Introduction with a Vampire – Harrowed World Vampires Explained
Harrowed World: Dracula Fallen · published
Watch the video or read the transcript below:
Well, I hate to break it to you but you’re dead.
At least you were briefly.
What you are now, it’s a little harder to say.
Simply put you’re a vampire.
Risen from legend into the cold dark night.
We call ourselves Vetostryx, after the undead emperors of old.
It’s Time To Believe In Monsters, because you are one.
Legacies
As a Vetostryx, you belong to a Legacy, a bloodline composed of vampires descending from a progenitor known as a Revenant.
Revenants are unique in that they are the only vampires who are not passaged by another vampire.
A Legacy is passed down from legator to legatee, and each Legacy shares a signature animal form that all its members can transform into.
Different regions tend to have their own predominant Legacies.
On the Isle of Gallow, and in Britain more broadly, these Legacies are the most common:
Annwnian: Dream hounds said to be cursed by the Welsh Otherworld.
Apostatic: Rejected claimants to the bloodline of Judas.
Baohan: Deadly but tragic fatales.
Borru: Betrayed souls said to be bound by universal fate.
Camian: Tortured Scottish Lords.
Iscariot: The officially recognised and sanctified bloodline of Judas.
Mercari: Tricksters and thieves who often form the power behind the throne.
Minervae: Old English Nobility with an apparent connection to Ancient Rome.
The Enigmata
While Legacies are important. the faction you choose to join is far more significant. Vampiric society is ruled mainly by the Enigmata, an often-uneasy alliance of four Estates:
The Disciples of the Bone Shepherd: The First Estate, sinister priests and followers devoted to finding personal salvation through adherence to divine will.
The Kerrogan Collective: Ruthless scientists dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge above all else.
The Fettered Way: Spiritual vampires who seek enlightenment for themselves and all vampiric kind.
The Whispering Monolith: Cunning suits who hoard data, forge backroom deals, and wield corporate power.
Peregrines
While most accept the status quo, there are some Vetostryx who shun the Enigmata, becoming Peregrines, outsiders. Peregrine groups, called Hordes by the Enigmata, share little beyond their separation from mainstream vampiric society.
On the Isle of Gallow, two Peregrine Hordes are known to be active:
The Lumeia: Cultured scholars and academics driven to temporary states of madness by their strange appetites.
The Brotherhood of Stygian Wisdom: Terror-cultists and vampiric extremists who commune with the Primordial Darkness and seek the end of the world as we know it.
Corpse Politic
Our society is the Corpse Politic, festering in the womb, yet so very much alive.
Observe our rules, both inscribed and unwritten, and choose your allies and enemies well.
Above all, follow Sub Rosa, never reveal your true nature to humans.
The Power
Inside you is the Prescence, a strange eldritch entity, that not only sustains your undead state, but it also grants you supernatural abilities called Carrion Arts.
Many of these will feel familiar; supernatural strength, animal transformation, and mental influence are common.
Others go far beyond what the stories portray, including the ability to change how you appear to recorded media or the naked eye.
The Price
Every power, every advantage has a price.
Your heart is cold and still; love is beyond you now.
If you cling to your old life, you will only bring harm to those you once cared for.
While most of us can stand in sunlight, its warmth brings no pleasure.
Remember humans are your prey but don’t surrender entirely to your vampiric instincts.
Build a new life as a vampire, but don’t forget who you were.
The balance is fragile, but necessary.
Shadow Plays
These are the Shadow Plays, and it’s time to take the stage.
Wishlist ‘Harrowed World: Portents In Red’, our Modern Gothic Vampire RPG:
And play ‘Harrowed World: What’s Past Is Portents’, our Gothic Vampire Visual Novel to be introduced to the factions and key characters ready for the RPG:
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