SporeWiki:Fantasy Universe/Vampirism/Corvid Vampirism

"Ravens symbolize death and the night just as much as the bat does. It’s no wonder that the Old Blood bestows the form of the raven upon its victims."

One of the more ancient curses that prowl Narazen, the curse of the corvid vampire - known more commonly under a variety of local names, the most well known being the Ravenscorn, Crow Sacrament, or especially the Old Blood - has been a major source of vampirism throughout the continent of Maelathor; with notable vampire clans such as the Eclipse Bloodcourt and the Kinfolk of Haehron terrorizing the continent for ages, with the latter having existed for thousands of years. The corvids are known as one of the most unique and beastly types of vampire in the world; they are known to be vampires, but are sometimes placed as being an intermediate between vampirism and therianthropy due to their unique characteristics. Corvid vampirism is spread primarily via two separate routes, a disease form known as Vamperii Corvidicus, and the direct magical transference from a higher caste of corvid.

History
Corvid vampirism is known to be very old, and among the more ancient bloodlines of vampire in the modern era. Corvid vampirism first sprouted in Maelathor during the final days of the Fahryliac Civilization, a result of the massive unrest that the civilization was facing as a result of their extensive usage of slavery. The first corvid vampire, who had arose almost 4,600 years before the current day, was a Gherdunnic slave named Vanadraedn who, through the assistance of an underground sect of demon worshippers, had managed to summon an apparitional aspect of Maghralakan, a demon prince of blood inhabiting the sphere of Abyssian within his own plane, the Visceral Phantasm. Whatever Vanadraedn had given up, or agreed to, is unknown, but he had managed to secure a deal with the deity that led to Vanadraedn being transformed into the first corvid vampire, and the demon-worshipping cult that had summoned Maghralakan was turned into the first High Court of the Eclipse Bloodcourt.

It is known that the first corvids had an important effect on the situation within the Fahryliac civilization. Vanadraedn originally had a mostly benevolent disposition and used his status as a vampire lord to attempt to free the other Gherdunnic men from their status as slaves, but this had backfired on Vanadraedn though gave the desired effect he wanted, despite not what he had in mind. The fear of vulnerability to a new and sudden plague of vampires had driven the slaves to open rebellion, especially as Fahryliacs kept their slaves within large and poor slums outside of the kingdoms themselves. Over the years of the rebellion, Vanadraedn’s mind quickly succumbed to the vampirism, and the Eclipse Bloodcourt began to quickly grow in members and strength, counting both Fahryliacs and Gherdunnic men, as well as individuals from other races, into its fold. When the Fahryliac civilization collapsed and the nascent Kahdic Empire began to exterminate the Fahryliacs out of fear and hatred, the last were corvid vampires that were turned by Vanadraedn and the various nobles of the Eclipse Bloodcourt.

Throughout the ages since the fall of the Fahryliac civilization in Maelathor, the corvid vampires of the Bloodcourt based themselves in the southern mountains of Maelathor within the ruined and hidden fortress known as Kiirdan Necropolis, a former Fahryliac fortress that fell to ruin. Over the ages, the corvid vampires have split between differing factions throughout the world; the first to split was the Kinfolk of Haehron and their court, who remain fierce rivals of the Bloodcourt and regularly wage hidden wars among the populace of Maelathor that have spilled out onto Graennarune and the northern continents.

Appearance
The first physical sign of corvid vampires upon becoming corvids is the way their eyes change; when in human form, corvids have their eyes become a shade of deep, vivid orange that glows almost like a “lamp of blood”. Their skin does not become pale like most vampire do, but rather, they become darker and more desaturated in tone, but not to any extreme degree. The physical features of the corvid’s face become more hawkish; their cheekbones tend to become gaunt, and their faces become harder, angular, and more stern. The teeth of corvids have both the top and bottom canines lengthen and sharpen, and their hair (head and facial) tends to grow out and become longer. The physical build of corvids has their muscles grow more powerful and larger, and their weight tends to have them thin out to create a surprisingly muscular build; males grow taller and more muscular, and females grow taller but more lithe, but still become equally as strong as the males.

Corvids possess a more animalistic “true form” that they automatically switch to after enough time as a vampire, but retain their ability to switch from corvid to original at will. While the corvid form of a vampire varies, especially if they are humanoid, they retain several common features that distinguishes them from beastmen enough that corvids are easily identifiable. Their mouths are lengthened into sharp beaks lined with fangs (though the nature of their mouth means that corvids don’t drink from their prey when in their corvid form like they do in their humanoid form, instead opting to feast on their prey entirely) and their eyes turn from red to a shade of dull, lifeless grey. Their hair is replaced entirely with feathers, and their skin (or scales, whichever they possess) becomes covered with downy feathers. A set of demonic horns, oftentimes numbering a single pair or two, grow from their head although the occasional noble corvid could possess three pairs instead. Their feet grow out and their toes fuse and sharpen to become a set of extremely strong, prehensile talons. Their most prominent feature is that corvids, while sometimes possessing the ability to fly and hover magically, do not choose to; they sprout an enormous pair of wings that enable them to fly and hover of their own accord.

Abilities
Depending on their age, or the power that they obtain from the feedings they undergo over their lifetimes, corvids possess a wide range of powerful and unnatural magical abilities coupled with their newfound immortality and physical power. The rejuvenation that many undergo as a vampire often drives the sick or the elderly to become a corvid to solve their own physical feebleness as a result. Topping their natural immortality and strength, corvids have the ability to see almost perfectly in the dark as well as see and hear the beat of the circulatory systems of humanoids and beastmen, though draconic races are immune to this. Their instincts mean that corvids are capable of noticing and dodging attacks within split seconds, moving at a speed that could be seen as supernatural. As a corvid vampire, the arts of hemomancy and necromancy become a natural art that many corvids learn almost second hand in their lifetimes; they become able to siphon the very life and blood from a target, and the innate powers of older and more experienced corvid vampires are many and dangerous.

Vampire masters are capable of causing paralysis within their victims, as well as being capable of brainwashing individuals and enthralling legions through sheer force of will. Even young and inexperienced vampires possess their own abilities solely due to their vampirism; they are capable of turning invisible, hiding their appearance, and turning into clouds of mist and ravens. The most powerful individuals, such as Vanadraedn, his nobles, or the individuals that they infect with corvid vampirism, wre capable of utilizing magic from the Visceral Phantasm as part of Vanadraedn’s deal with Maghralakan. These vampires, rather than using necromancy, often abandon it in favor of utilizing demon summoning and demonic magics.

Corvids have their own weaknesses to worry about. Whereas with many other vampires the sun will turn to ashes, corvids are not immediately killed by the sun. Within the presence of sunlight, corvids begin to burn and char, and will eventually annihilate and incinerate themselves if they stay under the sun for too long. As well as their weakness their sunlight, in the presence of it, as well as holy magic and wounds by blessed weapons, they can be robbed of their powers and reduced to a husk for varying amounts of time. Weapons made from varying “magical” metals have their own usages against corvids; silver weapons can severely poison corvids and leave them completely miserable for weeks and meteoric iron (cold iron) equipment can resist the powers of corvids. The most notable material that has its usage for killing corvids would the deep-purple Fahryliac amethyst. Fahryliac amethysts, as the creation of Fahriina, a hated rival of Maghralakan, has its most detrimental effect on corvids. Fahryliac amethysts are capable of blinding corvids, severely burning them, and robbing them of their powers for months upon exposure. Due to the extreme rarity of Fahryliac amethysts (the Eclipse Bloodcourt had every single one they could find destroyed) corvids don’t often know about the existence of the material, though it is an extreme favorite of vampire hunters throughout the world.

Notable Corvids
Eclipse Bloodcourt=
 * Groups

Kinfolk of Haehron=

Vanadraedn=
 * Individuals

Gradyian Kinthrius=

Erythinii Avehsyra=

Haehron=

Matron Sathuina=