Vampire
Part of common folklore in the world, vampires are known for having long fangs, a thirst for blood, and pale skin that burns easily when exposed to sunlight.
Vampires, or Nattströvare, as they were called in Ancient Times, are fabled, cursed humanoid beings that feed on the blood of the living. They possess inhuman strength and reflexes, along with many supernatural skills. The knowledge common folk have about these beings is very limited and crowded with myths and misconceptions. Scholars and veteran monster hunters make up the isolated minority that does possess well-founded information. Yet, many maesters consider vampires to be mythical creatures, claiming all reports of their kind to be merely confusions and mistakes.
Book - Studio sulla natura dei vampiri
This particular book, written by the Sarusan Maester Lucius Policarpus describes the nature of vampires and their condition. In a tome over 700 pages long, Lucius describes that vampires are in fact, humans, afflicted with an incurable disease that may be transmitted to others upon contact with the vampire's blood. He mentions these creatures are not actually undead, but merely mutated humans.
Once infected, the individual goes through a lengthy and painful transformation that may take between 2 weeks to 6 months, in which afflictions are manifested. It starts with a mere indisposition, along with an aversion to sunlight and a lack of appetite; As the disease progresses, more symptoms appear :the skin turns milky white, fangs grow abruptly, sometimes to a point in which they cannot be contained within the mouth and stick out, some have their eyes turned red. Finally, as the appetite for food disappears, the thirst for blood progressively becomes stronger until the point the afflicted cannot keep anything in their stomachs and must seek out blood.-Lucius Policarpus, 880.
The maester also describes that, at the initial stage, the afflicted has a chance of succumbing completely to the disease and losing their minds as they dive into a feral delirium, dominated by their thirst and hunger, becoming nothing more than a mindless aberration. On the other hand, the ones that manage to keep the cravings under control turn into "true vampires": they slowly acquire their superior powers and skills, becoming more cunning and elusive, no longer limited to a man's lifespan. The scholar also writes that the older a vampire is, the stronger they become, claiming that some would even acquire the ability to cast spells and manipulate magic, possibly even walking in broad daylight. Ultimately, he also describes that the creatures cannot starve, mentioning that century-old vampires can simply ignore their thirst indefinitely, albeit with their powers and abilities severely diminished.
Book - A Hunter's Remark: A manual on hunting weremonsters, vampires and hags.
Written by Zygmunt Pasiński, a Snadovian Maester from Bratislen, as a transcription of countless notes and reports from Witch and Monster hunters alive in 759.A vampire can be one of many things, while some aren't too concerning, others can represent real threats to entire nations. Theories vary on how these creatures first came to be and the ones available for us aren't very well-founded. Some say they existed before men, others that they arose at some point in Ancient Times and even some that claim they are recent, the latter which sounds less likely [...]. Nevertheless, they can be very young (a matter of months or days) or incredibly old (spawning centuries), in which their age is the greatest indicator of their capabilities. A vampire, unlike Man, becomes progressively stronger the more they have fed in their lives(but not through binging), which means that a vampire that has been feeding on prey for decades has accumulated an immense amount of strength, and is capable of killing entire legions by themselves.
As one goes after these creatures, they might stumble upon "nests", as we call them. However, they'd come across a wide variety of vampires, how's that? Vampires yield the capability to increase their numbers, naturally and artificially. They often gather in castles, mansions, faraway vilages and more, seemingly having a natural aptitude for blending and living with nobility, which might be partly due to their intelligence and cunningness [...].
Let's talk practical examples - take a vampire count that is also the head of his "family", as he grows older, he becomes more powerful and wise, he may kidnap people and turn them into a number of things: they can become cattle, to serve as a source of endless "food", they can be turned into thralls, to do their lord's bidding (although their intelligence is lacking and the condition culminates in dementia and death) or they can become new vampires - these are the worst [...].What is the problem with a young vampire?
[...] The key, then, is the blood, the newly-discovered craving for the vital force of living beings, it sparks a monstrous, ravenous need within the afflicted. From there onwards, there are two paths: if their will is strong enough and they're conservative in their feeding, progressively they "evolve" into a classic, intelligent vampire; on the other hand, if they succumb to their hunger, they become feral and their mind slowly dwindles in this primal, savage state as the vampire becomes a beast that cares only about satiating, even if briefly, their hunger. I estimate that for each proper vampire, another 50 turn feral, for good measure! These beings would rule the world if all of the afflicted became intelligent vampires.
Now, for the sake of clarity, i'll name them properly from now on: there exists the feral, true vampires or Nattströvare and Master or Higher Vampires, the latter being century old individuals (or older, Arior protects us).
What about defeating them?Despite being quite powerful, they're vulnerable to a number of things: their skin reacts violently with silver, be it blades or simply the powder of the metal. They are also weak against fire, but it's not as efficient. Holy water is perhaps a middle ground between the three and will enhance the properties of a silver weapon. There are also reports of an incredibly efficient oil that may be applied over blades and bullets, although its formulae has been lost to us [...].
When fighting vampires, it is imperative to be wary of their capabilities, which grow as they age, such as their ability over weak minds, yieleding the capability of turning brother against brother [...]. They're also utterly fast and strong, they'll outrun nearly any living creature and wrestle bears with ease, their skin is impervious to ordinary steel and ranged weapons [...]. Magic is a rather curious thing, I do not know the degree upon which they're vulnerable to it, but I've heard of wizards who have imbued weapons with...."special talents" that give them an edge over vampires. Most importantly, I am almost sure that each and every witch or sorcerer is immune to a vampire's power over the mind, and no wizard can ever become a vampire, or the other way around [...].
Finally, it's important to keep in mind that higher vampires are never really alone, they populate their surroundings with their family and beasts, which hide in villages and towns as wolf among sheep, while the head of a vampire familiy often acting as some sort of Lord or noble amongst the common folk. [...] They'll also have an army of the feral, guardian Unforgivings, gargoyles and more...it is a heroic task to go after them, a challenge even for kings and generals.
Gammalist Roots
Those that dedicate their faith to the Gods of Old believe that vampires are the product of a curse cast by
Trium, the old god of fortune and festivity. It is said Trium created the first vampire by punishing a man for his greed and envy, giving birth to a new race that, akin to such vile men, seek to have more and have what others possess, forever doomed to crave for the essence of life: the blood of the living.
This belief is most widespread amongst the Trerian people and central Manniskarians.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Most vampires are somewhat similar amongst themselves: pale skin, large fangs, red eyes (sometimes), unnaturally long nails, nocturnal habits, amongst others. Some of the afflicted may display different characteristics, sometimes looking exactly like an ordinary Man.
Genetics and Reproduction
Sources vary in telling whether vampires are sterile, but they agree that their blood is infectious, transmitting their condition.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Vampires have exceptional perception skills, capable of smelling blood half a mile away and being able to listen to their victims' heartbeats nearby.
