Cold Wind Vampyr (vahm-pure)

Colder region vampyr are bipedal humanoids, possessed of two legs with enlarged, sickle-like toe claws. Their arms are hybridized between hands and massive leathery wings, closer to a harpy's manner of appearance. Unlike harpies and their warmer dwelling kin, cold wind vampyr wing arms are more pronounced and separate from their body, creating a terrifyingly large profile.   They possess a high internalized body temperature, adequate body fat, and sleek, heat-insulating fur. Both sexes have upturned, flat, bat-like noses and large, triangular ears that sharply jut up and over their head. There is a small vestigial tail at the end of their tail bone, just above their buttocks. Their fur is distinctly split between the 'outside' and 'inside', with the outside being sleeker than the heat-trapping fluff of the inside fur.   Their jaws tend to bulge with extra muscles at the joints. Overall, their mouth is capable of extending open nearly three times larger than their entire head, exposing the traditionally 'four' hook-like canines that folds inside their mouths. Smaller, traditional gnashing teeth are present for when they eat fruits and other greenery.   They are overall physically massive (easily giants in stature) and mildly sexually dimorphic, possessing enlarged breasts in the females and defined but lean musculature in the males. Female fur tends to be rougher and 'fluffier' than their male counterparts.   Their color range is whites and blues, with frequent earthen browns and mountainous gray/slates for the fur especially. Deep, dark blue-purples can also make an appearance, especially for skin tone. Their eye colors are chiefly blue and purple ranges, with some possessing the traditional vampyr gold.

In addition to the traits of the vampyr they're descended from, the cold wind vampyr have the following differences:   Enhanced Echolocation – Their ears are far better at discerning sound, letting them visualize environments even in the midst of a snowstorm. As an extension of this, their incredibly terrifying roars are magically augmented, with the sonic waves reaching back to them better.   Enhanced Physiology – They are far stronger than most other aerial monsters (and a fair bit of ground ones, too). The price for this increased performance is a much higher nutritional requirement, making them highly dependent on sustainable food.   Long life-span – They outlive the average human life expectancy by around two or three times.

Hybrids inherit their father's color tendencies and sometimes their size profile. Very little else is afforded, as there is not much space in the vampyr genealogy that can be safely altered.

Cold wind vampyr have a complicated history with the idea of intimacy. Their territorial habits–largely due to food scarcity–means cohabitating mates doubles the stress on hunting. Thus, the greatest notion of closeness for themselves is a brief mating period where one or both partners would offer food, copulate, then depart. However, mating with the other species is an entirely different matter, as they often have a sliver of the food needs a vampyr has. The often smaller stature of such mates also means they can even carry them from place to place, making them easy to care for. There is also the curious, and powerful attractor, of being able to drink blood from such beings.   While it may not satisfy their appetite entirely, drinking their mate's blood is an often invigorating and erotic experience. Modern tools have helped them in this regard, as their natural teeth are too large and dangerous for humanoid-sized mates. Knives and other sharp, surgical implements is a common sight in their bedding hovels, and among the few possessions they treat with serious care.   As a whole, they're drawn to the whimsical, artsy, and tender personalities. Finding someone who not only expresses a deep caring for them, but tends to them with grooming, massages, and pampering is a dream come true. Such a person would certainly make them content to never leave their den until it was eating time. The strong willed and powerful, while intriguing, can conflict with their hard and strict sensibilities, making the power dynamic in the relationship a tension rather than a relief. Mages and magical beings especially intrigue them, both as magical users themselves and as a food source.

Solitary in the extreme, the cold wind vampyr are without much cohesive culture–in fact, they nominally adopt the habits of nearby cultures if they cooperate with them.   As a species, though, they are predatory and powerful, but often lazy and prefer to avoid exerting themselves. The rarity of sustainable food means once they've fed, they're more interested in reclusing away in some unreachable rockface or cave. Still, being intelligent, isolation wears on them, and many fidget and uneasily prowl around more civilized nations.   The many wonders of civilized nations captivates them, and these giant vampyr do what they can to acquire whatever possible. Books, tools, scrolls, artwork, statues–if it can be taken safely, they'll try. In many ways, their nest locations become quite scattered with a variety of trinkets and garbage, all of it fascinating to them. It can be said, then, that if food is not their concern, finding ways of entertaining themselves is next on the list.   On occasion, a number of them tend to migrate toward warmer climates during 'their winters'. These ancestral migrations lead them to lands inhabited by their smaller progenitors, and the giant vampyr are quite happy to visit when food is made abundant. They do, on occasion, involve themselves in the affairs of such places, but the heat is ever present and unbearable. When the cool weather recedes, they retreat back to the colder climates.

The cold wind vampyr are a variant from their warmer dwelling progenitors, adapting well to a semi-solitary lifestyle in frozen climates. Territorial of their nesting grounds in the extreme, they liberally fight off other encroaching vampyr and vampires. To the rest, they permit if only to potentially attract more future meals in easy, snack-grabbing range. Overtime, they've broken out of their ancestral habits, tentatively moving toward a more civilized manner of living.   In more modern times, they 'co-exist' with family and relatives in reclusive enclaves any ground walking being couldn't hope to reach. Where possible, they tend to settle near major settlements of the other peoples, hoping to find easy meals or trading opportunities. Their incredible stature and voracious hunting manners makes such relations difficult, especially given their unfortunate proximity to the ideas of (undead) vampirism.   Lagging behind other cultures, they love to explore the ways of life others pursue, often taking pieces they like for themselves. Their fashion, philosophy, and mannerisms tend to closely reflect their given hosts. The acquisition of knowledge has become a growing imperative for all of them, as stronger magic skill means better meals and safety.   Naturally long lived, they enjoy watching the world go by, involving themselves to hunt or behold some beautiful spectacle. The beginnings of their own art, literature, and verbal story telling is often colorful, verbose, and otherwise extravagant. It has become a common source of internal trading for them, as the experiences of others is an irresistible treat to their lonesome lifestyle.   As a whole, the cold wind vampyr hunt in the twilight and night time period, but they can during cloudy days as well. Their poor eye sight makes sunlight a painful experience they loathe to work through. The advent of tools from the advanced peoples has helped in this regard, with tinted goggles and other gear becoming quickly favored and widespread. Specially made tools have in fact helped them to start making their own crafts, though they lack the imperative to mine or harvest lumber on their own.   Primarily carnivorous and blood drinking, they tend to hunt whatever is 'easy' to acquire. The exceptionally large tundra and alpine dwelling creatures are favored as well, for they can often sneak upon and silently feed from such beings. A rudimentary form of farming has appeared recently, with a vampyr tending to large flocks of herbivores that they can then 'bleed' safely for later eating.   The introduction of fruits from the warmer regions has caught them by surprise, and is something many of them are interested in getting more of. Historically they've only ever been able to acquire it from migrations toward the warmer regions during their 'cold periods'. Their equatorial cousins have often helped host them during these times, leaving the fruit eating vampyr in high esteem.