Vampire
A dead body animated and sustained by a spirit. [1]: 210
When a possessing spirit bonds with a living body, it becomes a vampire. This can happen if a ghost possesses a victim for too long, thereby destroying its original spirit, or when a hollow is specially prepared for the purpose by ancient ritual.
Scholars of the arcane say that vampirism breaks the chain of being. Over time, a vampire’s spirit essence diffuses fully into the body, giving it physical immortality while at the same time destroying its echo in the spirit realm “beyond the black mirror.” Some have argued that this is the only way to escape the damnation of madness that otherwise inflicts all the ghosts denied passage through the gates of death. (A vampirism movement in the 6th century of the Imperium achieved significant popularity before it was eradicated by the Spirit Wardens.)
Vampires are exceedingly rare today. Most people consider them to be legendary or mythical. When the Spirit Wardens do discover one, they take great pains to destroy it in secret so as not to disturb the peace. In legend, vampires were destroyed by the rays of the sun. Since the sun was shattered by the cataclysm, this is no longer possible. Spirit Wardens must capture the vampire and disintegrate it in electroplasm according to a specific arcane method in order to destroy it.
A vampire sustains its energy by feeding on life essence from a living being. In fables, vampires drank blood to accomplish this, but this is not typical. Each vampire feeds on essence in its own way—leaving a distinct telltale sign on its victim afterwards. A vampire can easily detect these signs in order to locate their victims again for feeding, or to take care to avoid feeding on the chosen prey of another vampire. [1]: 211
[1] Harper, J., Acimovic, S., Nitter, S., Arden, V., Figueroa, D., Green, D., Nittner, D., & Shields, A. (2017). Blades in the Dark (v8.2). Evil Hat Productions.
When a possessing spirit bonds with a living body, it becomes a vampire. This can happen if a ghost possesses a victim for too long, thereby destroying its original spirit, or when a hollow is specially prepared for the purpose by ancient ritual.
Scholars of the arcane say that vampirism breaks the chain of being. Over time, a vampire’s spirit essence diffuses fully into the body, giving it physical immortality while at the same time destroying its echo in the spirit realm “beyond the black mirror.” Some have argued that this is the only way to escape the damnation of madness that otherwise inflicts all the ghosts denied passage through the gates of death. (A vampirism movement in the 6th century of the Imperium achieved significant popularity before it was eradicated by the Spirit Wardens.)
Vampires are exceedingly rare today. Most people consider them to be legendary or mythical. When the Spirit Wardens do discover one, they take great pains to destroy it in secret so as not to disturb the peace. In legend, vampires were destroyed by the rays of the sun. Since the sun was shattered by the cataclysm, this is no longer possible. Spirit Wardens must capture the vampire and disintegrate it in electroplasm according to a specific arcane method in order to destroy it.
A vampire sustains its energy by feeding on life essence from a living being. In fables, vampires drank blood to accomplish this, but this is not typical. Each vampire feeds on essence in its own way—leaving a distinct telltale sign on its victim afterwards. A vampire can easily detect these signs in order to locate their victims again for feeding, or to take care to avoid feeding on the chosen prey of another vampire. [1]: 211
[1] Harper, J., Acimovic, S., Nitter, S., Arden, V., Figueroa, D., Green, D., Nittner, D., & Shields, A. (2017). Blades in the Dark (v8.2). Evil Hat Productions.
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