Vampyr

There is much in common between the vampyr and the creatures of darkness, the vampires. Both have an aversion to sunlight, feast on the essence of mortals by extracting their blood, and have undergone a great personal change to become what they have become. There is, however, one massive difference between the two; vampyr are alive. The vampyr retain their connection to the other Touched, not surrendering their freewill to the corruption that vampires have given themselves to. Many researchers around New Meritta have struggled to explain the true difference between vampyr and vampires, but there are a few things that are absolutely known.

Vampyr are made, not born. If a vampyr procreates, their offspring will not carry the transformation, even if they mate with another vampyr. All vampyr are made by a bite from another vampyr or a vampire. This is also true of vampires, but the rituals and process involved in turning someone into a vampire is very different.

Turning someone into a vampyr is not guaranteed. There does not appear to be a clear indication of why some people who are fed upon undergo the transformation to vampyr. What’s more, there have been people who have only become vampyr after multiple exposures, indicating the factors involved can change over time. Some have claimed to discover the methods by which to guarantee one does, or does not, become a vampyr but no one has been able to prove such assertions.

Vampyr are alive. They have blood, they can be killed, and if left alone they will die of old age just as they would have had they never changed. Whatever race they were before the transformation they are fundamentally that race. This has been difficult for many to accept, but since the Blood Moon Accords and the ability for vampyr to be more open, there has been some understanding. Vampyr are still often met with fear and sometimes hatred, but that feeling is lessening as time goes on.

Vampyr show some physical characteristics from the transformation, though they typically are not as easy to spot as they are with vampires. Vampyr have fangs that have grown to allow them to access blood. They are typically paler skinned than they were before the transformation and their eyes typically change to a purple or amber color.