Vampires have long considered themselves the master predator, and it is with relative disdain that I am bound to agree with them. Inhuman
strength, sight, and other senses, coupled with natural magic makes for a formidable opponent.
No vampire considers themselves a savage and though it took considerable effort to discover one which would speak to me long enough to divulge any information about itself or the culture of its species.
Vampirism it seems does not a noble make.
Even so, I did manage to speak with one creature who's name and location will not be written within the pages of this book. The gentleman, when I sat down to dinner with him, was nothing but polite. He took no food, though he served me a meal so lavish I was worried that I was going to be dessert. Instead we had a marvelous conversation well into the early hours of the morning.
Vampires worship
The Betrayer. All intelligent undead creatures believe him to be the first undead being ever. From him came, and still come, all undead creatures. Vampires were the first of his creations, his own children, though none of the originals exist. Because of him there are always vampires on the Material Plane, but no new originals (also called Prime Blooded) have been created since the first ones. Prime Blooded were incredibly powerful and, if the gentleman I spoke to is to be believed, a devastating force. If one were to be created today, it is likely to wipe out half the continent before it is destroyed.
As many know, there are three subspecies of vampire. While they all are classified as vampire, they are all different and most often despise others of a different subspecies. The first is the most common form of vampire, called Purple by their more intelligent brethren, The Ferine. These beast are quadrupedal and although they lack eyes, they have incredible hearing. Ferine can often be found in packs, roving about more rural areas, or even underground. While they are intelligent, their bestial nature causes them to be looked down on by the other vampires. The second is the less common but more casually remembered Sovereign. Human in looks, save for pale skin and sharp fangs. Many of them, so I was told by one of them, are quite sophisticated and merely feed on blood when required to, otherwise choosing to blend in with human society.
The third, and most rare, subspecies of vampire are referred to as The Exalted. Believed by Sovereign and Ferine alike to be the perfect form of vampire. These creatures are hyper intelligent and because of this are often solitary. They require no blood, are undamaged in sunlight, and suffer no pain in the presence of silver. Their terrible forms are something out of a nightmare. Even while my host spoke of them the room seemed to grow darker and colder. It is believed that Exalted are only one or two "generations" away from a Prime Blooded though my host seemed adamant that a Sovereign could, under the right circumstances, become an Exalted.
From what I could find, most of the rumors about vampires brought back by adventurers tend to be true. And it is because of these rumors that I believe vampires to be disappearing at such an alarming rate. Stay with me, I know they're monsters, but the gentleman I spoke to was very convincing his his convictions. I'm not saying I believe every word out of his mouth, but I've had enough interactions with divine beings to understand that if there was a vampire, created by a god, set loose on the Material Plane, there would be very little to be done to stop it.
In most cases that I've found, vampires tend to have two forms. One is humanoid, and nearly indistinguishable from whatever race it used to be. While difficult to discover a vampire in this form, those with keen vision may be able to pick out the reddish tint to the iris, or the elongated canine teeth. (Though it should be mentioned that some carriers of
Inferna Sanguinem bear these same traits and as such not every person with red eyes and sharp teeth should be considered a vampire.)
A vampire's second form is monstrous and displays the creatures true nature. Though most forms are unique, they all share similar traits. Pale, even rotting, skin, long fangs that extend out of the mouth, claws, large eyes, and long bat-like wings. Most vampires, so I've found, rarely use this form as it makes for a very satisfying target for adventurers.
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