strigoi

Greater Powers:

• Rot the Body: The Strigoi places a hex upon a victim by making an opposed Power/ Endurance roll, forcing one of the following tribulations upon them: Enfeebled(as muscles grow fatigued), Impaired(as cataracts, throat swelling, or intense ringing manifest) , Bleeding(as sores and buboes begin to open and fester). The victim rolls Endurance at the end of every turn to clear this condition. if they fail the roll this becomes permanent until medical attention is sought out
• Become Incorporeal: The Strigoi becomes incorporeal turning into a ghostly form of what they looked like in life, becoming immune to damage from physical entities as well as unable to harm said physical things. However incorporeal things can still harm you and vice versa. While Incorporeal you may feed on incorporeal things, and pass through solid objects.

Talents:

• Necropsy: The Strigoi may consume the blood, marrow, flesh, bone or spirit, of a dead thing and roll power, for each success the dead must answer a question truthfully. Can only be used once per corpse.
• Bind the Dead: May roll power and bind a number of non-sentient undead into their service until next moonrise, at which they may either attempt to rebind them, any they fail to bind crumble to dust or discorporate.
• Create Undead: When draining a freshly dead corpse of blood the Strigoi may choose for it to become a zombie.

Flaws:

• Plague Bearer: The blood holds onto the most recent disease to enter your system, and will be spread to anyone you feed on.
• Visage of Death: The Strigoi appears as a corpse undergoing rigor mortis, causing others to feel unnerved around the vampire, gaining a minus one to Charm rolls when interacting with mortals who do not know what you are or do not accept what you are
• Sleep like the Dead: When a strigoi sleeps, their body rapidly ages to their true age, often making younger ones appear as corpses and ancient ones as flesh wrapped skeletons.

Feeding Habit:

To gain blood a Strigoi must feed on someone who meets one of these conditions: Someone who is mourning, a fresh corpse, or some kind of undead

House Vatis

Grater Powers

• Steal the Secrets: The seer reads the soul of another and rolls Awareness vs the target's Subterfuge. Each success allows the seer to ask a question of the Wayfinder, who must answer truthfully
• Premonition: This power functions in two ways. The first is when the Wayfinder deems necessary, reviling a powerful vision to the seer. The second is invoked by the seeker, rolling Awareness, guiding the vampire towards secret knowledge, the nature of which could be warnings of an ambush, plots against them or their allies, or even just as simple as helping them find something hidden.

Talents:

• Mind for Enigmas: Due to the twisted nature of the lunatic's mind, they are more easily able to decipher enigmas. Any roll to crack codes, solves puzzles, and similar scores successes on 5s or 6s
• Wax & Wane: Pick waxing or waning, when the moon Elsinevīr is in your favor you gain +1 die, however when the moon is against your choice take a -1 die to all rolls
• Slip the Senses: So long as the vampire has no focused attention on them they may choose to "Slip the senses". While this is active they leave no trace and have an easier time sneaking about, gaining +2 to subterfuge rolls, however if they attack something or someone, fail a roll or draw attention to themselves they loose this bonus. They may activate this power once, where it will recharge next moonrise

Flaws

• Madness: If the vampire fails 2 none combat rolls in a row they gain the following tribulations: Enfeebled and Impaired (muttering to self)
• Wax & Wane: See talents
• Too many Eyes: When the center of attention (public speaking, caught sneaking around, etc.) they must make an endurance roll or suffer the effects of madness

Feeding Habit:

They must feed on individuals afflicted by some form of mental tribulation or are suffering some form of mental malady

House Voivode

Greater Powers

• Shape the Flesh: This power allows a Voivode to shape the flesh and bone of those they come in contact with. This could be simple alterations to appearance (height, skin tone, hair length & color, gender/sex) or with more time and a power roll (10 minutes per alteration and one alteration per success) they can move the subjects points in the following traits around; Endurance, Might and Swiftness. This can not take away or increase a trait by more then two points). Other executions of this power include creating natural weapons (close weapon, deals an additional d6 of damage), creating natural armor, permanently disfiguring people and shaping people into living objects
• Horrid Form: over the course of a turn grow a fiendish appearance, rolls made to intimidate score success on a 5 or 6. They also gain a pair of natural weapon as seen above. May choose to roll their path die and take damage equal to the result, when this is done they may use the following attack for a number of turns equal to the damage done to themselves
• The Voivode unhinges their jaw as thick viscus blood rapidly projects around them(near weapon, target must roll swiftness to defend) after this blood makes contact with the air it sets ablaze. Anyone who is hit with this blood gains the burning tribulation, water can not put this fire out, it must be smothered or the blood must burn away (3 rotations)

Talents

• Insight Sin: The Voivode rolls Charm or Subterfuge each success affecting a person. Those effected succumb to their base desires; murder, theft, debauched behaviors. After ever two turns they may roll endurance to overcome these base urges.
• Sense Sin: The Voivode may roll Awareness to sense the evil and shame in people's hearts, forcing the subject to admit this to them.
• Devil's Tongue: Fiends and evil beings tend to be more amicable with them, granting +1 die to reason with and sway them into helping them.

Flaws

• Fiendish Weakness: The Voivode gains a weakness to holy water(causes the burning condition) and concentrated weapons deal and additional d4 of damage
• True Name: The Viovode is branded with a demonic true name by the gods. Any being that finds this name and knows it belongs to the Viovode may make a power roll to bind it to a building until next moonrise. An individual can only bind the Viovode once every 13 nights
• Pact: The Viovode is subject to a pact, the wayfinder and player should discuss the details of this pact and the punishments for breaking it.

Feeding Habit:

A Vivovode must feed on someone who has committed some form of transgression in the past 24 hours

House Lore

Us vampires are ancient, older then most other supernatural creatures. Our exact origins lie somewhere between odd evolutionary changes in an old plague to a divine curse levied by a spiteful god. Whatever the true origins may be each House has their own history and records, bellow is an account of my meager findings.

House Belua: They say first the gods of nature made grass, tree and fruit saw that the land was overtaken and choked to death on this creation. So they made the deer, rabbit, and all other prey that chews the cud. The prey would multiply and soon the land would be left barren. So thus the gods made the hunters, them and their siblings(the other carnivorous animals), who would hunt and kill the prey, leaving the remains to fertilize the plants. They seemingly believe themselves to be a natural thing.

House Doctrina: Organized into many secret societies, it seems intrinsic to their nature, as the house sprung from an ancient secret society, the Order of the Red Sun, a long defunct cult of spell weavers who sought to harness the inheritance magical energies from the sun. For this they were cursed by Dōhāra on behalf of Idrāsil, but she was merciful to leave them with their gift of magic. The Order of The Red Sun is now disbanded and they now pursue a deeper understanding of magic to achieve the aims of the society the align with.

Known Societies:

• The Bloody Star: A cult within the House that seek to exact revenge upon Idrāsil
• Brotherhood of the Green Faerie: a society that seeks to further understanding of magic through drug and alcohol tainted blood
• The Craftmasons: Blood artificers who seek to make mystic devices

House Merinita: The Wyrdlings. Mercurial and more a loose collection of vampires with a common ancestor, the Wyrdlings speak of a child who was murdered, but he was buried in the fey lands, suffusing his body with the power of the land (what they call the Wyrd) as well as a ravenous thirst. Its said he was a lonely boy, and wished to have friends, so he sought to learn to share his gifts with others. He bargained with a traveling mystic/fae god (exact meaning was lost in translation) and for the wisdom to make more of his kind was cursed with a need to make deals and trades.

House Reglis: They were the toughest to get a clear answer from, but from my findings they believe that they were ordained by Rūdār to be guides to the cattle(their term for mortals). They were not perfect however and lacked a drive to grow and expand, so Lūdthār granted them the ambition they lacked. Rūdār was angered by this and punished his creations with the curses of vampirism.

House Strigoi: I came in contact with one of these creatures while visiting a friend's grave. She was a scholar and shared her wisdom with me. The Strigoi told me of her house, that they sprung from a cult of necromancers. This practice earned the ire of Ōphīa, so she cursed them that they may rot like the corpses that they defiled. However, through ritual sacrifice of their elders they found an escape, to partially sever their souls from their body, bending the curse to make them undead and safe from Ōphīa's direct attacks, her servants however remain an persistent issue for all of the vampiric race.

House Vatis: The seers, they say they are tied to the moon and that they have both the favor and ire of Elsinevīr. The progenitor, who's name is lost, was cursed for slaying a high priestess. As recompense Elsinevīr levied the curse on the family of this murderer. His family apparently proceed to sacrifice him to Elsinevīr to gain her favor. Wether or not this was successful is up for debate

House Voivode: The infernalists. Gods damn them to the lowest realms, I had the misfortune of encountering one who was bound in the basement of a convent. It was a grotesque creature who, upon learning of my morbid curiosity coaxed me into conversation. It spoke of how those of its house were created to be the true masters of the vampire kind. When questioned on the origins of the house it told me that they were created by the first Wights seeking to grab at true power, that they made a pacts with a demonic entity. The terms of the pact were signed in blood and the Wight drank deeply of this being, granting it many boons." Fortunately I was pulled away by the nuns before the Fiend could turn me against the convent.

Wights: Although not a unified house, the few I have spoken to shared theories with me on their origins, some speak of being descended from the first man to take a life, others say they are simply a form of convergent evolution for the mortal races. Whatever it may be, they are a fascinating bunch, especially when not in the throws of their hunger.

Vampire Factions

There are a multitude of vampire factions, most small in number (less than 10-15) however the ones detailed here seem to have the largest following(numbering in the thousands)

• The Confederation of Red Hearts: The most civil and reasonable of the factions, seeking to integrate with humanity while keeping themselves secret. They are a confederation of smaller baronies that keep order in the cities they are present in. Typical structure within a city is one baron for every major house, the Barons are chosen as each house sees fit and may be replaced if the house feels they no longer represent their best interests. All but the Voivode are welcome within their cities and they tend to seek and destroy Voivode cults.
• The Bloody Sword: A paramilitary organization devoted to imposing a strict order on vampire kind. They want to uproot the The Confederation and take hold, ultimately they are a more violent and fascistic form of the The Confederation.
• The Butterflies: An odd bunch who seek to transcend the vampire condition and undergo a metamorphosis, becoming higher beings. They seem to be monks, favoring many schools of thought, it seems that to be a Butterfly one must simply commit to that goal.