Upyr'

The upyr' rises from the grave to terrorize their kin and other creatures in the surrounding area. They dig themselves out of their graves, sometimes eating their own shrouds, and then proceed to suck the blood of living victims nearby. This leads to a noticeable withering away of their quarry, and rumor is, if completely drained of blood, they will themselves rise as upyri. An upyr' also frequently devours a victim's body if given an opportunity to do so. People learned about nezhit' and other arcane matters know that upyri dislike the sun, though it is not clear whether it kills them outright, or simply makes them uncomfortable. They may also be destroyed (or held in place) by a wooden stake of some sort. They are vulnerable to being confronted with a cross, and having seeds scattered in their path - rumor has it that they have to count each one before proceeding. On the other hand, the story that they must be invited into a house to enter seems to be baseless - upyri are said to be able to slip into a building through the smallest opening or crack. Unlike the bloodless navii, upyri have a ruddy, and sometimes, rotund complexion. They are quite hale, and some, at least, are capable of surviving, and quickly recovering from, the most grievous wounds, unless special measures are taken. Some varieties, usually referred to as vurdulaks, also possess various shapechanging and magical abilities. Often, they are simply shrieking bloodthirsty monsters displaying little intelligence, but some are capable of speech, and are aware of being part of a collectivity in an army of the damned. Some are said to be able to paralyze victims with theit claws. Upyri were encountered by Chonkorchuk inside Baba Yaga's hut (apparently as guards in a hidden passageway), by the Dragonslayers in a cemetery in Ladeisk (where one claimed to be part of an infernal army), and by Misha's Beasts in a church (sic) in Kliakva, where one was masquerading [?] as a priest.