Vampires     In many villages of Lur-Asko, there is an old saying, spoken in hushed tones as a warning: "Beware the children of the Chasmodyne. Their gray blood is never satisfied, for it remembers when it dug the world's veins."

    In the First Aeon, the massive underground realm of Chthon was excavated by the Chasmodyne - a corrosive swarm of silicon-based microorganisms created by the Protodragon Dox'Ah (see Nani). When the asteroid incident circa 155,000 BFA spelled the end of the Protodragons' power, Dox'Ah's plans for Chthon were abandoned, along with the Chasmodyne. Fortunately, she had ensured the swarm was both incompatible with sunlight and instinctually limited to her desired region of excavation, preventing it from escaping to disrupt the rest of Lur-Asko. Later, when the Alacris undertook the Taming of Chthon in the Second Aeon, they exploited the swarm's sunlight weakness, ultimately trapping it in the Void under the watchful glow of Arcturus Tower.

    In both that first expedition and subsequent overly-ambitious attempts to map the Void, many people experienced the horror of what happens to organic bodies that encounter the Chasmodyne outside of the protection of artificial sunlight. While it is not thought that the entity is consciously hostile, nor does it require flesh to digest in the same way as a carbon-based carnivore, it does display a distressing ability to gain energy and mineral catalysts from certain compounds in the body - most notably, the blood. Where once the Chasmodyne fueled itself by hollowing out the tunnels and consuming the metallic veins of Chthon, so too does it hollow out the veins of those who find themselves within the swarm.

    A tiny minority of the Chasmodyne's victims survive this process, due to a small portion of the swarm being left behind to strengthen their ravaged body. It's thought that this is due to old programming for the entity to sometimes leave behind a portion of itself as it moves, originally to stabilize fragile tunnels. Such survivors are "stablized" into a terrible symbiosis, becoming chasmtouched - half-living shamblers controlled only by a barely-conscious drive to consume more bodies and blood to sustain the portion of the swarm they host. Eventually, chasmtouched succumb to their profound internal injuries and perish, but a number were once captured "alive" by the Alacrian city of Rédix. After much study, these patients were further stabilized and restored to consciousness, becoming the first vampires.

    After many casualties in the Third Era, Rédix was able to refine vampiric abilities further. Vampires accessed a portion of the Chasmodyne organisms' command of magnetism and chemistry, and eventually became able to spread their condition to others. Vampirism's slowing effect on aging was originally concealed by Rédian authorities, as the Alacris feared civil unrest when people demanded this new "immortality." In truth, though vampirism can greatly slow aging, it comes with complicated dependencies on the blood of non-vampires, resulting in potential disaster if too large a portion of a population attains the condition. Vampires must also be regularly treated in advanced devices termed sarcophagi to prevent their already-perilous symbiosis from breaking down.

    Today, vampirism is extremely difficult to obtain. Rather than the ancient squads of expendable stealth-troopers, vampires today comprise the ruling nobility of the realm of Cevelky, who guard both themselves and the spread of their condition with a profound obsession. Their culture serves to mitigate the three glaring weaknesses inflicted by their condition: the dread of sunlight, the dependency on ancient sarcophagi, and a barely-quenchable thirst for blood.

Cevelkian Culture     Cevelky was almost completely emptied of sentient life after the Fall; none of the Subject Species could endure the sunless, stormy land without food from the hydroponic farms of Épex and Standux. Refugees poured out into other realms, pursued by vengeful white acolytes finally freed from the blockade of Eer'Kalla. It was not until Eer'Kallan power was drained during the Ternary War that the realm was finally resettled - this time by vampires alienated to the rest of Lur-Asko by their persecution at the hands of the Magi.

    The Cevelkian vampires' "food" supply of living sentients first consisted of captives taken along the way to the realm. Of course, people fed on by vampires also need food, which proved difficult. Over time, the vampires' tiny settlements learned by savage experience that stealing supplies from other realms invited retaliation, thus their efforts shifted to culture and economics rather than outright invasion and theft. By the Imperial Age, Cevelkian culture had been refined into a highly "civilized" form of feudalism, though many of the nobility's non-infected subjects have opined otherwise about its civility. Although Cevelkian tyranny is sometimes overstated in other realms, there is no question that the masses of the realm are kept in a strictly controlled economy, their efforts "encouraged" to focus on quartz mining, shipbuilding, and other export-oriented industries. These goods are traded for food with the other realms out of necessity, and robust tariffs are imposed to pay for whatever else the Vampire Lords seek for themselves.

    In a way, Cevelkian culture was "finalized" during the Imperial Wars, with General Rowan's Survivor's Code becoming the fundamental philosophy of the ruling class. Rather than the radical transformation experienced in other realms after the Wars, Cevelky became even more entrenched in its current system. An elaborate array of complicated traditions wove its way through Cevelkian politics, organizing the Vampire Lords into a strict caste of Viscounts, Counts, Earls, and Dukes. Meanwhile, the Code was kept away from their subjects; the masses were instead indoctrinated with a carefully-crafted variant of Heritage Ascendancy designed to keep them in line. Everything about the realm is designed to preserve the status quo, and with it the maximized lifespans of its rulers. Despite the unending sameness endured by Cevelky's people, the realm is strictly uninvolved with the rest of Lur-Asko in anything but trade; it has not invaded another realm since the Imperial Wars, and has only rarely helped.

    Further details about Cevelky can be found in Geography, but this summary is important to understanding how difficult it is to become a vampire today. More vampires means more vampire food, which means that a larger population needs to live in the realm, which means potential economic trouble. Meanwhile, the Vampire Lords are loath to create vampires and allow them to leave, as those who go on to misbehave threaten to bring prejudice and retaliation against the iconically vampiric realm. This, in addition to the personal sacrifice required to spread the condition, means that it is difficult to obtain vampirism without participating in the lengthy political game of the Cevelkian nobility. Those who succeed in winning the Vampire Lords' trust can rarely do so without becoming a Viscount themselves, signing their way of life over to the upkeep of Cevelky.

    The best bets for an adventurer seeking vampirism, while still remaining an adventurer? Perform extraordinarily great deeds for the Vampire Lords, and make it too unseemly for them to refuse. In times of great crisis, they have been known to be slightly less unwilling to make such sacrifices in exchange for powerful assistance. If you are not able to offer them something so valuable, your best bet is to find a vampire in the other realms, beyond their reach. Unfortunately, if it becomes known that vampirism is spreading outside Cevelky, very few places are truly beyond their reach. Chthon's rural areas are the best bet for finding concealed vampires, given the realm's suitability for both the Chasmodyne and its "children;" however, vampires found in Chthon must typically resign themselves to remaining there, as the exits are watched closely by Cevelkian agents.

Becoming a Vampire     Any sentient organic character may become a vampire. In order to turn someone, a vampire must kill them with a Bite attack (see below) or bite an already-dead body, and deliberately spread the microorganisms. The potential vampire must not be so lethally injured that they could not be revived (see Injuries). The process of turning takes 5 minutes to complete after the bite, and will be aborted if the person is revived from death by another means during that time. Once complete, the person is revived as a vampire; sufficient damage is healed to remove all lethal degrees of injury. In addition to any trauma from the lethal injuries, a new vampire takes 12 trauma as a result of the horror of adapting to the condition, often described as feeling like they have been put in a different body. This is true even if the person wished to become a vampire.

    Arcanists cannot be turned, as vampiric symbioisis is incompatible with their blood adamant. Likewise, vampires who attempt to become arcanists will die.

    Vampires can only be "cured" through extended processes in well-equipped laboratories (except for those affected by the Temporary Turning Ability below). The material costs are quite significant, but most cities have agreements in place to bill Cevelky for the expense. The Vampire Lords, as mentioned above, have a keen interest in avoiding the proliferation of their condition, and have even been known to "escort" rogue vampires back to Cevelky just to be sure they are cured properly.

Physical Characteristics     Visually, vampires are noticeably gray in color, and display elongated gray canine teeth (or similar protrusions for disparate species). They are still considered alive and organic, and still require sleep, but tend to be nocturnal. Contrary to popular belief, they still require normal food and water. They cannot reproduce.

   As a vampire, you receive a +8 increase to bCON. You have unrivaled shadow vision, seeing in both Low Light and Medium Light as if it were High Light. However, your eyes are very sensitive to bright light; you will see in High Light conditions as if it was Medium Light.

    Since a vampire's "gray blood" mostly just consists of the microorganism swarm, which can move and remain in the body of its own accord, you are immune to the bleeding status.

    Electric damage, being related to electromagnetism, is largely ineffective against the swarm, harming mostly the vampire's flesh. You take only 50% damage from electricity.

    For similar reasons regarding the swarm's innate resistances, a vampire treats all heat and cold hazards as 1 degree less severe. You have 2 Easing in any CON roll to avoid contracting any disease.

    Dira quartz is highly toxic to all Chasmodyne-derived creatures. You take 150% damage from quartz weapons that do not have the Blunt tag. You are still able to wear quartz armor and use quartz equipment.

Hunger     The largest drawback of vampirism, and the reason the condition is feared by many in Lur-Asko, is the microorganisms' unique need for “sustenance.” Cut off from the Chasmodyne, this smaller swarm loses the ability to sustain itself from ore and stone, and must instead draw unique elements and compounds from the blood of those similar to their host. A vampire must regularly slake their condition's “hunger” by allowing it to feed on the bodies of other members of the vampire's own species. If this craving is not met, the swarm will destabilize and turn on its own host, reverting them to a chasmtouched (see Other Conditions). Unfortunately, the Alacris were never able to develop a form of synthetic blood that would satisfy vampiric needs, largely because blood outside of a living body (or in the body of the wrong species) is not properly recognized by the swarm.

    In addition to basic survival, more powerful vampires must also pacify their condition with feeding in order to develop their Abilities. Although vampires can generally survive with minimal feeding on their victims, leaving them alive, truly satisfying the swarm requires a complete feeding that permanently kills the victim. Cevelkian Vampire Lords who need to be at their best generally use such feeding as a form of execution, while adventuring vampires outside the Cevelkian system tend to take many jobs that involve "dealing with" sentient adversaries.

    As a vampire, you take fatigue as normal, but your fatigue factor is also used to determine the effects of hunger. Each multiple of your fatigue factor met or surpassed by your vampiric hunger points becomes a degree of hunger. Unlike normal fatigue, you actually have stat bonuses when your hunger degree is low:

    You always gain 1 hunger every 4 hours (6 per day) as part of the swarm's normal processes, regardless of any additional amount from normally fatigue-causing activities.

    Unlike fatigue, hunger cannot be removed naturally. It can only be reduced through feeding (see below).

    Newly-turned vampires begin with an amount of hunger equal to 2 times their hunger factor (for 2 degrees of hunger).

    Like fatigue, degrees of hunger are "updated" at the end of your turn, or at the end of the movement phase.

Feeding & Bite Attack    As a vampire, you gain a Bite attack as a natural weapon, which follows the same rules as the Bite attacks of animals (see Combat). The damage of your bite is always equal to 2 times your STR, with a drive of 7. This natural weapon has the Precise tag.

    Whenever you score a damaging hit on a sentient organic target with your bite, you may choose to allow the swarm to feed. This causes the target to take an additional amount of damage equal to 10 plus your WGT, inflicting Core Injuries Your hunger is reduced to a value equal to 2 times your hunger factor (if this is less than your current hunger). If either the bite or the feeding damage permanently kills the victim (that is, they cannot be potentially revived), your hunger is reduced to 0 instead.

    If you are feeding on a willing, incapacitated, pinned, or paralyzed victim you do not wish to severely hurt, you may reduce your bite's damage to 1, and cut your feeding damage in half.

Feeding Corruption     The phenomenon of feeding corruption prevents a vampire from sustaining themselves on just one person over time. After a vampire feeds, the victim will not alleviate hunger during any more non-lethal feedings for 45 days.For example, if a vampire injures a victim with a feeding, and then any vampire attempts to feed on that person within the next 45 days, that vampire will not be relieved of any hunger unless they permanently kill the person. No form of healing or cleansing has yet been able to overcome the effect of feeding corruption. The Alacris believed that it was due to both the depletion of certain obscure nutrients in the victim's blood, and residue left by the swarm as a marker - likely an unfortunate leftover of the Chasmodyne's secretions in ancient Chthonian tunnels, used to signal itself to avoid re-digging the same areas.

Weaknesses to Sunlight and Quartz     Direct sunlight aggravates the swarm, putting a vampire in mortal danger. At the end of any turn on which you were touched by High Light levels of direct sunlight, your hunger is increased by 10. Shadows and Medium Light environments (such as ringlit nights) are uncomfortable, but not sufficient to cause hunger, even if they consist of sunlight.

Sarcophagi & Cartouches     Even the formation of chasmtouched is rare, and vampires represent an even more precarious balance of two very different biologies. Preventing this coexistence from breaking down into either carbon-dominant rejection or silicon-dominant consumption requires regular and incredibly complicated medical treatments. These treatments can only occur in Alacrian sarcophagi - pod-like devices connected to a room-sized array of computer banks and chemical processors. Access to these devices can be even more challenging than access to blood.

    A new vampire can go 13 days without treatment in a vampiric sarcophagus with no ill effects. Beginning on the 14th day, they will take damage every day equal to their injury factor, causing Core Injuries. This damage cannot be healed by any means until after they are treated.

    Treatment in a sarcophagus takes 4 hours, during which the vampire must be conscious. By default, it does not count as rest nor sleep, and is actually quite painful and traumatic; the process inflicts 15 trauma on the vampire, as their cellular physiology is forcibly adjusted and reset. Sedation interferes with the treatment process, preventing easy escape from the pain. Fortunately, any sarcophagus can be made more bearable by allowing it to write the individual vampire's biological details on a cartouche - a 3-pound memory storage device that can either be kept in the sarcophagus or transported to a different one. A sarcophagus loaded with a cartouche that matches the individual being treated inflicts only 2 trauma on them per treatment, though it still requires one normal treatment to write the cartouche. Vampires often carry their cartouche with them, in case they must travel to a different sarcophagus.

    Normally, cartouches can be freely removed, installed, and overwritten, allowing a single sarcophagus to be used by many vampires. This is the typical practice of non-Cevelkian vampire clans, who must often make do with a single scavenged unit and keep it hidden. Wealthier exiles or high-ranking Vampire Lords often hire technologists to create a bonded sarcophagus - one which has permanently incorporated a single cartouche into its network, allowing even greater harmony with a single individual but preventing any other vampire from ever making use of it. Bonded sarcophagi do not inflict trauma, and allow a vampire to rest or sleep during treatment; vampires who regularly sleep in their sarcophagi also have advantages against aging, as shown below.

    Typically, cartouches cost 1,000 coins, a sarcophagus costs 55,000, and the bonding process requires 20,000 in labor and materials. However, these are all extremely difficult to obtain outside of Cevelky, and tightly controlled within it. A non-Cevelkian vampire will hopefully have access to the sarcophagus of whoever turned them, potentially obtaining their own through black-market deals or violence later.

    Given the size of their surrounding machinery, sarcophagi are necessarily found only in fixed bases, Alacrian ruins, or ship custom rooms. The original vampiric migrants to Cevelky accomplished their journey by "hopping" from one sarcophagus ruin to another; they are much rarer finds today, as most are scooped up by the Vampire Lords.

Aging     For every adventurer who fantasizes about the power of a vampire, there is at least one other fantasizing about eternal life. However, despite some superstitious tales about vampiric immortality, vampires do not truly cease aging (see Aging). Still, because of the many physiological processes displaced to the symbiont swarm, they do greatly slow it - particularly if they can embrace their connection fully, feed regularly, and receive better sarcophagus treatments.

    Vampires begin at a base aging rate of 75% of normal (e.g. aging 3 years for the purposes of aging rules for every 4 actual years). From 75, subtract the vampire's tier. For example, a 10th-tier vampire ages at a rate 65% of normal. Subtract from this percentage 10 if the vampire is receiving sarcophagus treatments at an average interval of 5 days or less, or 30 if they can regularly sleep each day in a bonded sarcophagus. Finally, subtract 10 if the vampire can perform lethal feedings at a rate of at least 10 per season, beyond whatever lethal feedings are required to raise their tier.

    Note that even in the best-case scenario of a top-tier vampire based out of their own bonded sarcophagus and fed with gratuitous lethal feedings, the percentage does not reach 0. This fact is most unpleasant to the Vampire Lords, who constantly pursue whatever research seems like it might finally halt their aging altogether.

Vampire Tier     More powerful vampires who have developed their body and mind find themselves better able to control the swarm, and gain access to Abilities too difficult for the "untiered" vampire. Vampires begin without a vampire tier, and must gain and increase their tier by lethally feeding (see above). Your potential maximum vampire tier is equal to 50% of your depth tiers, plus 50% of your Athletics tiers, minus 5. If this number is greater than 0, you may gain your first tier upon permanently killing a feeding victim. You will continue to gain 1 tier per lethal feeding for as long as your current tier is below your maximum. This is the only way you can gain vampire tiers.

    At 1st tier, you gain two Vampire Abilities. At every tier beyond 1st, you may either gain a new Vampire Ability, or emphasize one you already have. Much like Study Abilities, each Vampire Ability lists progression effects for both Normal (unemphasized) and Emphasized states; each one refers to your vampire tier.

Turning Others     Originally, vampires were created from chasmtouched in Rédian laboratories, but today they can only be created by other vampires with a vampire tier of at least 2. To turn another person into a vampire, you must use your Bite attack to kill them, or bite an already-dead (but potentially revivable) body. Next, in lieu of normal feeding, you may infect them with vampirism; this has no effect on your hunger. Unlike feeding, you may turn members of other species, provided they are sentient and organic.

    Because turning another person literally splits the swarm, it has damaging effects on your symbiosis. Upon turning another person, your maximum vampire tier is reduced by 1 (that is, it is 1 less than what the rules above say it should be). If your current tier has reached your maximum, it is reduced by 1 as well, and you must give up a Vampire Ability or emphasis to match your reduced tier. Turning additional people will continue to reduce your maximum tier by 1 each, and can eventually reduce you to 1st tier (at which point you can no longer turn anyone). You will recover from maximum tier penalties at a rate of 1 every 2 years. If the vampire you created is cured, this has no effect on you. Being cured and turned again yourself will not remove or shorten the penalty.