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 large, sentient reptilian carnivores of the Draconi family, ranking as the most infamous of the residents of The Freethinker Commonwealth. Possessing an ability to change between a humanoid 'humanform' and dragon-like 'combatform' at will and possessing incredible strength and longitivity (both many times greater than that of an ordinary human), they have become an integral part of Freethinker culture and society, forming a distinctive and unique minority in the country.
Despite living day-to-day 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 and seperate 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. At the last census there were approximately 10 million Freestian vampires in The Freethinker Commonwealth, along with a further 320 million ghouls (human/vampire half-breeds), which make up the bulk of the Freethinker non-human population.
The Main Differences Between Demonic Vampires and Freestian Vampires
The most important thing 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;
> 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 demonic 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 actually can starve to death quicker than demonic vampires and even humans.
> Being natural rather than denomic creatures, almost all 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. An extremely small number of female Vampires do possess a limited form of psychic power that usually requires an external aid to manifest itself.
> 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 demonic vampires can. Also, Freestian vampires can only fly in combatform using their large bat-like wings.
> Unlike demonic 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 demonic 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 demonic vampires. However they are capable of far greater violence when pushed and, like normal vampires, Freestian vampires can be overcome by a maddening Bloodlust after feeding.
Physiology
Fully grown adults generally weigh in at between six and twelve hundred pounds (275-500 kg), though in reality this usually only ranges from around eight to ten hundred pounds (350-450 kg) in most real-life specimens. Interestingly, the weight of a vampire never changes between forms, which can cause problems for humanforms with regard to certain activities. Unlike in many species, there is little distinction in size between a male and female vampire.
The 'combatform' of a Freestian vampire is a awe-inspiring sight. Both males and females stand at seven feet (2.2 metres) or more at the shoulder when in a quadrapedal stance and boast an average snout-to-tip length of sixteen feet (5 metres).
The combat form bely the reptilian origins of the Freestian vampires, and they are the most evolved members 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, and a pair of large, disproportionately sized, bat-like 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 skull itself is very similar to that of the related Freestian Wyvern, though somewhat broader and housing a larger brain. The vampire retains the famed sabre-teeth (enlarged canines) that are a common trait of the Draconi family, and the vampire's inability to shrink these teeth completely whilst transforming that give them their distinctive fangs whilst in humanform.
The horns themselves are present on both female and males, though notably female horns tend to be straighter and shorter in overall length. Male horns may grow up to three feet long and are generally somwhat curved.
The body is broad by the standard of the Draconi family, enlarged to house a relatively larger cardio-vascular system beneath a strengthened skeleton.
The claws
The tail is significantly longer than the one found on Freestian Wyverns, the vampire's closest living relatives, and this is generally seen as a concession to balance when running at high speed.
The large, bat-like 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 these creatures, and most have a wingspan exceeding both their height and their lengthby a significant degree. 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.
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, and the ability must be coaxed gently into a young sireling as the first few experiences can be immensely traumatic.
Feeding and Nutrition
Unlike many of the Draconi, Freestian vampires are pure carnivores in terms of their preferred eating habits.
Bloodlust
Bloodlust is a condition that results from overfeeding of fresh, oxygenated blood by an adult vampire.
Reproduction
Psychic Powers
Health Concerns & Diseases
Pythoras Disorder: A thankfully rare mental condition that causes subconcious feral traits to surface, especially during sleep.
Shadow Curse: An increasingly common genetic disorder that affects adult vampires and their capacity to absorb oxygen from excess feeding into their own bloodstream.
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 & Culture
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.
The de facto official language of this society is English/Common, though the traditional vampire language known as draconis is still spoken by a majority of vampires as well.
The main "religion" of Freestian vampires is a form of ancestral worship known as the Reverence.
Relationships
Vampire relationships seem extremely unusual in comparison to most human societies, although many of these values have been accepted into standard Freethinker culture.
These two elite Orders form the official armed forces of the vampire nation.
See Main Articles: Navarrok Guard and The Syrens of the Spire
The Order of the Navarrok Guard (also known as the Pathfinder Corp) is the main 'Armed Force' of the autonomous vampire nation. A male-only elite unit, acceptance into this 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 important military and government institutions and personnel in both the vampire and human communities, and also provides key military forces for the human government when necessary. The actual subservience to the human government is somewhat 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 (and attendents) for the Priestess of the Reverence and also serve as guardians of the Spire of Navarrok itself. The Order carries a similar weight of honour and duty for all those accepted as for the warriors of the Navarrok Guard, but it contains far fewer personnel than the male Order and has a much smaller range of combat duties, being limited to defending the Spire of Navarrok itself and the Priestess herself. Unlike the Navarrok Guard, the Syrens do not undertake outside military operations, and also do not perform tasks for the human government unless specifically ordered by the Priestess.
Interaction with Human Society
Employment within Human Society
Former members of the Navarrok Guard and the Syrens of the Spire are highly sought after by many government departments and by the private sector. Postings in the Foreign Office as ambassadors is not uncommon, and it is a general policy to send one of these ex-warriors to postings where either there is a significant danger or impending crisis, or to where a culture would be more willing to deal with this species than a human representative. Such postings are generally seen as a semi-retirement option by the vampire community. Other ex-Pathfinders are often brought into internal security details, though treaty terms prevent their recruitment into the mainstream human army and security services. Female warriors however from the Syrens can be employed by the CNIO in limited roles, backed up by female recruits taken directly into this agency.
Ex-Pathfinder Paladins and Syren Sisters in civilian service are often sought out as bodyguards by the elite in Freethinker society, and are a powerful status symbol as well as possessing important practical advantages over their human counterparts. Their naturally superior strength and senses are useful attributes, and their ability to be extremely dangerous, even unarmed, is an excellent bonus in many situations. Given the very small number of avaliable candidates, the financial rewards for such vampires can be staggering.
Vampires can also be found in a wide variety of civilian occupations even without military experience. Private security organisations often recruit vampires into their ranks to provide effective security at many companies.
Half Breeds and Varients
Humans and Ghouls
See Main Article: Freestian Ghouls
Ghouls are the result of a human/vampire mating. These metahuman offspring are physically stronger and tougher than normal humans, 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 the potential threat of 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 the intervention of the Lord of Navarrok, Sir Clodius Maxilimus, who engaged in hand-to-hand combat where 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 lightning 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 demonic 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 detect the presence of the intruder.
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.
