Vampyr (Vahm-pure)

Known History

Beginnings

A species profoundly draped in superstition and wonder, the reclusive vampyr have never stood at the forefront of history, yet ever loomed in the background. Specters reviled endlessly, even when few truly even knew them. Fear is a powerful force, insidious in its reach and infectious in its pervasiveness, making it all the more difficult to dispel.   A classic example of 'profoundly misunderstood', the vampyr are nocturnal, blood drinking humanoids ostensibly descended from ancient bat monsters. Unlike what most consider blood drinking to entail, the vampyr treat it with reverence and care. For them, it functions as a catalyst to their digestive system, enable them to process the extreme amounts of mana they naturally generate. Without it, they continue generating so much they will eventually explode.   However, the type of blood and its quality are important for their digestive needs. Animal blood works in an emergency, but sapient humanoids are the only ones who are 'nutritionally complete'. This is further complicated by the need for a willing donor, as an unwilling donor's blood becomes lethally toxic. Symbiosis is the norm for the vampyr as a result, and they seek mutual benefit and cooperation over conflict. Unfortunately, the often deeply spiritual or religious meaning one's blood has led to ancient conflicts with the vampyr.   In most situations, the two sides generally boiled down to vampyr symbionts or anti-vampyr religions. With fear as the weapon of choice, their enemies poisoned the minds of countless generations that the vampyr were soul-stealing monstrosities, virtue tainting Forsaken, or any other framing that suited their purpose. Thus followed great wars and ruthless purges where the vampyr were pushed out from the most desirable and wealthiest of lands. Wherever they settled, they were soon shoved out from, if not eradicated entirely. It left them no recourse but to seek the most inhospitable places that only they had the strength to survive in.   But, such desperation did not pan out.   With their backs to the proverbial wall, the vampyr embarked on retaliatory wars themselves. These wars were where their magical arts reached legendary renown as they conducted destruction and death on a scale only matched by dragonkind. Some historians point to these wars as the first beginnings of Blood Magic, but that is an impossible claim to back up. Most do so if only because the vampyr are the first, and often greatest, practitioners of such arts.   In time, these major wars came and went, leaving the vampyr secure in their 'undesirable' lands. This ultimately left them on the fringes of more bountiful, contested lands where safety and plenitude were fiercely fought over. Bitter and scarred by such things, the vampyr became mistrustful of outsiders, and so fell into the depths of seclusion.    

The Bloody Jungles

The vampyr principally love warm and humid environments, and they're most at home in jungles. On Veltrona, however, jungles are the deadliest lands that can still sustain life. Rich biodiversity greatly accelerates engendering the Relentless Herds and Packs, leaving the vampyr no other choice but to arm themselves to the proverbial and literal teeth to survive. When it was not people who sought their their end, unnatural nature did just as much. For their surviving descendants, history is full of carnage and tragedy the vampyr endlessly raged against.   They carved out their own bastions of civilization upon blood and bodies, generation by generation. A struggle they often shared with others who dwelled in the jungles, perhaps most notably of all the tokyau and mussuba. While not initially friendly with each other, allies are a luxury in such circumstances, and enemies shouldn't be made easily.   Over time, mutual cooperation and shared survival became the bonds that gradually brought them closer together. Of them all, the mussuba understood the vampyr the best, as like them, they had a symbiotic dependency on other people. The two peoples became closely intertwined after a fashion; distinct, yet aligned. For the vampyr, the gift of shared blood may have quite literally saved their species, and so they honor the mussuba as saviors.    

Heart of Carnage

Around the time the vampyr began fading into myth, their civilizations diverged onto their own paths and varying levels of significance. While they maintained a presence on every continent with warmly humid conditions, their stronghold—and presumed land of origin—was the fiercest continent of all: Etzli Cuauhtla. In the endless cauldron of slaughter those jungles demanded, the vampyr strove to rise above it all.   Near the heart of Etzli Cuauhtla laid the ruins of an ancient mega-city, one whose denizens had obviously perished eons ago. A migrating vampyr tribe happened upon it, and beholden to such grandiosity, moved in as the new owners. Though battered, broken, and derelict of almost anything of value, the impressive stone fortifications yet remained. Inspired by such a sight, they named it Toi'drinn—"stairs of the goddesses"—for upon its hallowed steps would they rise to greatness, or perish forever.   A sentiment that would come to define the vampyr for many generations.   With the ancient walls of Toi'drinn offering an advantageous leg up, the vampyr tribe endeavored hard to repair and expand their might. Their audacious tales of bravery, triumph, and tragedy became many in Toi'drinn's burgeoning history, but that profound sacrifice wove into its very bones. Against all odds, be it the Relentless, nature itself, or other people, the vampyr built a great city.   As time passed and their might continued to grow, the vampyr of Toi'drinn faced a new sort of threat. Cultivation Arts are controversial at the best of times, and their practitioners, the cultivators, are notoriously greedy and destructive beings. Wannabe immortals hungering for resources and power to further themselves, they're responsible for countless atrocities across Veltrona. When word of Toi'drinn's unique one-of-a-kind blood magic spread, it caught the notice of many cultivators. For their kind, anything that can help them improve their cultivation and reach the next plateau was a prize of unmatchable value.   Fearing their knowledge falling into the hands of such people, Toi'drinn fiercely defended itself against invasion. But, just as there are evil cultivators that pillage the world, there are those who maintain virtuous ideals. As the conflict escalated, other cultivators were drawn in, creating a violent war within Etzli Cuauhtla's heart. Though there were many who offered much to have the vampyr come to their side, they staunchly refused. They would control their own destiny, no matter what.    

The Longest Fangs

Having survived the worst of the cultivator attacks, at least for the time, the vampyr of Toi'drinn became starkly aware of their precarious position. A city would be a constant target to individuals or sects who possessed both time and patience to whittle it down. If the vampyr would survive, they must strike out and kill their enemies where they slept. Candidates were selected from the fiercest huntresses and warriors, ones whose loyalty to their kin and city were unquestionable. With diligence and expertise, the vampyr pushed their blood magic to once unimaginable frontiers.   It's argued if it became some kind of cultivation art unto itself, or something altogether new. Regardless, the candidates were augmented through blood magic into a newer form of vampyr, hence dubbed the Kikotu—"long fangs"—and sent out into Veltrona. These powerful quasi-immortals were charged with three principle tasks: destroying evil cultivation sects, establishing contact with foreign vampyr, and killing anything who would threaten their kind. They would become saviors of the night and guardians in the dark, unseen by daywalkers.   By their very nature, tracking the Kikotu and their deeds is virtually impossible; if anyone knew, it was a well-guarded secret. What is known that a number of cultivation sects were systematically slaughtered within Etzli Cuauhtla, and these paths of destruction trailed into Honokom and Lophern. After the resulting shift in the balance of power, newer cultivation sects wisely stayed out of the way of the vampyr. At least, none felt bold enough to try open warfare.   From there, it's largely believed that the Kikotu ventured across Veltrona and made contact with the other 'long lost' vampyr. While not a 'flight' capable species in the same manner as harpies, vampyr innovated with forms of wind magic that enhanced them in their own powerful, unique ways. An overlooked, yet important, detail as it explains many of the sudden and inexplicable events that followed.   Historians generally believe the Kikotu helped to either arm or relocate the different vampyr tribes that did business with them. Some staunchly refused, for one reason or another, and a few even turned against the Kikotu themselves. It is because of these unfriendly vampyr that anything relating to the secretive Kikotu became known at all. Such scattered details, however, came together to paint a larger picture in the history of the vampyr: Toi'drinn's influence stretched long and far, infusing strength into those it otherwise would never meet.   The fact they shared their magical knowledge significantly tied the disparate vampyr civilizations together, creating a common ancestral connection. As tenuous such a bond was sometimes, it offered a sense of unity other species did not always understand. Many simply feared the passing groups of vampyr in the night, sailing through the air with awesome speed and foreboding purpose.    

Vampire Rising

Sadly, despite all their efforts, evil is relentless.   It's not exactly clear where or when it first happened, but a group of necromancers acquired a working copy of Toi'drinn's blood magic. Through it, they combined their horrific necromantic arts with blood magic, creating a terrible new existence: the vampire.   Obtaining quasi-immortality through undeath while maintaining their own sense of self, vampires were a new frontier in Forsaken existence. Combining the arts of manipulating both life and death together, they were terrifyingly powerful parasites. And, born from a crop of perverse evil, they wrought vicious destruction in the lands of Lophern and Aerthen. The Kikotu soon discovered these beings, and horrified by them, committed to erasing them from Veltrona entirely.   Though the conflict raged fiercely for decades and while many of the 'original' vampires were slain, the Kikotu were not able to fully destroy the research that made them. Forms of it escaped in the hands of wicked souls, who soon sought to recreate the power of the vampires for themselves. The Kikotu, diminished to nearly nothing from the fighting, couldn't contain such a threat any longer. At the behest of Toi'drinn, the Kikotu ventured into the daywalkers' worlds, bringing fateful omens of the vampire threat to them.   Such warnings were not well-received, and many blamed the vampyr for dabbling in 'sacred matters' beyond their right. Blood, after all, is something of great importance to many peoples, and the vampyr's continued dabbling was a divisive issue. What Kikotu remained eventually withdrew to Toi'drinn, where their order was eventually dismantled in its entirety. Though arguably successful in a number of ways, numerous issues with the Kikotu's health, sanity, and efficacy tore at them throughout the centuries. With almost none of them left, Toi'drinn looked toward other solutions.   They would need something dramatic to answer the vampire threat they felt responsible for.    

Age of the Imperium

For the vampyr, their vampire archenemy utterly ruined their reputation further. Embodying all the things once feared of the vampyr, the vampires not only made those fears real, but worsened them. Many civilizations, not knowing better or caring to find out, placed blame solely upon the vampyr, and so bloody wars followed once more. Though far better equipped in such times, the vampyr did not want to wage such pointless conflicts, and it greatly embittered them.   Such would generally define the vampyr as a whole for many centuries more, leaving them even more hated and ostracized than they ever had been.   It would be, with the greatest of ironies any historian dreads to think about, that they found an unlikely ally in the worst person imaginable: Imperious.   Ever drawn to the prospect of strong foes and triumphant battles, Imperious waged war across the world with joyful disregard. The vampyr, though powerful, were not to the caliber of foe she desired. They did, however, turn her to the idea of fighting the vampires, whose infamous strength (along with some embellishment) garnered her attention. Imperious, however, despised the Forsaken as a whole, and found them utterly unworthy of her sublime prestige. Or dying by her hand, for that matter.   She, however, didn't want the vampires spoiling whatever potential sport she might find. So, Imperious bid the vampyr welcome as part of her Imperium and tasked them with the sole job of eradicating vampires. Somewhere between servant and client, the vampyr received some favorable treatment by the imperial dragons (if only to avoid angering Imperious). This, unfortunately, only deepened the long standing xenophobic hatred directed at the vampyr—many thought they'd beguiled or saddled in bed with the imperial dragons.   Though all-too-aware of the evils of the Imperium, it was the best opportunity the vampyr had in centuries to eradicate their archenemy. Toi'drinn, even far-flung as it was, sent scores of warriors to bolster the ranks of their vampire huntresses. They endeavored hard to use the legendary might of dragons wherever possible, gaining a massive leg up in the war against vampires. At the same time, they undermined the Imperium's war efforts and cruelties, doing whatever possible to help the less fortunate peoples. A task that, unfortunately, required great secrecy and went wholly unappreciated throughout history.   The dynamics of their involvement in the Imperium, such as it was, ever muddied the vampyr's reputation.    

The War in the Dark

Despite their successes throughout the Imperium's lifetime, their archenemy remained; mutated, changed. Although much lesser than the original vampires of uld, the newer types required less to be created as well. These simplified forms of vampirism made it proliferate that much easier, for no end of greedy people coveted power and immortality. The vampyr continued all the same with hunting down every vampire they found. Perhaps they might've even succeeded fully if given enough time.   Then the World Gate exploded.   The resulting cataclysm plunged Veltrona into the Great Darkness, drowning out the sun seemingly for good. For whatever vampyr civilizations existed, those closest to the blast, and what would become the Tyrant's Sea, were erased entirely. Those farther away, namely Toi'drinn, weathered the planet-shaking blastwave with relative ease. They, however, knew the coming darkness meant only troubling times ahead. Life as a whole would struggle greatly, and their life-saving arts would be that much more important. For all the hardships they'd endured, the vampyr endeavored to save as many as they could.   They, of all people, knew what hardship entailed, after all.   It is from their records that some of the best understandings of the Great Darkness were made. For a time in which most civilizations faced existential extinction, the vampyr thrived. They adapted to the strange and bizarre conditions that darkness engendered. They overcame the toxic pollution and rampant disease that plagued the lands. They saved as many as they could in the very same bastions once assailed by those now sheltering inside them.   The vampires, too, thrived.   Parasites as they are, the unbridled chaos created by the Great Darkness gave ample opportunity to find new victims. Even more so than usual as, without sunlight to oppress them, vampires hunted with utmost leisure amongst the ruins of civilizations. The vampyr themselves took such audacity as a challenge, and rose to the seeming insurmountable task yet awaiting them. What records do exist among other species generally describe the vampyr as protectors of a sort; huntresses who felled the Forsaken with impunity.   For the first time in a long, long time, the vampyr garnered respect from the peoples who ostracized them.   Sadly, misfortune ever seems to follow.    

Baarham Dominion

Among those helped the most by the vampyr were the yet-unknown baarham. It's doubtful the vampyr paid them any special mind, but much like the necromancers of uld, the baarham learned from vampyr and tokyau-centric blood magic. They sought strength not only for themselves, but for their people as a whole, and none more than their fabled King Ghown pursued such an idea. By his will, his people were changed and augmented to realms that could contest even the hated dragons.   When the Great Darkness finally came to an end and sunlight returned, the vampyr retreated to the safety of night. In their wake, the baarham rose up, having gained great power where others lost theirs. Somehow more hateful than even Imperious herself, the baarham despised nearly all other species, blaming them for their suffering throughout the centuries. It was a tale the vampyr themselves recognized all too well; they knew exactly how it would go.   By such a time, however, what vampyr civilizations remained in Lophern and Aerthen didn't care to contest the baarham. With the bulk of vampires seemingly slain, and no unusual outbreaks of them in the interim, they turned away from the affairs of other peoples. Thankfully, their long war against the Forsaken earned them a lasting recognition as a virtuous people who stood against evil, albeit within the night itself.   There were those who tried to dissuade the baarham from their path, but famously, King Ghown merely turned them away. He, in part, recognized the vampyr's efforts and plights, similar as they were to the baarham's own. He also remembered the favor the vampyr received by Imperious, embittering him toward their kind entirely. A compromise, in his own fashion, was to simply offer them the luxury of being ignored: be gone from the path of the baarham or be trampled by them.   Some tried resisting and so were trampled.   Most became refugees fleeing from the Dominion's war path.   By the eventual end of the Dominion itself, the vampyr across Veltrona lived in a very different world. Between vampires, the Imperium, the Great Darkness, and the Dominion, their people were battered, bruised, and severely depleted in number. Lands they once lived upon for centuries stood, for the first time, devoid of their presence. Great bastions crumbled as the survivors fled far and wide, flocking to other vampyr homelands.   They were surviving, but barely.    

Warriors of Night, Saviors in the Dark

A pivotal moment in history came through the efforts of the vampyr cultivator Uruyime Black-Fang, an ancient and reclusive vampyr from eras long before even Toi'drinn. Though always having done her part to help her people when she can, it wasn't until the World Gate explosion that she took a prominent leadership role. Understanding that the vampyr needed to band together, no matter their own cultural or physical distances, she worked tirelessly to facilitate communication. Vampyr flight did much, but even it had limitations they were unable to overcome.   Uruyime, however, discovered the petrakin's secret psychic network. One of the few species that didn't bother the vampyr, the petrakin were never at the forefront of their minds as an option, either. Petrakin blood is too stagnant and unhealthy for the vampyr to rely upon, and other species living with the petrakin had their own issues with the vampyr. For something that should've worked out well on paper, never did in reality.   The petrakin, for their part, were very reluctant to give anyone useful access to their network. The mere knowledge of its existence was already a problem on its own they were dealing with. Uruyime's arguments about potential good and life-saving application, however, did eventually win them over, if a little bit. The petrakin would use her as a test to see if others could be trusted, if at all.   Getting the different vampyr leaders onboard was a monumental task unto itself, but Uruyime proved patient and persistent. It helped that, with the first few tests of the veltak petrakin relaying messages, the vampyr quickly grasped the network's value. Trial and error saw them build an effective method of utilization, and for the first time in their history, the vampyr achieved something resembling unity across Veltrona; tenuous, but existent. A communications apparatus that would put even the vaunted harpy messengers to shame.   As they cooperated, linked together, and built mutual understanding, many new perspectives on old knowledge unveiled themselves. Greatest, and most concerning, among them was one startling fact: vampire families once thought destroyed had actually survived, in some form or another. The vampyr also clued into different, yet grand schemes by villainous necromancers, ones that moved at a speed of centuries at a time. Disturbed by their enemies apparent strength, the vampyr mobilized their military forces. They, long experienced in hunting the Forsaken, found themselves armed with a new capability their foes couldn't dream of matching.   With the petrakin as their public face to the daywalkers, the vampyr found new freedoms in their long hunting flights through the night. At the same time, the petrakin's coexistence with the vampyr drew attention from the other worldly powers. Those who knew and trusted the petrakin, but feared the vampyr, paid close attention and scrutinized the nightdwellers harshly. This close and tense proximity would, eventually, beget diplomacy of a kind. Neither side trusted the other, and centuries of bad blood wasn't forgotten in a simple day.   If nothing else, both had common enemy enough to warrant working together.    

Our Quiet Home

For the modern vampyr, recent centuries to the current day have seen great changes in their worldly views. While the farflung and isolated civilizations like Toi'drinn remain locked in their own bubbles, others have built bridges. The vampyr of Aerthen and Nerzin, in particular, have found themselves welcomed (if at arm's distance) into the realms of those once their prejudiced enemies. Of course, there are some troubles with mostly diurnal species mingling with nocturnal ones; the two simply live on completely different time scales.   But, with trust, one became the protector of the other: the daywalkers during the sunny hours, the nightdwellers during the dark hours. Their differences crossed at dawn and dusk, one handing off to the other. A symbiosis of sorts that meshed well with vampyr sentimentality, for they were a communal and cooperative species at their heart.   Fear is a difficult thing to rid one's self of. It is pervasive, insidious, and infectious. Even with so many steps taken to quell its incessant murmurs and smother its spine-tingling whispers, sometimes it's never truly gone. Yet, confronting that fear, stripping it naked, and regarding it for it truly is can garner power over it; or at least, one's self. The history of the vampyr is one of unmitigated fear toward them that drowned out their voices and smothered their lives.   Yet, finally, perhaps the naked simplicity of what they truly were showed everyone they weren't to be feared at all.      

Biology

Anatomy and Physiology

A species with minimal sexual dimorphism, the vampyr are humanoids with a head, torso, two arms with five fingered hands, and two legs with five toed feet. In general, females are slightly taller, have a more prominent physique, enlarged breasts, wider hips, and wilder, fluffy fur. Males are usually lean, and have smoother fur with longer, pronounced 'tufts'.   Unlike many other monsterkind species, vampyr have slightly different body proportions than the humanoid baseline of humanity. Comparatively, their overall physique is more 'stretched', with their legs and especially their arms much longer. A vampyr at full height can walk with their hands as much as their feet, making a hunched over stature somewhat common. Their necks are also slightly longer, giving them greater flexibility and angles of view/rotation.   This works as part of their specific method of flying: a prominent flap of skin—called patagium—connects from their wrists to down the sides of their bodies, then finally to their ankles. When a vampyr extends their arms and legs out, the patagium extends as well, giving them dramatic aerial lift and gliding power. Although not capable of fully sustained flight as their monstrous ancestors were, vampyr compensate easily for physiological inability through wind magic. Comparatively, they're below harpies who possess true sustained flight, but above dragons, who cannot fly without magical assistance at all.   The vampyr head has two large and round eyes, a pronounced and vertical nose, a wide mouth, and very tall, dish-like ears in a pointed, tear drop shape atop their skulls. Their great ears often eclipse even the nebusah's—a species renowned for their tall ears—in stature. But, of their many features, the vampyr nose commands the most immediate attention.   Prominent and far larger than other species, its front is a sheer, flat surface, and it stretches up to just slightly above their brow line. Its unique pyramid shape makes it widest near their eyes, and is often derogatorily called a 'second mouth' due to its appearance. Nostrils are located in the usual humanoid position, but the surface of the nose itself has both rivets, folds, and firm arraying not dissimilar to a flower.   The exact appearance shifts in the vampyr bloodlines, especially where hybrids are concerned, but is generally of the same overall shape and distinction. This is important as the nose is a massive sensory organ that smells, detects heat signatures, and even modulates their mouth sounds (particularly for echolocation). Its importance, both physiologically and culturally, to the vampyr is difficult to overstate.   Vampyr teeth are notably divided between the front, sharp cutting teeth and the back, flat crushers. Contrary to common misconception, while they do have a pronounced pair of piercing fangs in their upper canines, they do not drink blood through their fangs. Standard practice is to pierce deep enough and then lick or suck the resulting spillage, which can become messy if done improperly. Because of how much blood veins themselves can potentially let out, they usually bite in areas around them to control the rate of siphoning better.   Head hair covers the usual humanoid area, but as it extends down the back of the skull, it gradually terminates into the body fur about halfway down the neck. This fur then wraps around the vampyr's neck, and prominently creates a collar of particularly fluffy, insulating fur on the collar region itself. From there, their fur reduces to the much shorter, denser fur that grows along the exterior and hardy portions of the body. Interior facing, and fatty areas, retain skin itself, though erratic and unique 'strands' of fur may 'invade' into such areas with minimal interference. This largely follows the standard convention of fur or scale bearing sapient species.   The torso itself follows humanoid conventions, as do the arms and legs (proportions not withstanding). Vampyr hands and fingers are also longer in length, though not dramatically so. Their feet are particularly curious as, unlike their ancestors, they're not functional hands. Elongated toes and hooked claws enable gripping and attacking, but the overall structure enables running and leaping as well. It is an anatomically curious mixture that does result in some health issues if overly stressed, so endurance running is not great for them.    

Appearance

The common vampyr appearance is normally one of brown-to-light brown skin, with darker brown-to-black outer fur. The interior / collar fur tends to be a gray or white color, contrasting the rest of their body. An adaptation type common for jungle dwellers who benefit from camouflage, generations of interspecies breeding has since introduced a wider variety of colors. While their skin usually remains in the brown ranges, paler whites, pinkish red, and midnight blues occur uncommonly.   Their fur and hair experience much greater variation, often adopting new color spectrums as a whole: fiery oranges with red and white tips, sparkling blue and black night skies, vividly green with fluorescent, contrasting streaks, etc. The modern vampyr people have far more color than their ancestors, making them surprisingly vivid and energetic. It does somewhat interfere with their natural camouflage, but when that actually matters, paint and clothing can usually rectify.   Vampyr eyes are usually quite round, expressive, and have black sclera. Their irises are quite reflective, almost like a metallic sheen, making any sort of light visibly bounce off their eyes. The color tends to be singular and bold, featuring little depth or variance within the iris structure itself. However, those with pronounced hybrid bloodlines may exhibit much greater variety, borrowing from the iris rules of their sire's lineage instead. Notably, the reflectiveness of their eyes remains regardless.   Head hair has a fine, smooth texture that distinguishes it from fur even when the same color. Traditionally, it is cut short and/or swept backward, so as to minimize its interference when flying. Given their head's enhanced senses, they also don't like it when hair rustles against their broad nose or against their huge ears. Many cultures adopt versions of braiding so as to control their hair when doing their daily life.    

Natural Abilities

Adaptive Physiology – Although light-weight as a species, vampyr naturally augment their bodies with mana, making them far stronger and more durable than is typical of their category. However, this requires them to be fed with steady supplies of blood, and starving vampyr become extraordinarily frail as a result.   Advanced Olfactory – The vampyr sense of smell is capable of discerning accurate and complex information from scents far beyond most other species. Blood, disease, and other scent markers provide incredible depths of information to them.   Advanced Auditory – Vampyr ears are powerful sound-sensing organs, and can detect a heartbeat from a thousand steps away.   Echolocation – Through specific ultrasonic chirps, and their advanced hearing, vampyr use echolocation to obtain information about their environment. This principally helps in lowlight-to-pitch-black conditions, giving them a form of 'sight'.   Hemophage – Vampyr require drinking blood from sapients in order for their digestion and biology as a whole to function properly. This blood acts as a catalyst, so while the overall amount is low, it is consistently needed.   Mana Font – Vampyr naturally generate mana continuously, providing incredible potential. However, they cannot process this mana, instead requiring a digestive catalyst in the form of (sapient) blood. Without it, they cannot utilize most of their mana, which eventually supercharges them to the point of exploding.   Nocturnal Vision – With eyes adapted toward darkness and lowlight conditions, vampyr are especially sensitive to daylight conditions or bright light sources in general. While they cannot see in complete darkness, their echolocation compensates for that.   Purifying Saliva – Whether natural or engineered into themselves, vampyr saliva has unique, one-of-a-kind anti-septic properties. Their mouths are some of the most biologically stable locations imaginable, which helps when they nibble on people for blood to drink.    

Diet

Although blood is a central and vital component to the vampyr diet, it is often enshrined in a separate, specific consideration as 'special'. Holistically, they do not truly need 'a lot' of blood in order to process their mana, nor very frequently, either. Hence, more allowance is given toward ritualizing its acquisition and consumption, especially as it's very necessary to appease and comfort the people they're drinking from.   For their actual sustenance, vampyr are principally herbivorous, favoring fruits, soft vegetables, and certain kinds of nuts, berries, legumes, etc. In general, if it is something naturally soft or can be cooked into a soft state, they'll prefer it. They have an instinctual fear about anything 'hard' potentially shattering their cutting teeth or fangs. As such, they tend to be slow and meticulous eaters, which does make them picky about flavor profiles.   While they 'can' eat meat, most vampyr do not like it as it shares the same repulsive effect as animal blood to them. The most edible forms come in that of insects and fish, who have distinct differences enough they aren't bothered by it (too much). While both are culturally acceptable to them, the prominent element of insect protein in their cuisine comes off rather badly to other species. If fishing is available as a regular resource, it will usually block off or eliminate the insect industry (except as fish feedstock).    

Life Cycle

Newborn vampyr are naked bundles of screeching joy, notably possessing a developed hand grip within weeks after birth. Once something resembling muscle control establishes, they'll cling onto their mother's chest fur/fluff quite strongly. They'll remain in body contact for the first year of life, but gradually build a sense of independence and curiosity as their legs begin working. At that point, their mother has more trouble keeping them in arm's reach than anything else.   As toddlers, vampyr are troublesome little explorers whose childhood fur has begun growing in. A thicker, more cushion-like fur meant for insulation and safety from falls, such children look like spindly-limbed puff balls more often than not. As they gradually wean from their mothers, the transition from milk-blood substitute onto blood proper begins. While thankfully not as strong a requirement as an adult, teaching young vampyr how to drink blood properly is a constant hurdle. Brave are the volunteers to whom they learn how to bite upon.   Childhood is a time of learning, experience gaining, and coming to terms with their lot in life. For many vampyr, it is the beginning of the hardships that are part of their ancestral ways in Veltrona's jungles. With no shortage of work to be done, children balance the hectic need to learn, help their family, and navigate the potentially precarious circumstances around them. Many also learn and establish important interspecies social mannerisms during this time, which will be vital to them throughout life.   As they age, childhood fluff sheds and permanent fur begins growing in. Vampyr puberty also sees dramatic physical growth and blood hunger increase, making it an especially troubling time. It's generally believed to be a result of stressors, as vampyr in stable environments do not age as fast as their other kin. Power and youthful spirit, however, can result in some very questionable outcomes sometimes. Pitting one's own newfound sense of ability to their own societal responsibilities is a timeless tale. The later stages of puberty see their nascent flight capability come into its own in a mixture of gliding and sustained flight.   Adult vampyr, usually reaching physical maturity around 25-to-30 years old, are denoted by features such as complete flight ability, larger blood hunger requirement, and effective control over their internal mana. By such a stage, they're capably a part of their parent society and actively contributing in some meaningful form or another. Juggling their myriad responsibilities, mingling with friends and family, and raw survival are their principle concerns.   Given their adaptive physiology and blood hunger, vampyr actually obtain and maintain peak physical performance much easier than other species. They'll live at full capability much longer, experiencing little symptoms of aging or physical / cognitive decline. Prolonged blood starvation, however, dramatically impacts their health in multiple ways, though nothing that seems to shorten their actual life span. Thus, ironically despite being a mortal species, vampyr mannerisms align closer to immortals more often than not.   'Old age' is a relatively brief period, usually ten percent or less of the vampyr's life span. Unfortunately, as their adaptive physiology begins breaking down, they experience sharp and sudden physiological decline. Whereas other species may settle into a slow, declining curve, vampyr are closer to falling off a cliff. This sudden change is, itself, extremely distressing, and a brutal reminder of their own imminent mortality.   In most vampyr cultures, the elderly are given great special treatment and accommodation to their final years. With most physical tasks becoming burdensome, if not painfully impossible, they're entrusted with more technical or knowledge-based work instead. For many, it is a time of recording their skills, experience, and life for future generations to benefit from. They also tend to be child caretakers, watching over fitful youngsters while the parents keep civilization going.   Final death ensues as a result of major organ failure and extreme physiological crash, making it relatively quick. The exact funerary customs vary, but most follow a combination of ritualistic cannibalism and cremation practices. In such a light, the power of the old generation becomes the fuel for the new one. The family line is maintained, passing one torch onto the next. As the old blood is drank, the new blood must survive so that they, too, may be drank upon their final day.    

Anaxials, Hybrids, and Variants

Anaxials

Originally confused for the first kinds of vampires, vampyr anaxials usually face the same—or worse—discrimination as their sires in non-vampyr cultures. While their need for blood isn't as strong as a vampyr's, it nonetheless remains, and so all the complications thereof also remain. Unlike vampyr, however, they can feed on their mother species or non-vampyr siblings, meaning they have more options for sustainable blood sources.   As a whole, vampyr anaxials are considered visually disturbing by most other species due to their disproportionate bodies. With varying amounts of fur, one flap of patagium or none at all, and uneven distribution of limb sizes, they're often derided as mutants or disfigured. The most visually human-resembling, and possessing of 'acceptable' physical traits, are usually referred to as dhampyr. These anaxials pass as regular humans, albeit tall, lithe, having enlarged fangs, etc, quite easily. However, their monstrous heritage lends them incredible power, letting them progress ahead of their human peers with prodigal speed.    

Hybrids

Vampyr hybrids have a much higher-than-average adoption rate for their sire's traits than other monsterkind. As such, things like scales, vestigial limbs (tails, etc), physiological abilities, and other contributions integrate with their bloodline quite readily. In some respects, vampyr hybrids may be among the most diverse on Veltrona herself. Such prominent features make them stand out from their mono-blood kindred very easily, for better or worse.   Of particular note are species with exceptionally high weight profiles, such as the petrakin or ilansu. Vampyr genetics may adopt those characteristics as well, effectively rendering their innate flight inert. For such hybrids, wind magic specialty becomes much more important to retain any concept of flight or gliding at all. They do, however, gain a lot of favor for their physical prowess and robustness, even among vampyr standards.    

Variants

See: Kosmopyr      

Sociology

Cultural Universals

Vampyr are highly social beings, a contender to the notorious rachtoh themselves. Their innate drive to form social groups, intermingle, and establish bonds defines the complexity of their cultures from the ground up. While not adverse to periods of loneliness or being by themselves, the inherent anxiety of such a thing eventually becomes overwhelming. Strength and safety in numbers is a very real concern, especially for those who live in the jungles.   As such, their empathy toward people tends to be quite high. Vampyr are almost always more concerned with group harmony over other things, preferring stability and certainty. In doing so, outside threats can be addressed better, leaving many divisive issues set aside or buried. They do, however, also know those same issues must be addressed or will eventually explode. It's a balancing act that keeps them busy, especially when cohabiting with multiple different species.   Given their heightened senses, particularly smell, the vampyr care highly for cleanliness. It's something that gets them on well with the muurun as both species despise filthy environments. Various forms of ritualistic cleaning tend to arise, and it's not uncommon for multiple baths a day to happen sometimes. Vampyr rely heavily upon homekeeping magic as a result, which functions as training aide, cleaner, quality of life, and mana expenditure all at once.   The sensory power of their nose, and its largely broad and flat nature, means it is a specific location of interest to the vampyr. Since the mouth is associated heavily with feeding or sensual activities, they tend to view the act of kissing in either of those contexts. For less serious, more genuine affection, they use their nose and either rub or press it against another's. This can sometimes result in 'scent sharing' if something particularly pungent, like flower aroma, is clinging on. Some cultures may consider even this to be a sensual act, but most others will vary on the matter.   While the patagium itself is not sensitive or erotic in any context, being just skin and fur, vampyr do not like it when people 'fiddle around' with it. The sensation is considered similar to sticking something between one's fingers; it's just uncomfortable and annoying. Children, however, love yanking on it with little respect to the fact its a part of a person, not clothing.    

Lingual Characteristics

Punctuality defines the vampyr linguistic model, emphasizing strong points of verbalization with connecting bridges of firm but yielding. Certain inflections may result in trailing trills, chirps, or whistles, which are usually a byproduct of their vocal flexibility. Overall, their everyday spoken language projects presence and depth, accentuated by touches of resonance and sharpness.   They do, however, speak in effectively two different modes: regular human-like speech, and their higher frequency sounds. These sounds reach frequencies imperceptible to most other species, leaving only the lowest, and loudest, registers (the infamous 'chirp') detectable. To the vampyr's sophisticated ears, however, it is a fully communicable language with all the trappings thereof. They can effectively 'talk in secrecy' as a result, or at least exclude most other species from hearing them.   In fact, vampyr are among the few species capable of discerning bieneren 'buzzing language' accurately. Although lacking the ability to fully reproduce the buzz, they can substitute meaning, allowing them to communicate with the superorganism. They're also able to understand muurun purring effectively as well. Lindwurms are, surprisingly, capable of 'hearing' vampyr high frequency speech due to their incredible vibration sensitivity.    

Arts and Beauty

Presence, insofar as the all-encompassing shadow cast by another, is a defining hallmark of vampyr notions of beauty, power, and desirability. In a hostile world of Relentless abominations and prejudiced neighbors, the strength to stand against it all is an admirable quality. Their greatest leaders and mythical figures are those of unflinching moral character and unyielding might. Physical excellency, as a result, is considered a mark of personal ability and deemed highly attractive.   These notions are best captured in their masonry, where reliefs, busts, statues, etc, are fashioned around such ideas. Veltron magic, although permissive toward constructing impressive stoneworks, is something the vampyr somewhat snub for their arts. Such magic is fantastic for their fortifications and infrastructure, but only someone practiced with shaping stone by hand can create true art. It imparts qualities as flawed as original into their work, making each one a craftwoman's mistresspiece. Some argue over the finer points of that understanding, but it's hard to deny the raw commitment to the artform.   Music, perhaps, is the greatest living art within the vampyr cultural mind. With the incredible complexity of their ears providing a range of sound reception beyond most others, their music similarly pushes such boundaries. In fact, wholly authentic pieces of vampyr music are difficult for other species to fully grasp, let alone enjoy. With different instruments going into frequencies inaudible to most, the musical structure can appear broken, haphazard, and downright chaotic without much sense to it.   Most musicians focus greatly on a harmonious structure in the main audible range, or a 'dualistic model'. That is, one that is simultaneously enjoyed by most while one only audible to the vampyr is played along with it. The complexity of such a thing is truly remarkable, and more than one person has gone insane trying to read the score sheets.    

Magic and Technology

Practicality and convenience are the governing concerns of vampyr magic and technological innovation for most of their history. Given the hostility of their native environment, they've been pushed to great extremes to develop solutions to every problem presented. Sanitation, medicine, pest control; the list goes on and on, for any one problem is sufficiently devastating on its own. Together, they've spelled the end of many civilizations, but not theirs.   Their most (in)famous innovation would be in the arts of blood magic itself, something they have an intimate relationship with. Whether through sheer practice or their own physiology allowing for unique insights, vampyr blood magic is truly one of a kind. Through it, they've defeated countless diseases, parasites, and blood maladies within themselves as much as others. With it, they've sculpted their own genetic legacy, altering themselves in safe, definitive improvements their ancestors never dreamed of. From it, they've created entire new forms of crops and domesticated animals that can sustain a civilization.   After a certain point some people argued it should be called 'life magic', but the debate around that still isn't settled. Unfortunately for the vampyr, the promise of their blood magic's potential has drawn all sorts of vile attention upon them through the centuries. Cultivators are a frequent issue, but foreign nations with imperialist ambitions are just as much a threat. Such invaders, however, have learned first hand the fierce and unyielding resolve of the vampyr themselves.   There is another prominent, though perhaps less renowned, magical art they specialize in as well: sound magic. It's technically under the umbrella of energy magic, as sound itself is a very defined form of energy within a certain threshold. Move too far above or below that threshold and it's not truly sound anymore. To the vampyr, who possess an incredible sense of hearing, they're able to play within that restrictive range as naturally as breathing. Its main use as an artform is for performance and theatrical play, but it can be weaponized quite easily to stun, disorient, and concuss one's enemies.    

Religion and Philosophy

Despite different religions existing, they all universally share the same presiding death goddess: Kirichiki, Bringer of Our Silent Death.   A mysterious figure as far as death goddesses go, most presume she is one intimately tied to the vampyr themselves. A similar circumstance arises in that of Seralkono, the Divine Tempest, who is intimately tied to the harpies. Both, however, go far beyond their conceptual boundaries, appearing regularly in the religions and faiths of other peoples. Kirichiki, especially, substitutes as the death goddess if no other is present. The faith of Uatkara, of Atenkhet, has Fyghumat, for example, and so Kirichiki maintains little presence even if she is acknowledged somewhat.   The nuance and complexities of such an arrangement aside, the vampyr worship Kirichiki as their ultimate guide, mentor, and protector. Her relevancy shifts and changes, and it's inappropriate for her to be in certain realms or concepts, but her importance is difficult to understate. For a people living on the edge of death every day, they found great comfort in her oblique and towering presence.   A fact that often provides a great deal of clarity on their broader philosophical concerns. No matter what adversity awaits them, the vampyr push themselves forward. One step at a time, regardless of how uncertain they themselves might be. Indeed, uncertainty is their great enemy, and they value clear avenues of action over all other concerns. Such (arguably fatalistic) thinking is what has let them build their nations and survive against incredible odds. The bricks beneath their feet are the bones of their ancestors, the mortar their blood, and one day they will join them as well.   Until then, they keep moving forward.    

Science and Spirituality

Vampyr scientific inquiry can be surprisingly deep and equally constrictive at the same time. The overbearing pressure of survival dampens most efforts to explore unproven or uncertain areas for them. Time and resources spent somewhere that fails to pan out, after all, is effort that could've gone to something with actual results. They do not mind the ideas themselves being fielded, but always put forth punishing demands on how useful it can be to help them now or soon.   This intellectual restraint does mean the areas they value will have a lot of energy put into them. Blood magic research is an easy subject to point toward, but things like architectural fortifications, farming methodologies, medicinal applications, and the like also benefit. Their meticulous study, record keeping, and eventual dissemination of information means they are much more educational across the board. It does make the obvious redactions, removals, or otherwise obfuscations of certain strains of information that much more apparent, though.   Perhaps most telling of all is that the vampyr love for life boils underneath the surface all the same. The unknown, its potential, and what they could do with it (or experience) is an alluring, beautiful thing even in the deadliest of jungles. The romantics among them glorify it greatly, but that nebulous promise is what draws so many into trying again and again. Though lacking a reliable answer when they do so, the mere act of doing such work puts them onto a path of certainty.      

Psychology

Rest and Sleep

Quiet, clean air, and darkness are important commodities to the vampyr. Given their strong senses, it is easy for the information feedback to become overwhelming once they're tired or exhausted. Even if they do try, the constant alertness anxiety makes all sorts of things trigger them awake. Finding opportunities for rest is as much a skill as it is something practiced on every day.   Some vampyr historians believe the origins of sound magic came from as much finding ways of 'cancelling noise' as it was to 'create music'. Sound dampening architecture was the product of complex innovation developed for this specific purpose. In short, it dampens the most offensive noises while leaving desirable ones at manageable levels, hence its often alien appearance. For the worst (or most convenient) cases, sound magic directly can help manage the environment.   Prolonged rest or sleep are achieved on comfortable couches and beddings, ideally plush and soft to mold around a vampyr's long body. In such a state, their deepening unconsciousness leaves them in a death-like stillness. Only their twitching nose and ears betrays they're still alive, as much as it tends to unnerve other species. Contrary to popular theory, the vampyr do not sleep hanging upside-down as they have too much blood in their bodies to afford doing so. It is a fun party trick to impress children, though.    

Consciousness and Thought

The vampyr mind has a complexity that may rank it among the highest in Veltrona. The sophistication of their senses and the depth of information they process means the vampyr themselves have incredible levels of detail. While people generally understand eyesight, hearing, and feeling, most species are nowhere close to conceptualizing vampyr performance levels. In one notable example, a vampyr medicine priestess could easily tell a patient's overall nutrition, cholesterol, blood pressure, and lingering drugs by smelling and tasting a few droplets of blood.   Notably, although the availability of information is incredible, their processing speed is not exceptionally higher. The vampyr are adapted toward feeding and dealing with wilderness dangers, and so excel in that regard, but not many others. It takes both time and training to utilize the breadth of their senses, though their capabilities are easily ridiculous. The nearest comparison to them is often made with the bieneren's zaffa and umta, who are bioforms with enhanced neural capabilities.   Mental overload and excessive stimulation are frequent issues vampyr run into throughout their daily lives. It is a major reason why controlling the available stimulus is important, and (figuratively) noisy disruptions are such a faux pas in their cultures. Still, managing and overcoming such issues is a vital necessity, and through great work they harness their potential to incredible ends.    

Motivation and Emotion

For the vampyr, family is more important to them than their own lives. It is what drove them to great wars and terrible retribution upon those that harmed their kin. It is also what moved them to create safe havens, massive fortresses, and secure the food needed for everyone to survive. Though they can turn a stiff pair of fangs at their own hardships, it becomes unbearable when others they care for are suffering. When one looks at the bonds the vampyr makes with those around them, it becomes that much clearer why such problems have followed them throughout their history. They will not let wrongs slip by unmet, after all.   In many ways, their earnest and honest nature begets strong, bright burning emotions. While the younger among them are taken by theatrics and dramatic behavior, age merely lets them temper and control such impulses. Even the stoic elders of the vampyr have wild hearts and fiery passions, no matter how strong their teeth grit them down. Sometimes the coldest fury is the calmest waters that a single misstep will drag someone under in a heartbeat.    

Sexuality and Love

Polarized by many different concerns, the vampyr themselves are ever caught between loyalty to their family and the whims of their own hearts. A people where social bonds and mutual struggle bring them together, their diverse communal networks and wide range of relationships opens up all sorts of possibilities. The freedom to pursue what one desires, versus the bonds of necessity that culture and family enforce, is an endless struggle they face.   In part thanks to their often highly invested medical research, quality contraceptives were available to the vampyr long before most other species. With more control over themselves, the burden of surprise children and unwanted diseases lifted, and their amorous hearts spread their wings. In this respect, developed vampyr civilizations tend to only be concerned about lines of succession, inheritance, and proper bloodline tracking. So long as these things are maintained clearly, they often do not care who one's partners are.   Overall, vampyr are a species with a much larger proportion of bi and pan sexuals on average. It's something that has garnered quite the reputation on its own throughout the millennia.      

Society

Social Mannerisms

Affection, care, and romance are the bread and butter of vampyr mannerisms, making their high sensuality rather surprising to other cultures. In a world where danger, struggle, and tragedy are not far away, such actions are heavenly gifts unto themselves. Kindness to others is a virtuous act that nurtures people from the hardships they must endure. Even in times where polite courtesy and disengagement are demanded, the vampyr try to handle such things tactfully.   They do, however, know when to become unbending steel and bare their fangs upon those discourteous, rude, or downright villainous. Laws and traditions are the fabric upon which the vampyr agree to conduct themselves, and those who tarnish them earn their scorn. The rigorousness by which they obey such ideas, yet dance around them, does often come off as hypocritical. In the complex realms of social engagement, manuevering, and political machination, the vampyr can be difficult to defeat.   Once their particulars are boiled down to their raw essence, vampyr cultures are simply those that place great value upon honor and personal integrity. Often idealistic, they scorn the allure of sorrow and suffering, boldly and recklessly chasing for their own happiness and prosperity instead. An ironic outcome, for when their own notions of honor and rules bite down upon them instead, the true worth of a vampyr is made. Adversity, after all, is something they've thrived under for millennia.    

Gender

Women, universally, feature in the avenues of power, responsibility, and familial anchor since time immemorial. Their greater size, stronger strength, and fiercer demeanor have aided them as terrifying warriors, compelling leaders, and resolute defenders. However, with death, maiming, and disease always at hand, men formed the administrative and support backbone the women needed for reliability.   Traditionally, men became the home keepers while women warred with the Relentless outside the walls. While the firmness of gendered roles brought about a measure of order, the vampyr are more concerned with competency than anything else. A swordswoman who can't kill is worse than a bowman who kills in one shot, after all. Narrow minded notions do not survive against the Relentless, who do not care about anything except killing. It is a simple, yet brutal whetstone that ensures nonsense does not survive for long.   As such, while they may have presumptions about one's role in things, the vampyr pay more attention to accomplishments and results.    

Kinship and Ethnicities

Defining a vampyr kinship group can either be quite simple or a nightmare depending on the qualifications used. Direct bloodline, if properly recorded, is often very reliable to find who-is-who. When not recorded, the vampyr sense of smell and taste is great enough to identify their blood relations on those alone. Thus, 'family' can be easily established, usually within however many distant generations a particular culture cares for.   Another major complexity is that, due to their vast social networking, vampyr pull in all sorts of people into cohesive communities. These communities then grow, expand outward, and intertwine with each other into a mesh of different islands. If given some reproductive generations, they then begin blending together into new combinations outright. Traditions, history, vocal mannerisms, types of clothing, and so on, are interchanged with incredible ease. From all these things, the melting pot of the many become their 'new identity'.   The easiest means by which ethnic groups are identified by is largely geographic area. Toi'drinn vampyr have great distinctions from those dwelling in Dresxi Enclaves even located relatively nearby. However, two cities, such as Jantilo and Bynyo in eastern Etzli Cuauhtla, have little disrupting their trade connections with each other. Both, while legally distinct and operating on their own ideas, share so much culture with each other they appear to be the same entity to outsiders.   The best authorities on ethnic heritage tend to be the proud or noble families who, very distinctly, work hard on maintaining their own identity. While arguably snobbish behavior, to say the least, their haughty mannerisms provides a distinct line of record that defines different ethnic groups. Whether or not their records are trustworthy or riddled with arrogantly written misinformation is a constant issue, though.    

Governments and Politics

Somewhere between republics and queendoms, vampyr emphasize governmental efficiency to the exclusion of sometimes very necessary guard rails. Warrior-queens of uld dominate their cultural mindsets, making the ideal of a 'strong woman' leader figure prominent in their minds. Such powerful people can, with the appropriate support, move the nation at large with the lightning speed it will need to survive. That same leader becoming weak or slovenly, however, may paralyze or cripple their operational capability. When faced with the strong, independent families that embody the greatest power of their nation, internal strife often explodes.   The most stable governments tend to arise from veteran figures who, having proven themselves in their fields, garner political support from the populace. These veterans then form councils, senates, or other decision making groups among themselves to work directly on national issues. Factionalism almost always follows immediately, with these veteran leaders becoming faction leaders and de-facto small queens in their own capacity. In times of capable leaders, the nation flourishes; the transistion of power, however, is almost always messy.   The military is, notably, an exception to this. Recognizing the need for their warriors and guards to maintain peak fighting efficiency, the military forces operate in their own political bubble. So long as they're supplied whatever they need, their attention remains outside of their home city, fighting the endless battles that keep it safe. Veteran warriors who wish to join politics usually retire from the fighting force entirely, keeping the political lines separated. There are times an especially powerful or charismatic leader emerges, effectively ruling both government and military at the same time. They are generally quite rare, and their effectiveness is always somewhat questionable.    

Trade and Economics

Owing to the long history of being discriminated upon, the vampyr largely did not engage in trade with other civilizations. Those that they did tended to be incidental, or highly specific, arrangements. There was also fierce competition in the form of the harpies, who did not want anyone else potentially threatening their monopoly of flight-based delivery services. Some historians point toward the harpy's jealous guarding of such a thing as perhaps one of the big contributors toward the vampyr being pushed out.   They do, however, still possess reliable flight themselves, and so the vampyr made connections much farther away than the average. More than a number of peoples, less fortunate, ostracized, or otherwise, also made deals with the vampyr to 'secretly' transport their goods. Having built their own information networks as a result, the vampyr monitored other civilizations with surprising accuracy.   Their internal economics are a different story altogether.   Principally based upon bartering with minor elements of coinage, the vampyr are concerned with direct material goods or services that can be rendered. Skillfully navigating the webwork of who works what job, desires what goods or services, and what you can barter with them on, is an important aspect of their life. Those with prestige, reputation, and/or capable skill end up commanding the most for their time. Personality and ego are unignorable factors in such dealings, and woe be to the fool who thinks otherwise.    

Interspecies Relations

Throughout the ages, the vampyr have wrestled with being misunderstood and discriminated against. It soured the waters on forming bonds with other species, yet at the same time, there were those who tried to understand them. One can say that harpies are an old enemy of theirs, while the likes of the mussuba were a lifeline that literally saved their species. The muurun value the vampyr boldness and honorable integrity, but rachtoh despise anything trying to nibble on their chitin-flesh. The petrakin ambivalently get along with the vampyr, while the lauraume saw them as fun competition.   In many ways, when given a chance, the vampyr easily proved themselves worthy allies or admirable friends to keep. The problem of them being nocturnal, and most others being diurnal, does make things regularly quite awkward. They do get along with the urni, gehurm, and lindwurms, who are among those who are nocturnal (or, at least, daylight avoiding / indifferent).   Their most notable ally, and closest friend, is that of the mussuba themselves. A species with its own kind of symbiosis requirements, they both understand each other very well. Through this bond, they found a mutual solution to their plights, coming to stand together in many ways. Culturally, the mussuba and vampyr tend to be heavily intertwined, particularly in the deepest jungle regions.      

Associated Articles

Notable Civilizations

Toi'drinn

 

Notable Characters

Kirichiki, Bringer of Our Silent Death

   

Design Notes