Vampire

Vampires are the chosen of Huggessoa, a race of former mortals who have completed the Vampire's Ritual, abandoning their former race and embracing vampirism. This grants them new power, such as immunity to aging and the ability to regenerate after death, making them practically immortal. The downsides of this are numerous, chiefly that they lose the ability to sustain the necessary-to-live Focus naturally, instead having to absorb it by drinking the blood of mortal races. For this reason, they are, for the most part, feared and detested, forcing them to hide the truth of their race from others.

They have existed since time immemorial, even predating Heaven's Contention.

Vampire's Ritual

In order to become a vampire, one must consume, by drinking, the blood of six different vampires within a 1 hour period. After doing so, the imbiber will expire, and exactly six days later, will awaken again as a vampire. There are some precautions required, however; during that period, if the body is exposed to direct sunlight for six or more hours total, or the body is destroyed, or limbs or large parts of the body are removed from it, the ritual will fail and they will never awaken.

The ritual can only be performed by humanoid mortal races; animals, for example, cannot become vampires. Several mortal races are completely immune to the effects of the ritual; they will neither die, nor become a vampire. These races are:

• Any Corrupted race.
• Glykin.
• Doriad.
• Races such as Mechanation, Lich, and Dullahan, which lack normal bodies, or are non-living.

After performing the ritual, the vampire has the same appearance as they did before, but may have slightly sharper or elongated fangs. This includes things such as wings or animal ears; however, a vampire no longer has any powers of the race they previously were. Kaelensia do not have their magical eyes, although they remain gold in color. Zerans lose the ability to sense focus with their horns, and so on.

Furthermore, the ritual will heal any disease or physical disability, including missing limbs, that the performer had prior to becoming a vampire. The only known exception to this is Void Poisoning, which cannot be cured this way.

There is no way to reverse the ritual; a vampire is stuck as a vampire forever.

Biology

Vampires retain all of the normal biological functions of a mortal; they must breathe, they have a heartbeat, they sweat, must use the restroom if they eat normal food, and so on. However, there are a few differences. Firstly, vampires draw necessary focus primarily from the blood of other non-vampires. This means that eating food or sleeping does not do much to restore a vampire's energy. They may still do these things, either for pleasure or to blend in, but they are not required.

Vampires lack the ability to reproduce, regardless of gender, although they are still capable of performing the act.

Feeding

Vampires feed by drinking the blood of certain mortal races. The general rule is that the blood must be red for it to be a viable food source, meaning races with different colored blood, such as Glykin or Goblins, cannot be fed on. Similarly, even though vampires have red blood, the blood contains no focus, and is useless to consume, as well as taboo. Blood which has been removed from a body and left to sit for more than 24 hours also holds no focus content and holds no value for consumption.

Due to their unique feeding methods, food does not sustain vampires. They can also not sustain themself solely on things such as potions which restore focus; they barely qualify as a 'snack'. Vampires must feed regularly, and extended periods without doing so significantly weakens them while aggravating the instinct to drink blood. The longest period of time a vampire can go without feeding is six years, provided they avoid all direct sunlight. If a vampire has been 'killed' and reformed, they will be in a state of great hunger, and will need to feed within a week to stay alive.

Attempting to feed on the blood of Glykin will harm the vampire as its divinity assaults them from the inside, acting almost like an acid or poison, and is fully capable of 'killing' the vampire for attempting to do so.

Sunlight

While sunlight does not physically harm vampires, it does make them more aggressive, and being in direct sunlight has a draining effect on them that increases their hunger. One who is often outside during daytime hours will need to feed at least once a week to stay alive. Thus vampires have it in their nature to avoid sunlight as much as possible.

Clothing or things which provide shade, such as parasols or helmets, can have a protective impact against direct sunlight, but it is very slight. Interiors with shaded windows, or none, are more bearable the less natural lighting they have.

Vampire Death

A vampire that experiences death does not die normally; once death is final, their body rapidly changes into a silvery mist and quickly begins flying away. This occurs even if the vampire is in a sealed space; the mist is magical and will penetrate solid objects slowly if it has no easier way. Once it has reached the sky, the mist will fly towards one of these places (in order of priority):

• The place the vampire performed the ritual.
• Any nearby cavern where bats roost.
• Any place abandoned by people which provides ample shade from sunlight.

The first most appropriate candidate is chosen; only if the location(s) are not suitable, does the next in the list occur. A location may not be suitable if it provides insufficient protection from direct sunlight, or if the area has been sanctified or blessed by Mercalan magic, or presents significant danger to the reforming vampire (for example, if it submerged or on fire, houses aggressive monsters or people, or has been destroyed completely, etc.).

Afterwards, the mist will slowly begin to reform into the vampire's appearance over the next six days. Once that time passes, the mist will turn into the vampire's new physical body, which is identical to how it was upon awakening from the ritual; lost limbs and so on that they may have lost are reformed, etc.

There is a key condition to this protection; the vampire cannot be weak due to lack of feeding. If they are, the vampire's body will turn to ash instead of mist, and actually experience death.