Freestian Vampires
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| Combat form Freestian Vampire in Navarrok Guard ceremonial armour. |
Contents
Overview
Freestian Vampires, also known as Freethinker Vampires and with the latin name of; Draconis Vampyrus Sapiens, are powerful, fully sentient, reptilian carnivores of the Draconi family, ranking as the most infamous of the residents of The Freethinkers. Able to change between a 'human' and dragon-like 'combat' form at will and possessing incredible strength and longitivity, they have become an integral part of Freethinker society. At the last census there were around 7.8 million Freestian vampires in The Freethinker Commonwealth, with, quite notably, a further 310 million ghouls (human/vampire half-breeds).
However, it should be pointed out that despite living as part of the human community, fully-fledged vampires are in fact part of to an autonomous 'nation' within The Freethinker Commonwealth and have their own laws, customs and government quite different from that of the human society in which they live alongside. The official vampire 'head of state' is the current Lord of Navarrok (presently Sir Clodius Maxilimus, patriarch of the Maxilimus Clann), but effective rule lies in the Council of Navarrok, made up of the great Clann Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
The main consideration, from a biological and social standing, regarding this species is that although they carry the label of 'vampire', there is little relation between these reptilian creatures and the undead demons that first come to mind. The most important thing here to note is that Freestian vampires are purely natural rather than demonic or partly demonic creatures, a fact which has important consequences in terms of what abilities and traits Freestian vampires possess. The following is brief guide comparing the two species;
The Main Differences Between True Vampires and Freestian Vampires
> Not being demonic, Freestian vampires are unaffected by sunlight, indeed, having evolved in the harsh Freethinker deserts, they are well suited to high temperature environments and feel awkward in colder climes. Freestian vampires also have no special weakness against fire either.
> Though they live for a long time, Freestian vampires are not immortal and have a limited lifespan compared to true vampires.
> Freestian vampires are not affected by garlic, holy icons or other mythical defences against vampires. Silver weapons have no special effects on them either, though any weapon can still hurt normally.
> Freestian vampires can survive without drinking human blood. Their heavy metabolisms do, however, require them to eat more conventional food regularly and in large sittings. They starve to death quicker than true vampires and even humans.
> Being natural rather than denomic creatures, Freestian vampires lack any magical, telekinetic, or telepathic powers, save from being resistent to telepathic mind-reading and influence. They also possess no ability to shape-shift aside from their capacity to change between their 'human' and 'combat' form.
> Freestian vampires cannot sire other vampires through biting a victim, but can produce live offspring with each other and other species.
> Freestian vampires cannot move up along walls and ceilings, nor can they jump as high as 'true' vampires can. Also, Freestian vampires can only fly in Combat form using their large wings.
> Unlike true vampires, Freestian vampires cannot reattach seperated limbs and also heal slower from most injuries. They can also die (relatively) more easily from injuries such as physical trauma, infection and blood loss.
> Freestian vampires are, by and large, significantly physically stronger than most 'true' vampires, and have superior eyesight, hearing and sense of smell in general.
> Freestian vampires do not naturally harbour hostility to humans and are generally of better temprement than many 'true' vampires. However they are capable of far greater violence when pushed and, unlike normal vampires, Freestian vampires can be overcome by the maddening Bloodlust after feeding.
Physiology
Combat Form
The 'combatform' of a Freestian vampire is a awe-inspiring sight. Both males and females stand at nine feet or more at the shoulder and boast an average snout-to-tip length of fifteen feet. Fully grown adults generally weigh in at between eight and nine hundred pounds, though in reality this can range from around six to twelve hundred in real-life specimens.
The combat form belies the reptilian origins of the Freestian vampires, and they are genetically part of the Draconi family of large reptiles endogenous to the Freethinker Mainland. The genus has many common features that the combat form of the Freestian vampire retains, including tough, brownish water-resistent scaled skin, an elongated, horned skull, a powerful and dense musculature, a comparatively strong, flexible and lightweight skeleton, and a pair of large, disproportionately sized membranic wings located behind the shoulder blades. The body itself is proportionally broader in terms of length than other members of the Draconi family, and a Freestian vampire can also boast a considerably more complex set of retractable claws and digits on each hand and foot, with sufficient dexterity that an adult vampire can consciously manipulate tools and implements with surprising ease, mimicking the fine motor control humans enjoy in combatform.
The skeletal structure of a Freestian vampire is perhaps the most interesting part of the creature's anatomy. As can be imagined, the skeleton is extremely strong and able to withstand the great strains placed on it by the sheer strength and mass of a vampire, but it also must contain the ability to shrink and change its shape as a vampire transforms.
The skull itself is very similar to that of the related Freestian Wyvern, though somewhat broader and housing a larger brain.
The horns themselves serve a variety of uses.
The body
The claws
The tail
The large wings are a unique attribute to the combatform Freestian Vampires, not being present in their humanforms. The wings are disproportionately large in order to combat the large mass of a Vampire, and most of these creatures have a wingspan exceeding their height and their length as well. These large wings are moved by powerful muscles located at the base of the boney wing support just behind the shoulder blades. By repeatedly 'flapping' the wings at maximum span in a circular, downward motion a vampire is able to get airborne. However, this is a lengthy and tiring process, as although vampire's are physically strong they are also bear a considerable mass to go along with this, and as such flying is rarely seen and true soaring in the clouds is almost impossible to do for all but the strongest Vampires. More commonly, wings are used as gliding tools or to significantly boost a large leap or jump when necessary. Vampires are also fond of using their wings as temporary shade and heat radiators under the hot Freethinker sun, especially as in this form vampires do not sweat and so overheating can and is a significant problem given the large bodymass of each creature.
It should be noted that the combatform is now rarely seen outside of special ceremonies and traditional combat, with only pregnant females and young sirelings maintaining the combatform for any real period of time (see below). The main reason for this is simply that in the present, integrated society in The Freethinker Commonwealth, convenience and etiquette dictate a vampire remain in humanform for most of the time. This situation is unlikely to change, especially as the two cutltures are slowly drawing closer. That said, the capacity to actually embrace a combatform remains an important part of the vampire psyche, and even those heavily submerged in human culture will still make considerable effort to retain this ability to ensure their acceptance within the Vampire community.
Transformation
The capacity to transform between the human and combat form is a revered capability, indeed, the generally accepted definition of what makes a Freestian Vampire (compared to a well developed Freestian Ghoul) is this capacity to move between forms.
The capacity to transform generally comes into play at around five years of age for a young Vampire.
Human Form
The 'Human' form of Freestian vampires is the more common sight of these creatures within The Freethinkers, both more comfortable to the vampires themselves to move around in and in terms of reducing shock to the humans around them. Whereas most Freethinkers are comfortable around a vampire in full combatform, generally the same cannot be said of more nervous outsiders and visitors to the nation, for obvious reasons. The humanform itself was, it is believed, originally a self-defense mechanism in origin, designed to allow the Freestian vampire to intermingle with prehistoric humans without attracting too much attention or attack. Although the attitude towards them has improved considerably over the ages, the human form still represents a less aggressive, more approachable facade, and living in the human world its popularity among vampires is high for the increased convenience alone.
The actual outward appearence of a human form vampire is similar to that of a normal human, almost always of muscular build and a heavyset caucasian.
There are some observable differences, including slightly elongated canines, exclusively red pupils and black hair, and relatively pale skin that gives such individuals a look closely resembling that of a normal vampire (and, in part, explaining how they got to be called vampires). The enhanced canines are simply a result of not being able to shrink the hardened teeth fully whilst moving between forms, whilst red eyes and pale skin are merely original parts of the vampire body. As a rule, humanform Freestian vampires are slightly taller on average than their regular human counterparts. It should also be noted that its almost impossible to tell a humanform vampire and a Freestian Ghoul apart by their outward appearence alone.
Human-form vampires still retain many combat-form characteristics, such as the extremely high strength and toughness and the generally superior senses. However, they also retain the great weight of the larger form (that mass cannot just dissappear), which can be puzzling to unfamiliar humans as Freestian Vampires often look about a quarter of their actual weight whilst in humanform. Looking more closely at a humanform vampire will also reveal more startling differences in such details as the hair and skin as well.
Feeding and Nutrition
Reproduction
Diseases
Pythoras Disorder:
Shadow Curse
Bloodlust
Origins
The evolutionary origins of the species appears to have been a split from a common ancestor of the Freestian vampire and Freestian Wyvern about one-and-a-half to two million years ago.
Society
The society of the Freestian vampires is dominated by the 'Clann' system of twelve large, aristocratic blood-related families, the heads of which still hold the largest concentration of power and wealth within the vampire nation. Almost all living Freestian vampires can claim to be, geneologically part of one of the great Clanns, though only the immediate relatives of the two heads of each Clann are considered as part of the actual, power-wielding families themselves.
Relationships
These two elite Orders form the Armed Forces of the vampire nation.
See Main Articles: Navarrok Guard and The Syrens of the Spire
The Order of the Navarrok Guard (or the Pathfinder Corp) is the main 'Armed Force' of the autonomous vampire nation. A male-only elite unit, acceptance into the Order is considered one of the finest honours a vampire can achieve and recruitment is widely sought (though obviously incredibly hard to obtain). This powerful unit is tasked with guarding many military and government institutions and personnel in both the vampire and human nations, and also provides key military forces for the human government when necessary. The actual subservience to the human government is limited, and as such it must be noted that these actions are undertaken as an act of friendship and unity as part of the Navarre Blood Pact to which both races are party to.
The female-only 'counterpart' to the Navarrok Guard is The Syrens of the Spire, an elite set of bodyguards for the Hostess of the Reverence (and her entourage) and as guardians of the Spire of Navarrok itself. The Order carries a similar weight of honour and duty for all those accepted as for membership of the Navarrok Guard, but it contains far fewer personnel than the other Order and has a much smaller range of duties, being limited to defending the Spire of Navarrok itself and the various Priestesses of the Reverence. Unlike the Navarrok Guard, the Syrens do not undertake military operations, and also do not perform tasks for the human government unless specifically ordered by the Lord of Navarrok himself.
Interaction with Human Society
Employment within Human Society
Ex-Pathfinders are often sought out as bodyguards by the elite in Freethinker society.
Half Breeds and Varients
Humans and Ghouls
See Main Article: Freestian Ghouls
Ghouls are generally the result of a female human and male Freestian vampire mating. These metahuman offspring are physically strong and tough, but lack the capacity to transform that is the hallmark of a true Freestian vampire.
Sempyra
The name Sempyra is said to be the only thing that inspires fear in a Freestian vampire, and the concept also carries considerable horror in popular human culture in The Freethinkers. The base idea of a Freestian vampire bitten by a undead demon is a terrifying thought for most, and despite there being only one recorded individual who succumbed (Sempyra himself), considerable effort and investment has been made by both military and scientific personnel to understand and combat these powerful and terrifying monsters.
In June 1975 Sempyra Ardan was a young, relatively small and weak vampire, recently rejected in his attempts to enter the Navarrok Guard and significantly embittered with both vampire and human society at large. Struggling to find ways to gain acceptance, he sought out means of gaining strength and power, when a chance meeting in a Navarre club put him in a contact with an unknown, 'true' vampire. Learning of the powers humans inherited from being 'sired', Sempyra agreed to a nearly lethal siring attempt in order to gain increased strength for himself, little knowing of the dangers of such an action.
Indeed, what makes these creatures significant threats is not just the basic changes a Freestian vampire will go through (which generally includes achieving many normal vampiric traits including aversion to sunlight, relative super-strength and reflexes, immortality and telekinetic powers), but the mental changes that occur. Although most Freestian vampires enjoy the taste of human blood, societal values and concerns limit such behaviour to occasional, consensual feeding. However, when a vampire becomes a Sempyra, all of this control is lost, especially as it now becomes a necessity to drink human blood to live. As one can imagine the sheer nutritional needs of a eight-hundred pound carnivore, this means that a Sempyra is driven to a state where he needs to consistently feed whilst awake, consuming human blood on a terrifying scale and shifting into a permanent state of Bloodlust. Given the additional demonic powers of a true vampire, and it is easy to see why such creatures are so terrifying.
And this describes the tale of Sempyra himself. During the three nights of his Bloodlust-induced rampage he slaughtered over a hundred humans and twelve fellow vampires, including six members of the Navarrok Guard sent out to hunt him down. It eventually took a then-unknown Pathfinder warrior named Clodius Maxilimus engaging in hand-to-hand combat in which he managed to decapitate the deranged Sempyra, at the cost of several prominent injuries whose scars he still bears to this day. The sheer bloodiness of the rampage and the lightening fast, animalistic manner of Sempyra's attacks etched the image of the demonic vampire into the collective minds of the Commonwealth forever.
The actual threat of a repeat attack, however is very minor due to a number of realistic conditions. Firstly, there is the simple fact that, unlike humans, most Freestian vampires would not struggle to fight off or kill a normal vampire who tried to bite them, thanks to their own powerful strength and form, unless such an attempt was voluntary (as was the case with Sempyra), which is considered highly unlikely given the results of that encounter. Secondly, the sheer physical strain on both the siring vampire and his 'victim' makes a siring extremely difficult, given the huge blood transfers and the time necessary to complete a task, Sempyra was at the time a smaller member of the Freestian vampire species and the true vampire who sired him was an ancient, highly skilled member of the race, and even in these very favourable circumstances the encounter almost killed them both.
Last but not least, and certainly the major factor in not repeating the Sempyra incident, is the fact there is simply not that many times the two breeds of vampire come into contact. There are very few Freestian vampires outside the Commonwealth's borders and even fewer true vampires living within the Commonwealth. Given the dangers of another Sempyra relations between the two are discouraged and in reality are now non-existent. Nowadays, thankfully, the only actual appearence of Sempyra of any kind is in domestic horror films.
Feral Varients
There are occassional reports from outback ranchers and hunting parties of strange creature sightings, disturbing howls and sounds and animal mutilation across the great undisturbed wilderness of the Freethinker deserts. Many theories have been put forward for these events, the idea that some feral variety of Freestian vampires roaming the great deserts is one of the more popular ones. Historically, there are some oral stories about 'wild' Vampires roaming the desert in the vampire histories, and many ranchers and hikers (with significant knowledge of desert species) often reported being shadowed by creatures 'not of the recognisable types of desert predator', especially in the Great Southern Desert. The most popular version of feral sightings is a slightly smaller, thinner version of a standard Freestian vampire with a light coating of dark brown fur and an almost 'emancipated' figure. Encounters are almost always short and a distance, with these sighted creatures retreating almost as soon as they realise they've been spotted.
However, there have been many counter-arguements and suggestions about the 'Feral Vampire' sightings. Many alleged sightings have been put down to other members of the Draconi family, notably, physical sightings of 'thin vampires' may refer to adolescent Freestian Wyverns on the hunt, or even standard vampires on a long Pilgrimage, the strange howls attributed to the various mating calls of desert species, and various animal attacks to desperate Sandwyrms and large desert insects. Sceptics also point out the actual lack of physical evidence for such creatures aside from a few grainy photos, with no blood or skin samples, for instance, found on the supposed victims of feral vampire atacks.
However, regardless of the actual status of 'Feral' vampires, they are not considered a major threat even if they were to exist, as Professor Steve Hodruss, head of Vampiric Studies at the Gothabia District University wrly noted: In an environment boasting such proven dangers as truck-toppling Sand Trolls and whale-sized Dragons capable of ripping apart armoured vehicles, the actual new level fo threat posed by a theoretically small population of feral vampires is negliable at best. Most people working and travelling the desert already take considerable armed protection and precautions as a matter of necessity, and so the only real interest in such wild varients is from a biological curiosity rather than a security concern.
