House of Locusts
Basic Information
Anatomy
The vampires of the House of Locusts are easily distinguished from their kin by their emaciated, mummified appearance. They appear as shriveled husks, with wrinkled, dark, papery skin over little more than bone. This vampiric strain causes little physiological change itself, aside from the typical elongated fangs and other features associated with more common vampiric strains. Instead, this vampiric strain affects the mind, granting powerful psionic abilities, and the ability to feed off of thought and memory. The dramatic physical changes associated with this house stem from their tradition of self-starvation and abstinence from blood.
Genetics and Reproduction
Like all vampires, the House of Locusts creates new vampires via the Blood of the House. The process through which the House of Locusts creates new vampires, however, is far more ritualistic than other vampires. The House typically resides in seclusion, and so soon-to-be vampires are typically lured to the ruins in which the particular group resides via psionic powers. When the victim arrives, he or she is incapacitated with a powerful psionic blast, and is then chained down to an altar table, where they are stripped of their clothing, given the blood, and lastly, a sort of burial mask is bolted onto their head. These masks vary in description, but they all cover at least the eyes, nose, and most importantly, the mouth. Newer, weaker vampires have simpler, less ornate masks of iron or lead, while more ancient vampires typically have elaborate burial masks of gold. The main purpose of these masks is to cut off connection to the physical world, and to ensure that the vampire cannot feed on physical sustenance. After this is complete, the victim is confined within the dungeon of the House's lair until they turn, which typically takes around a week. After this, they remain confined for long periods of time, from months to even years. During this time they are deprived of both physical stimuli and the blood which they naturally crave, starving them both mentally and physically. During this time, the newly fledged vampire will become more and more deranged, gradually becoming Bloodstarved and descending into insanity. After a long time in this state, in which they are heavily confined both for their own sake and for the sakes of their elders, they will suddenly enter a catatonic state of hibernation. This is called the Metamorphosis, from which the vampire emerges as a fully fledged vampire of the House of Locusts, with powerful psionic abilities and their conciousness melded into that of the House as a whole.
Ecology and Habitats
The House of Locusts makes their home throughout the Ash Wastes of Gundar. Like the Ash Elven people, they are decentralized, with strongholds scattered throughout the wastes in the ruins of fortress reclaimed by the volcanic ash. They stalk the wastes, swarming lonely travelers and feeding off their mental energy and memories, leaving them in a vegetative state.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Instead of feeding off of physical sustenance such as blood like most other vampires, the House of Locusts feeds solely off of mental energies such as thoughts and memories. This fortifies their minds and psionic abilities, but at the cost of their bodies atrophying to a massive extent.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Most vampires of the House of Locusts are blind. However, due to their powerful psionic abilities, they are able to perceive their surroundings much better than most other creatures. They can create a clear image of their surroundings, and can also invade the minds of other creatures to perceive the surroundings from their points of view. They also have the ability to communicate telepathically, both among themselves and with others, and share something resembling a hive mind with their kin.
Origin/Ancestry
Vampire
Geographic Distribution