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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 19:07:55 GMT -5
Vlad The Impaler
Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Vlad III, Dracula, Drakulya, or Tepes, was born in late 1431, in the citadel of Sighisoara, Transylvania, the son of Vlad II or Dracul, a military governor, appointed by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Vlad Dracul was also a knight in the Order of the Dragon, a secret fraternity created in 1387 by the Emperor, sworn to uphold Christianity and defend the empire against the Islamic Turks. Transylvania, along with Moldavia, and Wallachia, are now joined together as Romania. The name Dracul can be interpreted in two ways, the first translation from Romanian would be "Dragon", but it sometimes also means "Devil". Vlad was not called Tepes, which means ""spike" in Romanian, until after his death; instead, he was known as Vlad Dracula, the added "a" meaning "son of", so essentially, throughout his life, he was known as the "son of the Devil".
While growing up with such a name would normally present problems for most of us, Vlad certainly did not seem to mind, as he really did live up to his title; but before we look upon the exploits of the son, let us learn a bit more about the father. In 1436, Vlad Dracul took over the throne of Wallachia, taking up residence in the palace of Tirgoviste. It was there young Vlad Dracula would get his first taste of the opulent lifestyle, and perhaps also where the beast within would begin to grow. Merely two years later, in a strange turn of events, Vlad II betrayed the Order of the Dracul, forming an alliance with the Turks. He even went as far as allowing Sultan Murad II to keep his two sons, Vlad Dracula, and his younger brother Radu, as "insurance" that he would not plan to strike against the Turks.
In the winter of 1447, Vlad Dracul was assassinated in a coup orchestrated by one of his relatives, John Hunyadi, who had devoted his life to fighting the Ottoman Turks, and did not approve of Vlad Dracul's pro-Turkish policy. Vlad Dracula was granted his freedom following his father's death, but Radu decided to stay behind. In addition to learning of his father's demise, Vlad was also told his older brother, Mircea had had his eyes gouged out, and been buried alive by the boyars of Tirgoviste. While in captivity, Vlad had grown resentful, and vowed to have his revenge.
The throne of Wallachia, which would have normally been reserved for Vlad Dracula, was now occupied by the boyars. The still teenaged Vlad Dracula, with the help of Pasha Mustafa Hassan' Turkish cavalry, defeated the boyars, reclaiming the throne for a very short period of time, as Hunyadi would soon thereafter appoint Vladislav II to the post. Vlad Dracula formed an alliance with Hunyadi, in the hopes of persuading him he was the rightful heir to the throne, but it wasn't until 1456, that Vlad Dracula would make his move, killing his father's murderer, and defeating Vladislav II, to take over as the new ruler of Wallachia. In 1569, following an Easter Sunday feast, Vlad Dracula had all the boyar families who had been attending arrested. Those who were in good health were condemned to a life of slavery, and put to work on the construction of his Poenari Castle on the Arges river. Those who were old and weak were impaled for all to see. Thus began Vlad the Impaler's reign of blood and terror.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 19:09:38 GMT -5
Construction of the castle was difficult work, and many of the slaves died in the process. Many were forced to work naked, for their clothes had fallen off from wear. Needless to say, Vlad Dracula in no way considered these people human beings, and he treated them worse than animals, severely punishing and torturing his captives, whether or not they had done anything to provoke him. He abhorred weakness of any kind, and was determined to be the ruler of a Kingdom which would only be host to the rich and powerful.
One day, Vlad Dracula decided to cleanse his Kingdom of those he considered to be lazy and unproductive, those who suffered from illness, a handicap, or were simply born in poverty. He decreed that no one should go hungry in his Kingdom, and invited all the poor, unfortunate souls who tainted his concept of what society should be to a banquet in the great hall in Tirgoviste. Once he felt his "guests" had been well fed, not to mention drunk and complacent, Vlad made his appearance, asking them how they would enjoy never having to feel the pain of hunger ever again, or if they wished to never have to worry about anything ever again, to be without a care in the world.
Of course, their reply was enthusiastic, so he obliged, ordering his men to board up the hall, which was then set ablaze. No one escaped. Vlad Dracula's treatment of his own subjects paled in comparison to the atrocities he committed against his enemies, and any who opposed him. On St. Bartholomew's Day, he impaled 30,000 merchants for disobeying trade laws, having their bodies left to rot outside the city walls as a reminder of what would happen to any who disobeyed him.
Rumours abound that Vlad also ate the flesh, and drank the blood of his enemies, often holding dinner parties next to the freshly impaled. He was very proud of his work, and anyone who showed disdain while looking upon the thousands of putrefying corpses would soon suffer the same fate. Vlad liked to arrange the impaled in circular patterns, the length of the stakes determined by the victim's rank; this way, wealthy, or powerful opponents would plainly see they were not above the law. Impalements were carried out in a variety of ways,
During his reign, Vlad Dracula also had people decapitated, had their eyes gouged out, had them skinned alive, boiled, burnt, dismembered, eviscerated, or sometimes just physically disfigured for his own amusement. In one particular incident, Turkish ambassadors who had refused to remove their Phrygian caps in his presence were asked why they insulted him in such a manner. When they replied it was because their hats had to remain on their heads according to custom, he graciously honored their tradition by ordering their hats permanently nailed to their heads, never to be removed again.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 19:10:46 GMT -5
Vlad Dracula's tyranny was such that none dared break any laws in his land, for fear of being punished or killed. He even had his mistress disemboweled publicly for having lied about being pregnant with his child. Vlad enjoyed torturing and killing women, often mutilating their breasts and sexual organs in the process. He is even rumored to have forced mothers to eat their own babies. In order to impress visiting dignitaries with the efficiency of his methods at promoting order, he had a gold cup placed on display in the center of central square of Tirgoviste, unguarded from any thief that would fancy stealing it during the night. The cup remained, as no one would have been so foolish as to risk impalement for being caught stealing. Impalement was a particularly horrible way to die, Victims were either impaled from the anus or in the case of women, the vagina, but rarely from the mouth, as this usually meant a quicker death. The impaled would then be hoisted up, their own weight dragging them down upon the thick stakes, the process sometimes taking several hours. Vlad Dracula was only referred to as the Impaler sometime after his death, a "title" he would have probably liked to have held during his six year reign, for the number of those who suffered this cruel fate at his hands may number well into the hundreds of thousands.
Vlad may have been a fearsome conqueror, but he was not infallible. In 1461, he took on the Turks from the Danube River Valley, but ultimately failed to subdue them, outnumbered by Sultan Mehmed II's army. Determined to kill the Sultan, Vlad Dracula staged a nightly raid on his settlement, but he attacked the wrong tent, leaving the Sultan enraged, and vowing revenge. He ordered his men to invade Wallachia, forcing Dracula's army to retreat towards Tirgoviste. Not wanting to leave anything for the Sultan and his army, Vlad destroyed his Kingdom village by village, burning them to the ground, and poisoning their wells. Furthermore, when the Sultan arrived at Wallachia, he was shocked by finding a virtual forest of the impaled, thousands of dead Turkish prisoners whose bodies were slowly decomposing in the sun, the stench of it all permeating the air.
Vlad's time-tested scare tactics had a profound effect on the tired and hungry Sultan and his army. He abandoned the campaign, but he would later retaliate by sending Vlad Dracula's own brother to pick up where he left off. Radu and his men pursued Vlad to Poenari Castle on the Arges river. Dracula's wife, fearful of being captured by the Turks, jumped to her death from one of the battlement towers. Dracula himself fled through a secret passageway, which he used to get to the mountains. Seeking refuge in Transylvania, Vlad met with King Matthias Corvinus, but the latter had heard of Vlad's wicked ways, and had him imprisoned at Visegrad, the Hungarian capital.
Eventually, Vlad Dracula was allowed to come and go as he pleased, since there had been no definite terms for his imprisonment, and so long as he would report to King Matthias on a regular basis. He was also given his own dwellings in the palace, far from the musty dungeons. But Vlad continued to secretly indulge his hunger for blood, and occasionally, one would find small animals such as rats, cats, and even insects, impaled on sticks. But Vlad had managed to gain the King's confidence, and he was often a guest at the various banquets and social functions at the palace. He even got married to the King's cousin, Countess Ilona Szilagy, with whom he had two children.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 19:12:25 GMT -5
For over nine years, Vlad had more or less remained in King Matthias' custody, while his brother Radu occupied the throne of Wallachia. But contrary to what one might assume, Vlad Dracula was still somewhat respected by some of his former subjects; after all, he had successfully defeated the Turks on many occasions, and had managed to create an orderly society, free of crime. Radu on the other hand, had lost favor with the Boyars for his concessions to the Ottoman Turks, not to mention King Matthias himself, and his treachery to the Order of the Dracul. The time had come for Vlad to reclaim his throne, and King Matthias, along with Prince Stefan Bathory of Transylvania, would join forces with Vlad to overthrow Radu, and more importantly, to defeat the Turks.
After months of successful attacks on Turkish settlements from Dracula and his 5000 man strong Christian Army, Sultan Mehmed II's forces were sufficiently weakened, but Vlad never had the satisfaction of personally dethroning his brother, for the latter had died of syphilis, and been replaced by Prince Basarab the Old, two years ealier. After having subdued, burnt, and of course, impaled thousands of Turks, Vlad and his men returned to Romania. It is interesting to note that this time around, Vlad's favorite method of killing was officially sanctioned by the Vatican, as he was, after all, impaling the foes of the Catholic Church in the name of God.
Once again, Vlad Dracula occupied the throne of Wallachia, but things would never be the same. Even if he was officially sanctioned by King Matthias and the Church, many of the Boyars had not forgotten his ruthless ways. Sultan Mehmed II was restless in his determination to regain power over Wallachia and return Basarab to the throne. The Boyars, knowing the possible pitfalls of living under Dracula's rule, were perhaps more open to the idea of Basarab's return than they should have been. Word that Sultan Mehmed was organizing his forces in Bucharest reached Prince Stefan's ears, and he asked Vlad Dracula to organize an army to defeat the Sultan's, but of the Boyars joined him, and he found himself in a precarious position he had never been in before, undermanned, and expected by the enemy.
Without the element of surprise on his side, Vlad knew the battle ahead would be difficult. Furthermore, additional troops promised to him by Prince Stefan failed to show, and Vlad was left with just a few thousand men to combat the Sultan's army, which had grown quite considerably large. Vlad Dracula, ever the fearless warrior, fought against overwhelming odds, refusing to accept defeat, but the reality of it all was that they were outnumbered, and would eventually meet their doom. There is much speculation as to what happened to Vlad the Impaler in his final battle. Some say he died at the hands of his own men, as he was mistaken for a Turk while disguised in one of their uniforms, while others say he was killed, and decapitated, his dead body only recognizable by the vestments and medallions he was wearing.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:09:50 GMT -5
Vampires, powerful and seductive creatures. It is said that vampires first appeared at the beginning of time when their was a war between heaven and hell. These demons of the past are in human form and may or may not have a soul. Many are evil and serve their dark masters but their are few that do good to repent for their past misdeeds.
An older vampire is always stronger than a younger one. In this instance, age does in fact give wisdom and power. Depending on the time they have spent as a vampire and the amount of blood they have drank over the years. Newly made vampires have strength a little higher than the average human. Over the course of decades their strength increases more and more. They also exhibit extraordinary speed, reflexes and senses. Some exhibit flight, shapechanging,pyrokinesis, telekinesis and telepathic powers. The females usually exhibit some hypnotic abilities which they mainly use to seduce men into doing their deeds.
There are two forms of vampires that exist. Those born vampiric, the Vampyres, and those created or embraced into the lifestyle, the Vampires.
Vampyres
Height: 5' to 7'6"
Weight: 100- 250 lbs
Age: Young 0-17 years Young adult 18-25 years Mature 26-39 years Middle aged 40-55 Elderly 56-70 Venerable 70+
Lifespan: A born vampire generally stops aging at a normal rate when they hit maturity; they age extremely slowly after that and suffer none of the ill effects of their actual age for many centuries to come.
Traits:Fangs, slow pulse, somewhat pale, no breathing needed
Culture: Born vampires are more socially accepted than created vampires in many ways.Their reflections can be seen in mirrors, they can go out in the daytime, and they are not weak to wood as created vampires are. In fact, they are not undead at all. This gives them none of the benefits of the created vampire against metal, however, and swords are just as harmful to them as any other living being. They are able to use a mistform and make a suggestion to a hypnotized victim.
Reproductive: Born vampires are able to have children in the normal way; they also are able to create vampires through siring. The child of two born vampires will always be a born vampire; the child of a born vampire and another race will have a 50% chance of being a born vampiric. Sired children will always be created vampires.
Vampires
Height: Acording to vampire's race while alive
Weight: According to vampire's race while alive
Age: Created vampires measure age from the time they were sired to the present; they also have a measure of how far removed they are from the master, or original, vampire. This is called a generation; more information on it can be found below.
Lifespan: Vampires are immortal until killed by one of the vampire slaying methods listed below.
Traits: Fangs, no pulse, dead, pale, no reflection
Culture: Vampires generally live three types of lifestyles; some are loners, some are part of a clan, and some seek to hide their vampirism. The first is pretty self explanatory; the lone vampire either has a secret location where he hunts from, or lives with a small group of friends and family who often help him find snacks and bloodwyne. The other two are explained below.
Reproductive: Being dead, created vampires are unable to reproduce offspring in the traditional manner. Rumors and tales of magical alterations have been heard of that say that a vampire of this form is able to reproduce, but it has not been verified. They do produce more vampires, however, by a process called siring that is explained below.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:11:30 GMT -5
Siring refers to the process by which a new vampire is made. Both created and born vampires can make a new vampire by siring. Vampires created through the drinking of vampiric blood (an embrace), with the exception of the Dragopyre, lose the race (human, elf, demon, faerie, angel, etc.) abilities it once possessed and acquire the abilities of it's master's vampiric race.
There are four methods by which a vampire can be sired. None are 100% effective, and accidents can be fatal.
Method One: The vampire drains his victim completely of blood, killing him. If appropriate precautions against vampirism are not taken with the body, the dead has a chance of coming back as a newly sired vampire. He becomes a created vampire, that must obey it's master. The siring vampire should be aware that: A) some newly created vampires do not immediately have a lust for blood and hatred of all things living, B) they just killed this person, and C) some newly-sired vampires do not have any obligation towards their 'benefactor', especially if they can escape that pesky little 'Must obey sire' disadvantage; Targets who are killed quickly in a single attack are free of this obligation to their sire.
Method Two: The vampire drains his victim nearly completely of blood, then makes the victim drink the vampire's blood to restore him. This is almost guaranteed to work, there are some rare instances where some people are innately resistant to vampiric transformation methods.
Method Three: Although somewhat rare, it is known for vampirism to be part of an actual curse, such as by a mage's spell. Vampires created by this method often have an additional method to remove the curse of vampirism - this method is decided by the mage, unfortunately for the vampire in question.
Method Four: Vampires may allow people to drink of their blood; this has the effect of providing one last chance against the ravages of death. Even if the vampire is no longer anywhere near the 'victim', if the 'victim' dies, the mortal returns as a created vampire.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:12:29 GMT -5
Blood: The craving of all vampires and a necessity of vampiric powers, fresh blood. A 'light snack' is about a pint, a full meal is at least a quart, and an 'average' human body has about 1.5 gallons (12 pints) of blood. Drain four (4) quarts of blood and the average mortal is becoming ground fodder material. A vampire doesn't get to slug down a gallon of blood in one short slurp, especially if the victim is actually a perceptive and relatively intelligent lifeform. This means you have to get three hits to have a nice tasty pint of mortal blood. Vampires can overeat in order to stave off future cravings and survive longer without needing to consume. However, the vampire is slowed by his overweight status.
Vampires can gain powers by draining blood from other vampires. However, every time this is done, the vampire risks gaining the disadvantage of obeying a sire within three days. Vampires tend to share blood for this reason, to create a bond between the new vampire and the other members of the clan and to strengthen the clan as a whole.
Bloodwyne: Bloodwyne is seen as a blessing by some cultures, and a curse by others. Many kingdoms feel that legal bloodwyne will attract vampires, and have strict prohibitions against its sale, consumption and transport. Within Goshen, this is not the case. Bloodwyne is offered for those that do not wish to 'hunt' for their meal, as well as a 'social' drink served in pubs and homes alike.
Bloodwyne is made from the concentrated juice of the bloodmelon. Bloodmelons contain similar nutrients to those found in fresh blood, which is why they can be used as an acceptable (though not as tasty) substitute for a vampire's meal. Bloodwyne, while sustaining the vampiric body, does not sustain the vampiric powers and abilities that only fresh blood provides.
Bloodmelons that grow too large, fall off the vine, creating a noxious smell as they splatter to the ground that attracts wandering creatures. Rumor has it that the bloodmelons drain the life and soul of those who perish nearby. Bloodmelons grow deep in the jungles of the Goshen, guarded and protected by the 'zombies' of their victims.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:17:59 GMT -5
Some vampires live as part of a clan, which is a related "family" group of vampires (ie. Brujah, Malkavain, Tremere, Ventrue, Whampyri, etc.). These clans are organised under the rule of the master, or original vampire. Other vampires have power and control over the clan's activities according to how removed from the master vampire they are.Each step they are removed from the master vampire is called a generation. Vampires that were directly sired by the master vampire are first generation vampires. Vampires that were sired by first generation vampires become second generation vampires, because they are two steps removed from the master vampire. In the event of the death of the master vampire, the clan will often split with each first generation vampire taking the "children" he has sired, and forming their own clan. If this does not occur, the eldest first generation vampire becomes the new master of the existing clan.Vampires from the same clan will often feed from each other to share abilities- see the feeding section for details.
Hidden Vampires: In some circumstances, a vampire may wish for his vampiric nature to be hidden from others. There are many varied reasons that can cause a vampire to go into a state of hiding. Perhaps the campaign world at large is unaware of the existance of vampires, or vampires are hunted in the country where the vampire resides. More personal reasons could aso exist. Perhaps the vampire wants to fit in with the human beings around him, or is embarassed by his non-living state. A vampire can hide his true nature by the use of illusions, avoiding circumstances that reveal his vampirisim, and consuming bloodwyne instead of blood.
Bloodlines
There is a difference between clans and bloodlines. Clans are the families or group the vampire is embraced into or associated with. The bloodline will determine the look of the vampire, the immunities, as well as the nature of the vampire.
Romantic Vampires - The Romantics are less beast like than vampires tend to be thought of as. They are the most ‘human’ of vampires and hold on to their lost humanity. Vampires of this nature follow all the normal rules of vampires but are not affected by holy weapons, holy water, turning or destroying priest spells and are not considered unholy beings. The best illustration of the Romantic type vampire would be those in Anne Rice's books like Interview with a Vampire. They are much more human than other vampires and not always evil.
Malice Vampires - The Malice is spawned from evil demons from the underworld. They are considered unholy and are affected by holy weapons, water and undead turning abilities. The Malice is beast like in nature and often can be mistaken for a werewolf altering form on occasion. Malice types will leave behind their humanity and become evil, feeding and relishing their new power. They explode if hit with direct sunlight. The best example of a Malice type vampire would be Dracula and most of his progeny. They are human looking and can sometimes have human like characteristics as a Romantic Vampire but they are demonic shape shifters and magic users who usually are cursed by God.
Eon Vampires - The Eon is cold and calculated compared to the other vampire species. They are bald, have pointed ears, translucent eyes, and a bizarre blue skin coloration. They are almost mindless in their hunting and killing, almost never thinking or talking. The Eon has no allies, friends, and almost never form clans or groups. The victim of an Eon becomes a single minded Zombie Vampire, bent on blood alone, becoming decayed but not appearing to be anything like the Eon in appearance. The Zombie is linked to obey the Eon that spawned it forever. Eons do not assume the form of rats, wolves, bats or any creatures however. They are subject to holy weapons, water, symbols and turning as Malice vampires. The best examples of Eon Vampires are from the movies Nosferatu, Salem's Lot, and Shadow of the Vampire. Where the other vampire types can sometimes pass as human the Eon is always going to strike fear in mortals around them. Known Bloodline Powers / Weaknesses
Blood Drain - Once bitten, victims become slack and unable to resist the attack due to a chemical in the fangs that sedate and also cause a temporary memory loss of the attack. This is how vampires can live in society and never be discovered. Their victims begin to become aroused on the feeding and there is usually no reason for killing a victim although unholy vampires such as the Malice species and some uncaring Eon and Zombie Vampires will finish off victims without thought.
Immunity - Vampires will not feel pain unless caused by magic, acid, holy, fire, light or attacks from supernatural creatures (other vampires, undead, lycanthropes, angels, dragons, etc.). Vampires are immune to many things: poison, disease (although they may carry disease), gases, lack of oxygen, energy draining, unholy magic and fear.
Burrow - Vampires can lower themselves into the earth when its time to rest to hide from sun light.
Create Vampire or Ghoul - Vampires can create other vampires by draining them of blood giving the victim a taste of their vampire blood. They then become vampires themselves of the first age rank. Creating a ghoul is different. No blood is drained from the victim. The ghoul is fed the vampire’s blood while still alive and healthy. This links the person to the vampire as a ghoul.
Weak vs Fire/ Light - Vampires have a weakness against fire and against a true light attack. Being hit by direct sunlight will kill a vampire that is affected by light. Holy attacks affect Eon and Malice vampire types (not Romantic types).
Wooden Stakes - (Malice and Eon types only) - Vampires that are staked in the heart are KO’d until it is removed. Hitting the heart of a vampire is almost impossible, they know well their weaknesses and will insure protection of the area. Romantic vampires are not KO'd from such an attack only Malice and Eon types.
Blood Lust - Vampires who have not replenished, or recently fed, will be overcome by a 'frenzy' and attack anyone for blood. The longer without feeding, the harder to resist the urge to get blood. If a Vampire does not find a victim to drink from, they slip into a coma and sleep beneath the earth for a random length of time. This ranges from a few days to a few millenniums. Living beings passing near the grave will arouse the vampire to attack.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:24:03 GMT -5
Dhampir / Vampear / Vampeal (half vampire/ half mortal)
The dhampir is not a true vampire only because it never died. The dhampir is the product of a vampire and a mortal having a child. Its said some women who became vampires while pregnant birth such babies while some vampires can actually mate with the living. What ever the case, dhampirs are the result. Dhampirs are treated as a separate race than Vampires of their parent race type. The dhampir retains all abilities of the mortal parent's race type (human, elf, etc.). They also have the strengths and weaknesses of their vampire parent. The vampear usually looks like their parent race. They grow fangs for feeding or if hungry for blood but only appear vampire like if they choose to feed often.
Powers / Weaknesses
Dhampirs have fangs as vampires which can be used to feed on blood in the same manner. They also have a blood lust but do not need it to live. Dhampirs have the healing ability of a vampire and can, with time, regenerate lost limbs with the exception of the head. Decapitation will kill dhampirs. Dhampirs will live forever if they feed on blood. They do not age if they have taken blood into their bodies during the year. For each year not exposed to blood they age for the year so they can still live a mortal's life if they resist the temptation of blood.
Reaper
A virus has infected the vampiric races and a new creation has been made. This vampire holds true to it's former Vampiric race with the exception of appearance, no matter the vampire race, it will have the appearance of the Eon Vampire bloodline. This vampire's victims are both vampiric and mortal. Decapitation or a stake through the heart are the only known methods to kill this vampire. Removing the stake from the heart of this vampire will not revive him.
Powers / Weaknesses
Immune to those items listed for vampires as well as those items that are listed as harmful to most vampires. The Reaper's bite alone is infectious enough to create a new vampire. The victim does not need to drink of the blood to become vampire, once bitten the change has begun. Those created by this method have a lifetime of only a few days. They are in a constant state of hunger and must feed several times a day, making it appear they are continually in the midst of Blood Lust.
Ghouls
Malice and Romantic vampires can create ghouls. The ghoul is a living being who did not die but drank the vampire’s blood. The ghoul is obedient to the master and protects their body during day hours. Ghouls are not vampires at all and have all their normal racial attributes but will usually live twice as long as normal members of their race (provided the master feeds them regularly) and they can contact their master telepathically from up to a hundred miles away. Ghouls are puppets to their master's desire.
Necropyre
Tthese are vampiric creatures but not true vampires. A necromancer and or a vampire gives an already dead corpse vampire blood. The being created acts much like a Zombie Vampire, lusting for blood and unable to reason or think. There are three types; skeleton, corpse, and mummy. A necropyre can be used only as a npc (non-player character) due to its savage nature, acting a lot like mindless zombies or animals. They are only usable in storylines.
Bloodpyre
Exactly the same as the Necropyre except for one important difference. The necromancer actually recalls the original soul to the corpse. The bloodpyre is therefore treated as a vampire, the same species it was made from (Romantic, Eon, or Malice). It acts as a regular vampire but will usually develop an insanity and need for vengeance upon the necromancer and other undead and vampires in particular. They are usually suicidal, hoping to return to their rest. If creating a Bloodpyre character, make sure to create them the same way as one of the three other vampire types.
Dragopyre
Often dragons assume the form of a human and their chemistry is similar to humans. On rare occasions, dragons fall victim to vampires. The dragopyre is a dragon that develops vampiric powers in their human form as well as powerful dragon attacks. They are very dangerous. Caution should be used when creating this type of character because of it's power, it is usually hunted and destroyed by vampire and mortal alike. See also Dragons
Vampiric Breeders
Vampiric breeders are born when a woman falls in love with an incubus or some other tanar'ri under a charming, beautiful guise. The demon men will use them to plant their infernal seed, then leave them torn and shattered. When the woman dies from giving birth to her tanaric cambion son, the horror is so much that she cannot go into the afterlife. She must remain and punish evil men that did this to her. Vampiric breeders have two distinct forms. One being quite beautiful, the other quite horrific, both are human female in nature. When a vampiric breeder is being subtle, it appears as a very attractive human female. When threaten, they look the undead creatures they are; a rotten corpse of a woman that has a grotesque wound on their stomach, as if something tore its way out from the inside of their womb. Vampiric breeders are drawn to the suffering of woman under tyrannical treatment from husbands or lovers. She will charm the husband and convince him to make arrangements for his wife and children in the case of his demise. After such arrangements are met, she will arrange an accident for the husband. While the husband is making these arrangements, the vampiric breeder is searching for a suitable replacement for the dead husband. After the husband dies, she will charm the new suitor, and suggest that he courts the widow. They are also attracted to woman grieving from a cheating lover. She will take these types as lovers, and drain them of all beauty and charm, and make them a lavishing slave. When a party encounters a vampiric breeder, zombies and/or charmed adventurers usually accompany them.
Powers/Weaknesses
When a vampiric breeder is in its beautiful form it has no physical attack form. It however is not defenseless. It can charm person at will through its gaze and it can cast a suggestion at will through its voice. Most horrific is its ability to drain the life force by kissing a being that has succumbed to its charms. A victim will fail to notice the drain. Allies will notice something's up after 3 such drains. Drained life will return only by a heal or a restoration spell. When attacking in its hideous form, they claw and bite, resulting in the life force drain . They cannot use their charm or suggestion abilities while in this form. Anyone drained of all his or her life becomes a extremely decomposed zombie under the control of the vampiric breeder. Vampiric breeders are immune to mind altering spells, cold, and non-enchanted weapon.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:32:19 GMT -5
The following powers are taken from historical, mythological and literary vampires. Your vampire's abilities may vary. These guidelines can be used to supplement and enhance your vampire character. Differing types of vampires can be created using these powers, methods of slaying, and disadvanatages.
Vision
Dark Vision Infravision
Shapeshift
Mist form Bat form Wolf form
Summoning:
Wolves Bats Subserviant vampires
Immunities:
All Metal Iron
Create Undead:
Skeletons Zombies Ghouls
Other Abilities
Charm Person Hypnosis Suggestion Teleportation Telepathy Unaging Magery Invisibility (only works until right before the vampire attacks)
Control:
Undead Wolves Bats Normal Animals Minions Sired
Kin Sight:
-Allows vampire to see through the eyes of a subserviant vampire
-Allows vampire to sense the location and feelings of a subserviant vampire
-Read minds of:
Controlled victims Controlled creatures Subserviant vampires
More Abilities
Flight Magical Vampire's Kiss: Heal other (gets rid of those nasty fang marks... hopefully) Vampiric Regeneration (Regeneration through blood drain) Bloodstrength (Heal self via blood reserves) Innate Strength
Innate Weapon:
Claws Pointy Teeth / Fangs Innate Charisma
Immune to:
Poison Disease
Bonus:
Thick Skin Perception Speed Spiderwalk Aura of Fear Doesn't require food or drink Doesn't require air Immortal (Must be killed by one of the vampire slaying methods)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:36:37 GMT -5
Must consume blood every _______ (hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, day, etc)
Invisible to Mirrors
Unable to enter homes/buildings without inivitation
Unable to cross running water
Allergy:
Sunlight Garlic Holy Symbols Holy Water
Unable to continue when a broom is thrown in his path until counting all the straws
Facial distortion when hungry / angry
Looks like a corpse when hungry
Looks like a corpse always
No sexual function
No natural child conception Rotting
Ages when hungry
Torpor during day (deep coma like sleep)
Must sleep in:
coffin own grave Must sleep with earth from grave
Must always carry grave earth
Must consume souls every _______ (hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, day, etc)
Must only drink the blood of a _____ (virgin, good creature, evil creature, annoying creature, Celeste, etc)
Cannot consume bloodwyne for blood requirements
Causes wolves to howl
Animals automatically react with hostility / fear
Animals automatically attempt to chew on vampire
Smells dead
Must obey sire
Hatred:
All living things
One specific being /race (deemed responsible for the current condition of the vamp)
Temper (must resist urge to be violent when angry or stressed)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:39:03 GMT -5
Acknowledged ways to kill a vampire include the following. It is up to the individual player to pick which will work on a particular vampire at the time of his creation. Some sources state that a slain vampire turns into ash at the time of his death, while others contend that all that is left is a rotting corpse, and a few believe that the vampire melts like wax, with or without immolative special effects. The state of the vampire's body after death is left to the player's discretion.
Methods of slaying
Wooden stake through the heart
Dismemberment and burial in blessed ground
Beheaded
Beheading, stuffing mouth with garlic, and burial in separate consecrated graves
Doused in holy water
Burned
Beheaded and Burned
Vampire slaying spell (such as Rain of Splinters or Holy Fire)
Special item (Sword of Vampire Slaying, ie)
Exposure to sunlight
Consecrating or blessing the vampire's grave
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2004 20:42:32 GMT -5
I do not believe there is a thing that I missed. Of course, such arrogance can easily be disproved. If anyone has anything that I passed over in my research, please add to this. There has been alot of confusion and misconceptions about vampires in general, and this tutorial is designed entirely to fix that. What you have just read is a complete and in-depth guide to the creatures known as vampires. I even threw in the biography of the infamous Vlad the Impaler. Hopefully everyone will now be well-versed in taking on a vampire as a character. Adding things to a character that take away from the truth and principle here is not illegal, but untraditional and discouraged. Enjoy.
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Valcrist Rocheim
Full Member
"Mutate me and breed yourselves a saviour"
Posts: 104
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Post by Valcrist Rocheim on Mar 16, 2005 20:12:02 GMT -5
You've simply outdone yourself, man. I didn't think you could nail it (no pun intended). Swell job, although the slaying methods list could use some work. Ways to kill vampires has always been a vague topic, and no one can really blame you anyway if it's wrong.
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Post by CaedaeusAscalon on Apr 2, 2005 13:09:20 GMT -5
Yeah, I tried. This was back in the day when everyone had a vampire that went against tradition. I didn't really get into tradition until I read about it, and when I did, I figured at least people would understand that they are going against everything.
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