SporeWiki:Fantasy Universe/Vampirism

"Vampirism...is more than a curse. It is a plague, it pierces into the deepest, darkest corners of the soul, and saturates it like the flesh absorbs venom. It touches the nerve-strands of the mind, and turns the poor souls corrupt and evil. Though whereas the Therianthropes are slaves to their own id, the vampires enjoy their bloodshed. There is no cure, no tonic that we know of; the only cure is to drive a stake through their hearts."

- Unknown Human

Vampirism refers to the myriad of magical curses, plagues, and even species that have spread throughout the ages in Planet:Narazen. One of the most well-known and feared curses throughout the world, vampirism is known for its superhuman abilities and association with dark magic at the cost of an intense compulsion for blood and flesh. Vampires are feared throughout the world because of their thirst for blood and violence, and vampires are near-universally reviled and hated. Vampires are not united, and there is no single strain of vampirism; indeed, the curse is extremely diverse, and there are many types of vampirism. Vampirism exists most commonly in the form of a curse or plague, though there are known to be species of vampires that are known as such.

History
Vampirism is a phenomenon closely related to SporeWiki:Fantasy Universe/Therianthropy, and like therianthropy, has no specific origin. Many of the strains of vampirism are known to have an origin, but there have always been older strains. The oldest vampires are unknown to history, and the strains that spawned them have long been lost to history. Certain strains, such as Corvid Vampirism are known to have resulted as a curse bestowed by deities originating from the Visceral Phantasm