Vampires

Vampires
''NOTE: We understand that vampires follow different rules on different sites. The following guidelines are for vampires in Sihiri. This is how they must be played here. If your character is imported from another site and has different strengths/weaknesses/abilities, they will discover upon arriving in Sihiri that those strengths/weaknesses/abilities have changed to match our standards. Please speak with Staff to request exceptions.''

RESTRICTED -- Batranii are restricted, Tinerii are not.

Vampires are humanoids that eat blood. They usually appear human with some slight, unidentifiable differences -- a little too hungry-looking? -- and may easily be mistaken for humans, except for their wickedly-sharp canines.

There are two types of vampire, or rather two stages of development. "Younger" vampires (less than 300 years old) are weaker than "older" vampires. There are only a few older vampires left in the world. Almost all of them belong to a few noble houses, since outside of house protection an old vampire is as good as dead. The most powerful nobles belong to the House of Benedictus.

Young vampires are called tanar vampires, or Tinerii, while older ones are known as Batranii.

Vampires speak Common, Vampiric (use Google Translate: Romanian), or both, with the capacity to learn limitless other languages given time. They are about as good as humans at learning languages but they have far more years to practice.

Traits
All vampires have extraordinarily heightened senses. They're able to hear through walls and over miles of empty space. It's said they can hear their name spoken from anywhere in the world, though that's probably due to magic. They can smell acutely enough to identify prey from the opposite side of a mountain. Their vision is perfect in near-dark, plus they can sense heat. They are the perfect predators, every inch designed to slaughter and feed.

However, those same traits make them vulnerable. Strong smells can sicken them. The smell of garlic is considered the absolute worst, able to incapacitate them if it's breathed in deeply. Sunlight can blind them and burn their skin. The vision that enables them to detect the slightest motions also causes them to fixate on tiny details: they are mesmerised by a spill of rice or salt and will be momentarily halted if they see one. Their hearing turns white noise into a virtual hell, making it painful to cross running water.

Unprotected vampires are unable to go outside in daylight. Exposure will burn their skin, and anything more than a few minutes of UV will kill them. Recovering from daylight exposure takes much, much longer than recovering from any other wound -- about ten times as long. However, many Batranii carry magical artifacts that protect them from sunburn and are therefore able to go out in daylight, unharmed.

While Batranii don't especially like strong smells, they are not incapacitated or made ill by them. They're often intrigued by small motions or numerous small items grouped together, but are not compulsed to stop and stare the way a tanar would be. They can cross running water without trouble.

Vampires have incredible strength. Tinerii can lift 400-pound objects without straining; Batranii seem incalculably strong. Caiaphas of the Benedictus family has been known to decapitate people with a single one-handed blow. They are also very fast: Tinerii are much faster than humans and elves, although not as fast as demons (about comparable to werecreatures), while Batranii are among the fastest species in Sihiri. They are all incredibly agile. Running does not tire them.

Batranii have the ability to compel others, meaning force them to do things. All a Batrani has to do is meet a person's eyes, focus deeply, and suggest that that person do something. The person will then feel a deep internal need to act as the vampire suggested. If a person refuses to do as compelled, they'll sink into madness and physical agony and will eventually die. Usually compelled folk believe they themselves want to do whatever the Batrani suggested. Batranii can compel Tinerii, but not other Batranii.

Vampires heal about three times faster than humans. If they drink human blood they heal much faster. An herb called vervain can slow or halt their healing abilities, and it's common for would-be vampire killers to dip their weapons in tinctures of vervain. The herb burns vampires on touch. If ingested it prevents them from compelling anyone, at least for a day or so.

They feel emotions far more strongly than do humans, with a limited degree of control over their own emotions. Some Batranii gain self-control over the centuries while some do not, depending on how much humanity is left to them.

Blood
All vampires must feed on blood from live creatures to survive. Human or elven blood is most preferable, followed by the blood of any humanoid creature. They can eat animals in a pinch. Eating the blood of another vampire will poison them; eating too much of it will kill them. Werecreature blood causes them to hallucinate but makes them very strong.

Vampires are created, not born. If a person is bitten by a vampire but does not die, they will remain the same race. However, if they're entirely drained of blood, then fed the blood of their drainer, they run a 90% chance of becoming a vampire (10% death; roll a d100). Players -- please remember it is courteous to ASK OOC before draining someone else's character, since it will cause a major change to their race (or force you to request their death).

A person newly changed into a vampire is called a neophyte or newborn. The vampire who changed them is called their sire or maker. They are that vampire's sired or progeny.

If you've read this far you deserve a badge. PM Staff with the word "bloodsucker" and we'll give you a prize.

If a humanoid feels strongly about a vampire (platonically or romantically) and that vampire changes them, they may develop a sire bond that links them to their maker.

Other weaknesses

 * White oak -- a tree linked to the vampires' creation, at least in myth. Stakes made from white oak can kill Tinerii.  Stakes made from a specific white oak, the White Oak, can kill Batranii.  There is only one White Oak in all the world and if your character has access to anything made from it, you'd better have a compelling reason why.

Silver daggers dipped in the ash of the White Oak can kill Batranii, but only if placed entirely through the heart, and only so long as the dagger remains embedded in their chests. Tinerii who touch such a dagger will perma-die.
 * Wooden stakes -- a wooden stake through the heart will temporarily kill any vampire, but after a few hours they'll revive.
 * Invitation -- all vampires need to be invited into territories/houses/dens owned by other races. Otherwise they'll quickly become disoriented and begin to suffocate.  Once invited, they cannot be uninvited.
 * Desiccation -- if drained completely of blood, all vampires lose their strength and ability to move. They have to feed on blood to revive.
 * Werewolf bites -- being bitten by a werewolf will kill a Tineri. Bitten Batranii will be extremely weakened and will hallucinate for a few hours.
 * Broken neck -- breaking a vampire's neck won't kill them, but will incapacitate them for a few hours.