Vampyrs are descended from the Dark Lords, some of whom carried the "vampyr curse". Many legends have sprung up around Vampyrs, most of which contain only glimpses of the truth. In Dymerian culture, vampyrs are depicted as suave harvesters of human flocks, able to become mist or charm with a glance. In Saharnian lore they prey upon illicit lusts and appear as dark succubi with exposed, blood-distended organs. The Mhomala look on vampyrs as blood-reeking zombies - barely sentient, while the Halsings regard them as ominous shapeshifters akin to lycanthropes. However, certain stories are common to all cultures. The vampyr transmits its curse by its bite (see below). It is not a disease per se, but rather an evil spell in which tasting the victim's blood is necessary to set up a sympathetic connection. This is why the death of the vampyr prevents the curse from claiming its victim. The spell is not under the vampyr's conscious control, in that it cannot choose not to "infect" a victim who is bitten. If not prevented, the curse will cause its victim to waste away, while at the same time transforming them. Eventually, those bittem by the vampyr slip into a death-like trance usually mistaken for true death - only later emerging as a vampyr. A victim - usually awakening to find him or herself buried - will often flee in horror at their transformation and after a while the blood-frenzy will drive them to feed. However, due to their somewhat mutable nature, the vampyr requires blood from sentient beings to maintain its humanity in undead form and after that meal, there is normally no going back. A vampyr deprived of human blood becomes a ravening, ghoul-like beast. Worst of all, once the transformation is complete, there is little hope of escape. Very powerful magic is required to remove the vampyr's curse, although a long ritual known to some temples devoted to good is capable (in the hands of a powerful priest) of restoring a vampyr.
A person transformed into a Vampyr gains the powers below as well as the disadvantages - the characteristics and powers shown are added to the victim's current total. Note that the length of the "coma" induced by the curse depends on the will of the vampyr - usually sufficient to allow the vampyr to retrieve its victim at leisure if it wishes, or to destroy the body. Note also that death before transformation or complete destruction of the body after is sufficient to destroy a vampyr. The old tradition of the wooden stake has some validity since vampyrs are susceptible to damage by living material or holy items (sages say this is since their undead form rejects these) and also a stake driven through a vital organ into something solid cannot be expelled by the normal process of regeneration - although it may not "kill" a vampyr, it will certainly keep it from recovering. Finally, the acerbic essence of the garlic is in some way inimical to vampyrs - the touch and odour nauseates them. Other superstitions, that vampyrs recoil from holy objects or cannot cross water probably merely reflects their fear of things that may harm them. The legends that vampyrs can assume the forms of wolves or bats falls short of the truth - their forms are malleable, and vampyrs can learn to assume the forms of any other creature whose blood they have recently drunk (including other humans).
Although regarded with fear and loathing, vampyrs are not necessarily evil - while their feeding necessarily runs the risk of transmitting the curse, if a vampyr has sufficient strength of will, they can feed using implements such as a sharpened quill to draw blood with no risk to the victim of contamination. However, abhorred and hunted, most vampyrs see no reason to do so.
Note! The stat.s given below are to be *added* to the original stat.s of the newly created vampyr. They are not the stats of a normal vampyr. If you need stats for a new Vampyr, you can always use the random character creator, then add these. A newly created vampyr retains its previous skills and powers, making them potentially formidable foes.
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