HOME | DD

Vampires — Description

Moderation of one's humors is critical for health and faith, yet there are those who fall from grace. Some folk cannot afford the right foods or lifestyle to properly balance their fluids, while others may simply choose to ignore it all. Each humor has its own appeal and blessing, which can become addictive if not properly used. The energizing nature of Blood is certainly one that can tempt, as it is the juice that makes one feel awake and alive. Bloodletting lets the bad stuff out, but injecting fresh Blood lets the good stuff in! No one can deny the boost Blood imbibing can grant, and some become hooked on it. Those who attune themselves to the crimson humor can better balance the intake, but these actions are tied to faith and order. The people who drown themselves in it to feel good have no such anchors, as they wish for this euphoria to wash them away. More and more injections keep the energy levels up, but it also dampens the high each time. Thus, hardcore addicts need vast quantities to satiate their desires, which inevitably leads to overdose.
Overdosing on Blood leads to one transforming into a vampire. Skin and muscle begins to deteriorate, while veins and organs start to writhe. The body falls apart, piece by piece, revealing tangles of tendrils and tubes. The parts that remain grow and elongate, slowly becoming the new body as the old crumbles away. Fangs emerge, meant for draining Blood, though these sucking proboscises can form in more places than just the mouth. What eventually comes from this overdose is a toothy creature of veins and organs, clinging to what body parts still remain.
Like all overdoses, vampires come in all shapes and sizes. Their form typically shows how far they have descended into this condition. Early stage vampires will retain a good amount of their human body, with certain limbs or parts sloughed off to reveal their writhing network of veins. As they consume more Blood and give in to this lust, more skin and muscle crumbles away, leaving them more organ and tendril than man. Those who have lost their legs and arms will slither about on their fleshy tentacles, or perhaps use internal gases to float and fly. Vampires who fail to rein in their desires will fully succumb to the bloodlust and lose their minds. Those that fall into this maddened state may be reduced to a pile of guts and fangs, doing nothing but hunting and feeding. To the Church, all vampires are seen as these mindless organ heaps, and must be destroyed. Yet, the transformation can only affect the body, while the mind remains intact.
Unlike ghouls, overdosing doesn't always mean their mental faculties are lost, as many vampires still retain their thoughts. Yes, vampires now feed on only Blood and can be energetic and jittery folk, but there are plenty who are still people beneath it all. It all depends on how much control they relinquish to the thirst, how they let it steer their lives. Those with a steady source of Blood and supportive anchors to reality can go about their lives as normal. But those who slip in their control can give into bestial urges and mindless feeding, and this error can lead to them sliding straight into the deepest pits of depravity.
Vampires certainly get a bad reputation from those individuals and groups who give into their thirst and care for little else. With the Church hunting and killing them as well, vampires can get into the mindset of "my survival over all else." This leads to stories of vampires in the night claiming lives, or hidden cults of them luring in victims to bleed dry. There is no denying that such examples do exist, but one cannot ignore that vampires can also be regular ol citizens. Of course, said citizens are typically far from the reach of the Church, in towns and cities that have no pledged themselves fully to the golden Ichor.
Those who wish to fight the monstrous members of this overdose, or those who simply want all vampires dead, should be prepared for a speedy foe. Vampires are juiced by the constant intake and bond of Blood, making them incredibly fast and slippery. They can be fast as lightning, and use this agility to ambush foes, strike from blind spots and sink their teeth into vital arteries. They are covered in tendrils that can snag and smother, and often have barbed proboscises on other parts to stab and drain with. One must be ready to trap them or pin them down if they wish to get a hit in. Thorny brambles or hooked weapons can help snag the fast foe, and fighting in confined spaces will give them less room to wiggle away. Shards of Black Bile can help cut off their escape routes, while also creating jagged barriers that can slice through their delicate flesh. Fighting them during the day is also advised, as sunlight hurts their exposed anatomy. Bright yellowflame can also dry them out like the sun can, and even blind their sensitive eyes (if they still have them). Remember to prevent them from feeding at all costs, as the more Blood they intake, the worse they become.
While the Church of Divine Wealth labels them gluttonous heretics worthy of execution, some folk outside the reach of gold wonder if they are really that bad. There are plenty of vampires who go about their day like other humans do, and proper regulation of Blood can help them keep their thirst at bay. Don't we all have to balance our humors and strive for moderation? Don't we all have desires we must keep in check? But of course, vampires can resort to feeding on their fellow man and fall into violent frenzies if they don't have the mental strength to keep themselves stable. Simply look to the horror stories of them and see how monstrous they can become! Such tales is what let many people justify their hate, feeling sure that these creatures must be slain. However, as war has consumed the land and atrocities become abundant, there are many souls who see quite clearly now that any being, be it overdose or no, is capable of horrid things. Their fellow man has stooped to some incredible lows, and people now do anything to survive. Now it feels like the vampires aren't too monstrous in comparison...
--------------------------------
You know, a crazy part of me is starting to think I should have posted this group in October. Why? I dunno, call it a hunch. And so continues me finding penanggalans absolutely charming.