Vampires are creatures of darkness, descended from a dark deity that entered the world of Glomora many millennia ago. Vampires are a race that threaten the free people in the lands of Glomora, striking from the darkness of forests and alleyways, or baring their fangs from the political thrones of well-established covens.
HISTORY: In the early years of the earth, a rift opened within Glomora. From this rift came the demon god, Daldrid, who attacked the humans of Glomora mercilessly. Some he slaughtered, and some he turned, and the germ of vampirism spread like wildfire. With their superior cunning, speed, and strength, the humans were quickly subdued and given a yoke of slavery by the vampires. It was not until the Tahu, the angels, came to the help of the humans were the vampires defeated, and Daldrid banished back to the void. However, the world was forever changed. The vampires had infected Glomora, and they could not easily be rooted out.
Over the centuries, the vampires slowly recovered from the war with the Tahu. They created covens, some so large they could be considered city-states, while others were small and dismal. The largest of these was the coven of Spiderhollow resting in the North of Glomora. There, the vampire Draco Victus set precedence as having the largest coven in all of Glomora. It is in the Dark North, or Varpao, that the rift originally opened and the vampire god Daldird first enter the world, and it is there that Spiderhollow resides.
Smaller covens are scattered across the continent of Glomora. Some reside in castles, others in the sewers below great cities. These covens are small and poorly governed, most of its members only residing for a few years before they move on to hunt individually. Some vampires find themselves displeased with their surroundings, acting truculent and not wanting to give in to the demands of a vampire lord or lady. These vampires become loners. Others, however, find it more advantageous to be part of a coven where numbers make it easier to find blood and fight against hunters paladins.
Vampires appearances are not unlike what they were when they were human. Vampires procreate and only humans can be turned. An elf’s blood, carrying the divine blood of the Tahu, will kill a vampire if consumed and other races such as dwarves do not have the capacity to be turned into vampires.
APPEARANCE: Vampires skin, whether dark or pale, takes on a kind of sheen not normally seen in nonvampires. The most notable detail of a vampire however is its eyes. The eye color of a vampire reveals its age, and just as well, its power and experience. When a vampire is born or first turned, their eyes are black. Once they reach a hundred years old, their eyes turn a lavender color. At about three hundred years old, they become crimson. Once they have existed as a vampire for half a millennium, their eyes taken on a silver sheen.
When a vampire has lived for a thousand years, their eyes become golden. After that, it can be impossible to tell how old a vampire actually is. They can be beyond ancient and incredibly dangerous. It is these vampires that usually reign over the strongest covens. However, vampires with golden eyes are also extremely rare.
ABILITIES: Vampires are extremely fast and possess incredible strength. The strength of their fangs and jaws are enough to rip out a throat from an unsuspecting victim. They also have keen sense of smell, especially when it comes to the scent of blood, and their eyes are able to easily pierce the darkest shadows. But for all their prowess, vampires also have a number of weaknesses.
SUNLIGHT: A legend exists that in the war between the Tahu and the vampires, the sun god Her’Kulta did battle with Daldrid himself. Using a divine spell, Her’Kulta completely eradicated the god with the power of his sword, Sunpiercer. The spell affected all vampires, being the offspring of Daldrid. To this day, the dark race have an aversion to sunlight in one degree or another.
Vampires with black or lavender eyes die instantly when exposed to sunlight, while vampires with crimson eyes can tolerate sunlight for a small amount of time. Crimson and lavender-eyed vampires can even move about during the day if the sky is overcast and they are wearing some kind of hood. If they spend too much time in the sunlight, however, they will eventually succumb to the light and die.
Silver and gold-eyed vampires can move under sunlight without perishing, though their eyes are still sensitive to the glare of the sun. Their powers are also weakened under the gaze of the sun, so they avoid being under the sunlight if they can.
SILVER AND ELF BLOOD: In the first war, Iltaku, goddess of beauty and the moon, was captured and tortured by a servant of Daldrid, Voldrid. Voldrid drank Iltaku’s blood, as silver as moonlight, claiming that it was the sweetest he had ever consumed. But the more he drank it, the weaker he became. Voldrid did not realize how pure the Lapsu really were, and thereby, so was their blood which contained traces of the celestial bodies themselves. Voldrid became so weak from consuming Iltaku’s blood that she was able to free herself and banish him back to the void. To this day, two things remain true: vampires (as well as other monsters and demons) fall to silver, and vampires will not drink the blood of elves, for they are descended from the Tahu and also possess traces of celestial silver in their blood. It is not uncommon for vampire hunters to carry vials of elf blood which they will lace on their weapons and their arrowheads in order to more easily bring down the bloodsucking quarries.
MAGIC AND FLAME: Just as sunlight harms a vampire, so does a raging fire, burning vampires to ash and dust. Many vampire hunters will make sure to carry a tinderbox when they go delving into a cave they know is rife with vampires or some sort of enchanted weapon that uses fire. Weapons that also happen to bear certain enchantments and spells can be used to kill vampires as well, though it is difficult if the vampire also happens to be a spellcaster themselves.