The "Order"of things-Stalk

From Monster   "Among all the beings that call Syann home, few exhibit such a willingness to defy the natural order as humanoids. When a wolf takes a deer from the herd, the deer do not learn the wolf's name, weaknesses, and hunt the wolf down to slay it. Predation for sustenance or even for sport is well within the bounds of reason, but to hunt for vengeance and to protect the weak? Such notions are alien to much of the natural world. The very concept of prey becoming the predator is unthinkable, and yet humanoids persist.   They organize themselves into societies, orders, and swear oaths against their rightful predators. They craft weapons and develop magics designed to be the bane of their prey, driven by a mad desire to turn the tables or justify their vengeful acts as heroism. As a former human, I find it perplexing how they engage in this affront to nature, often leading to their own self-destruction.   In my own experience, I've faced numerous such hunters who seek to defy the natural order. Amateurs and specialists alike have come against me, driven by their irrational hatred and desire to subvert the balance. Among them, one family has been the most persistent thorn in my side. Despite my efforts to end their lineage, these mortal fools have persisted, their madness becoming a hereditary trait passed from one generation to the next.   The Zarcaneau family, a wretched line of vampire slayers, has turned their irrational hatred into a hereditary obsession. I've thwarted their aims time and again, vanquished many of their kin, yet this endless dance between us shows no signs of ending. They are a vexatious irritant, like a wound that refuses to heal or a tarnished coin that keeps resurfacing. They cannot, or will not, learn that their relentless pursuit is ultimately futile, for I am immortal.   I am the wolf, the predator who stalks the night in search of their sweet sanguine humors. They, on the other hand, are the rabbits who dare to oppose me—hunters, slayers, wretched Dhampir! All of them are like fragile sandcastles standing against the relentless tide that is the natural order. We, the children of the night, the drinkers of life essence, hold dominion over their lives and deaths. Go fourth into the towns and cities, and may they learn the proper order of this world—let them comprehend who stalks whom!"   -These words were spoken by Viscount Alakzi Kovlov, a vampire lord, in a speech to his unholy progeny.   ... to Man   "For as long as our memories stretch, he has taken from us—fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters—feeding his debased hungers. He sits upon a throne of bones, relishing the weeping of lost souls as if it were sweet music to his ears. There will be no forgiveness, no mercy, no redemption for him and those like him who believe the night belongs solely to their kind.   We are not mere prey! We are people, families, brothers, and sisters to the victims he has claimed. Our tears have been shed for every life he has stolen from us. This is why we must rise with stakes, torches, and silver blades in hand! The undead, and particularly vampires, pose a threat to every mortal life. They stand outside the natural order, defying death and aging, seeking to dominate it.   I understand the fear that grips your hearts, for they are supernatural horrors—shapeshifting immortals. But remember this: they can be slain, they can be opposed. When the day breaks, it is we, mere mortals, who will witness their demise, bathed in the holy judgment of the The Goddess of Dawn.   These words were spoken by Mikael Zarcaneau to the people of Zarca, six months prior to his family's banishment under suspicious allegations of heresy and witchcraft.
Alakzi Kovlov, One of the most powerful undead lords in the North  
  (Art by Midjourny)
  Veteran Vampire Slayer, Baron Mikeal Zarcaneau, legendary and iconic Zarcaneau family hunter   (Art by Midjourny)

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