Fiction:The Firmament/Dhampir

"Such a dark union surely cannot be one that is intentional from the poor mother's perspective. To be give to a child who is dead yet still breathes is a fate I would not wish upon even my worst enemies."

- Anonymous

Dhampirs, sometimes given names such as half-vampires or half-dead, are a type of rare humanoid half-breed created from the union between a living humanoid and a vampire.

Biology
Dhampirs are created when a vampire mates with a living humanoid - in most cases, the latter is the mother, as female vampires are generally unable to bear children. While it is believed any race of humanoid can lead to the birth of a dhampir, they are predominantly of human and elven origin. Most dhampirs are tall and slender, possessing physical grace and unearthly beauty. While eye colour, skin hue, and hair colour resembles that of the mortal parent, they also possess a ghostly pallor which people find unnerving. They tend to move with unworldly fluidity, and have a piercing gaze. Finally, all dhampirs possess elongated incisors, a trait passed down from the vampiric progenitor. Dhampirs ar not undead, unlike their forefathers, though they universally tend to live longer than the race of their living parents.

History
Dhampirs first began appearing in Telamon after the rise of Duskwood and its vampire counts.

Culture
Dhampirs do not exist in large enough numbers to claim a culture of their own. Usually rejected and mistrusted for their lineages, they are rarely accepted into normal society (though most uneducated folk is not able to distinguish them from common people at first glance). Most grow up as orphans, as few mortal mothers survive birthing the young dhampir, and most have difficulty forming real relationships with others in spite of their unnatural charm and grace. Ultimately, most dhampirs feel the pull to evil, or at least moral ambiguity, and view those around them as tools and pawns. Others have been known to reject this, however, vowing to destroy the undead horrors responsible for their conception.

Religion
Dhampirs who hold resentment for their existence or the way they are treated by others are known to gravitate towards Analuhati, pledging their souls to him in an attempt to become true vampires and shed away their mortal halves. Those who pledge to destroy their forefathers may worship gods of light, justice and purging of the undead such as Aldirei and Dominus Mortis.

Relations with other races
Due to vampires and the undead being seen as monstrous by most of the world, dhampirs are universally seen with contempt by those who know of their nature as vampiric half-breeds. Such individuals tend to connect more easily with other half-breeds.