vampirism
The original vampires, the true vampires were created by the lich Malthias via his ultimate creation the the Blood Stone.
Malthias created twelve vampires and now seven are reputed dead. The remaining known true vampires are Vladimir the Conqueror, Vralic the Hunter, Lorshellis the Successor, Rallark the Loyalist, and Dalak the Dark One.
The first vampires learned to pass on their vampiric condition to other mortals. . This creates a moderately weaker vampire.
It was discovered if the one of these second generation vampires creates a new vampire, the third and successive generations are only negligibly weaker than their vampiric sire. Using this knowledge, all the true vampires apart from Rallark chose to recruit vampire minions. Vladimir was the least particular about who recruited. Even after taking substantial losses, Vladimir's brood still outnumbers all other vampire bloodlines combined. To many ill informed mortals, Vladimir is the forefather of all vampires, rather than merely being the forefather of most vampires.
Transmission & Vectors
Vampriism is past from a vampire onto a mortal when the sire vampire drinks most of the blood of a mortal body, the vampire cutting himself or herself and feeding their own vampire blood back to the exsanguinated corpse which causes the corpse to rise again as undead.
If a vampire doesn't put any blood back, the result is simply a regular corpse.
Symptoms
Vampires are harmed by sunlight though a brief exposure to sunlight will destroy a vampire, it is painful. It takes prolonged exposure to sunlight to destroy a vampire.
Upon becoming a vampire, a vampire finds he or she has moderately enhanced strength, dexterity, and perception relative to what they had in life. Vampires have greatly enhanced resilience.
The above are abilities that all vampires have. Each true vampire is the patriarch or matriarch of his or her own bloodline and each bloodline has powers unique to that bloodline.
Treatment
It takes a few days for a newly turned vampire to complete the transformation, during this time the infant vampire can be destroyed by impaling their heart, decapitation, chopping the body to bits, or setting the body on fire.
After a vampire is fully transformed, they can destroyed by impaling their heart, decapitation, chopping the body to bits, or setting the body on fire (the latter is easier with their vulnerability to sunlight)
There is no known way to restore a vampire back to the status of a living mortal. They can only be turned into an inert corpse.
Vampires can choose to feed on prey without killing them or turning them into vampires but doing so leaves faint bite marks which are easily recognizable to trained vampire hunters.
Prognosis
Usually as the curse of vampirism progresses, the vampire will gradually feel less and less guilty about killing her prey until she has remorse whatsoever. That said, even a callous vampire can try to avoid killing her prey out of pragmatism if not morality.
As vampires begin to outlive their natural mortal life span, many vampires gradually go mad though this process of degradation is usually both slower and more subtle than most with most liches who have a similar problem.
Prevention
The best way to prevent vamprism from spreading is by killing all vampires that can be found.
It has been nearly two millennia since the death of Vladimir the Conqueror at the end of the Red Era, but few people have forgotten, and most organized governments and priesthoods employ at least a few individuals trained in recognizing and slaying vampires.
Thus most vampires in the Feudal Era strive to keep a low profile.
Type
Supernatural
Cycle
Chronic, Acquired
Rarity
Rare
Affected Species
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