View source for Vampires: An Introduction

[A small herald on the center of the back cover depicts an image of a rabbit with horns and wings holding a furled scroll, the crest of the Azure Scroll.

Original author: P. Mosbrooke Original date: 19 Ches, 151.]

A Foreword: 

Hello,

The following transcript is a collection of information gained from both personal experience, interviews with monster Hunters, and data pulled from various sources from libraries in Waterdeep and the College of Neverwinter.

The information refers generally to vampires found in the western regions in Faerun, though some data does still apply to eastern variants found in regions like Mulhorand and Kara-Tur.

Please be aware that vampire hunting is by no means a rich nobleman's sport. It is grim, exhausting, and dangerous work that can often result in being turned into the very thing you hunt. Do not engage in this activity lightly.

Peace be with you, and Curiosity keep your heart in wonder.

Republished by "The Crimson Blades" in year 173 for educational purposes only.

=== Chapter 1: What is a Vampire? ===
Fangs and pale skin, aversion to sun and a thirst for blood. The classic tell-tale signs of a vampire. Folk lore and second hand accounts fill the gaps mystery leaves when regarding these creatures, as much a part of regional myth as they are real flesh and claw monsters.

To understand a vampire is first to understand what it is. A curse passed on by blood that turns mortal to immortal at the cost of one's humanity and sanity. This is a payment taken out slowly over the centuries the vampire has as he is denied satisfaction from food, day light, and other smaller comforts, instead instilled with a dependency on the only thing to bring relief; blood.

These are monsters true and true, wolves in sheeps' clothing hunting using guile, stealth, and charm alongside terrifying martial prowess and ability.

Few things from the tales are true, but what does prove to be true is their immortality and blood thirst.

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Biology ===
It should come as no surprise that a vampire's metabolism is not like that of a mortal. Strictly speaking, a vampire has no metabolism whatsoever. Most vampires do not need to breathe, and can function in airless crypts or along the ocean floor. Provided the submersion does not prove fatal.

Of course the former biological components of the former mortal are still present in the vampire, but have been greatly repurposed. For instance the lungs while having no pressing need to sustain vitals are used primarily for speech, meaning that even should a toxin be inhaled it shall never cross into the blood stream.

The matter of traditional food consumption and vampires remains something of an enigma. There are several sources claiming some can consume normal food, while others state that this causes an immediate vomiting. And others further elaborate while this is the case, they can with-hold the need to expel the food for a few hours at best.

For whatever reason, vampires are far more resilient than living creatures. They appear immune to exhaustion and the disabling effects of pain and exposure, and shrug off any magical effect that would otherwise cause paralysis.

Like all undead they too prove to be resistant to clever under handed tactics often employed by brigands and those who learned their sword techniques in the Luskan Academy of Blades. And further they are resistant to frost and electrical attacks (lacking a well-functioning nervous system to interpret the injury) be it from the elements, magic, or blade oils.

This is not to say a vampire is completely without flaws. Allergens introduced to the skin, blood, or ingested can greatly weaken the creature, and silver blades have proven to be far more effective in cutting through the resilient hide.

These allergens have come in the form of, rice, salt, mistletoe, yew leaves, silver, and rose petals to offer a few examples pulled from the Terythian manual on the topic.

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 3: Physiology ===
[The following pages depict colored waxy drawings of vampires, breaking down diagrams of the earlier chapters on biology into less wordy, more illustrative examples.]

[Small foot notes line the medical-styled autopsies and sources cited from various academic institutions across Faerun and personal research trips to local vampire nests.]

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 4: Misting and Dusting, the Difference ===
Due to the advanced biological make up we discussed in chapter one the vampire is highly stubborn when it comes to the matter of termination. A vampire has four states;

+Natural Form

+Beast Form 

+Mist

+Ash

The natural form is the vampire's most preferred skin. This is what they might have looked like prior to their turning and will be what they are most often in.

The Beast form of a vampire is a polymorphed state which can take on a multitude of beastial forms. Wolves, bats, cats, and monstrous hybrid states have all been recorded, and the same allergens apply in this state as they did in their natural form.

The Misted form is something like a last resort for the vampire. This is forced when enough physical damage has been sustained by allergen or brute force that the physical form of the vampire dematerializes into a misty cloud or can be willfully transitioned.

In this state is common among less experienced hunters that the vampire is allowed escape, as its sudden disappearance of a material form would imply it has been efficiently terminated. This is not the case. In fact, a misted vampire is unable to cast spells, or perform any kind of physical attack but is fully susceptible to any manner of attack itself.

While in the misted form the vampire will escape to return to their coffin where they will rematerialize and heal from their injury. To prevent a vampire from misting, a stake of carved ash (or yew), blessed by a priest, must be impaled into the vampire's heart.

This leads us to Ash. An Ashed vampire is a vampire that has been thoroughly and utterly killed. In this state the vampire's remains are a sizable pile of ash with some of their effects left present. The vampire cannot rematerialize or be brought back from the Ashed state.

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 5: Vampire Blood and Clerical Spells ===
Regarding the blood of a vampire, as any hedge wizard would eagerly explain a vampire's blood comes in a wide and unique array of functions, too many recorded to properly summarize a general effect.

In some cases the blood is highly acidic, burning those who touch it or putting them under the mental sway of the vampire. In others the blood will burst into flame on contact with the sun (much to the dismay of unsuspecting researchers).

Fortunately these samples can still be told apart from others by holding the blood up to a magical light, in which the color will be a distinctive bright gold.

While these effects are largely varied in category what remains congruent is how the blood of a vampire goes inert after the specimen has been properly Ashed.

In addition, while it has not been confirmed whether the reason is due to the blood or the nature of the curse, the vampire when introduced to healing spells will suffer the adverse effect as if it were from the Inflict Wound line.

Hard data remains ambiguous as to how effective this is to dispatching a vampire as it comes to using prepared scrolls and wands of such spells.

However it has been proven that greater clerical spells by the hand of a powerful priest has been able to Mist a vampire.

This is also important as when a vampire attempts to masquerade in societies they will never be seen receiving medical care from a priest, but rather seek out mundane doctors and physicians.

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 6: Termination: Stakes and Water. Part I ===
Before I begin on this section it is important to remind you that when it comes to vampires there are often exceptions to the 'rules'. I have in my time witnessed vampires who would not be put down with an ash wood stake, or still held their reflection in mirrors.

When it comes to the matter of terminating a vampire it is of the utmost importance to study your quarry, learn who it once was and of its habits and regional customs to fully understand the appropriate method needed.

Speaking generally now of the common place regional vampires in the western parts of Faerun the most effective way to drive off a vampire and prevent more from rising is to Ash them.

Wooden stakes are of course the first thing to come to mind. The wood ought to be ash except for the case where the vampire is immune to ash wood, so a different type must be used. Vampires, who live in graveyards for instance, must be killed with a yew wood stake.

It is recommended to administer the stake during day light hours, as the vampire rests within their sanctuary. But as this is not always an option, the stake will have to be manually applied through combat with the conscious vampire. The stake may be wielded akin to a dirk or short blade to aid in the effort.

An effort that will be incredibly difficult. The super strength of the vampire, enhanced agility heightened senses of smell and sight will not make for easy combat. And remember, the heart must be pierced, thus a considerable amount of force must be used to appropriately administer the stake.

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 6: Termination: Stakes and Water. Part II ===
Blessed weapons are ideal for this fight, and mind while they cannot ash the vampire, they can deal considerable damage if silver weapons are not effective.

The myth that vampires are kept away by running water this is only partly true. Rarely will you find vampires keeping den near any manner of river or ocean as running water is always lethal for a vampire.

Fatality comes when the vampire is submerged at least 3/4ths their body, and held there for no less than five minutes. This is easier said than done, as the vampire will as fore mentioned, mist to escape the water with little bubbles rising to the surface.

Staking the vampire prior to submerging if by some wild reason the staking proves ineffective will surely confirm the death of the vampire.

[Following is a series of drawings detailing the approximate length for a vampire, mallets, and proposed techniques for having a stake or weapon blessed. Measurements are offered along with rough drawings of as and yew wood trees for reference.]

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 7: Coffins and Sleep ===
Either from instinct or training from decades of the practice, the vampire can always sense when dawn is approaching. In the small hours of the morning the vampire will abscond to their sanctuary which will be a location that is completely closed off of sunlight and kept away from prowling hunters.

Often this is the form of a coffin for those vampires not so financially well to have a cryptic estate or personal underground mausoleum. The coffin is critical to the vampire as it is their place of sanctuary during the daylight hours and will always be where it returns after suffering severe injury.

And during the day light hours the vampire will naturally 'sleep' in its coffin. There are two kinds of sleeping vampires as there are two kinds of sleeping mortals. First there are the deep sleepers, who go into a trance as soon as the dawn breaks, regardless as to whether or not they are within their sanctuary.

This leaves them highly susceptible to attack and subsequent death, thus is something typically only seen in fledgling vampires.

The second type, and far more dangerous are the 'dozers' who still retain some sense of awareness during their sleep. This is most often seen in elven-vampires but has been an issue with humanoid, dwarven, hin and so on.

Far more dangerous than their deep sleeping counter parts, dozing vampires will put up a fight even during daylight hours should it be found within its coffin.

Not all vampires require to sleep during the dawn, as pertaining to vampires who well in the Underdark, but instead function on different sleeping cycles unique to each individual vampire.

       Day 6, Month 9 (Eleint), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert        

=== Chapter 8: Myths and Facts ===
Myth: Garlic is a vampire bane.

Fact: Garlic is by no means a bane or allergen. However due to the vampire's heightened sense of smell, it is unpleasant to be around.

Myth: Vampires are created from a bite.

Fact: Vampires are created when a vampire sire completely drains its victim. The best method to deal with deceased feeding victims is to burn the body, or decapitate the head and leave a stake through the chest.

Myth: All vampires are affected by the same banes.

Fact: When it comes to vampires, exceptions to the 'rules' are often and abound. It is always critical to study your quarry before hunting to understand what method will work best for you.

Myth: Vampires make ideal romantic partners.

Fact: No.

Myth: Vampires have no reflection in mirrors.

Fact: This is largely a common occurrence, but does not stand to be a hard and fast rule.

Myth: Vampires cannot consume normal food.

Fact: Some vampires can indulge upon wine and 'normal' food, but gain no sentience from it and will likely immediately regurgitate the meal.

Myth: Vampires do not have a heartbeat.

Fact: a vampire's heart is still functioning as it pumps blood through the circulatory system, thus, a beat. However the vampire does not need to breathe.

Myth: Vampire blood is extremely addictive.

Fact: Vampire blood can come in different categories, and some have a quality to create thralls while others are highly caustic and will burn the flesh. It will always be rendered inert after the vampire has been ashed.

Myth: Vampires can be good.

Fact: No.

       Day 16, Month 8 (Elasias (Highsun)), 173 AR
<br>       Rupert