synodiporia_ooc | Children of the Night.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT
November 7th-December 17th

It is the month of Neptune in 590 Anno Draconaria - or as mortals would have it, November 1998.

Sarmatia is an ancient and always multicultural nation, home to half a dozen legendary warrior traditions, several branches of magic, and countless superstitions. Until recently it was part of an industrial communist empire, the backwater of the regime, but that empire has fallen apart, and now it is independent, free to seek its own destiny. As in so many other places on so many other worlds, that means both technology and democracy.

Hectic modern nights have come to storied Sarmatia at last. And they’ve found it troubled. Behind the scenes of human finance and politics, creatures of the night pull the strings. Ancient noble families buy and sell land, invest in industry, arrange for deals in elections and in organized crime, stock up on military surplus goods - the same as might be true in any fragmented, corrupt, and balkanized state. But here, all too frequently, those noblemen are never seen during the day - or perhaps, never seen during the full moon. Vampires and werewolves, keeping their true nature secret, can be found all over the world in their own ancient feudal kingdoms - but nowhere are they closer to power over the human world than in Sarmatia. Most things are handled through intermediaries, human servants - corvigers, they’re called, who willingly swear their loyalty and their blood for an apprenticeship, a shot at immortality. But behind the scenes, the ancient undead call most of the shots.

The ruler of a supernatural nation-state is called the Kurgan-Prince, ruling from a ceremonial tomb used as a court, an intimidating seat of power in the catacombs near some great castle or another. Under the old, undemocratic system, that ruler has always been a vampire - for the last century and a half, it was Lohengrin Cataphractos, an evenhanded, benevolent ruler with eight centuries of life experience, under whom all were welcomed and became powerful. But the feuding of his underlings, and the tedium of existence, proved too much for him, and he convinced his lieutenant to take his head after he had consumed a liter of holy water.

Now, with Lohengrin gone and his hand-picked successor implicated in the death, the realm lies open for the strongest contender to claim the tomb. Sarmatia has never had a werewolf as Kurgan-Prince, but in degenerate western nations, where democracy has been embraced for longer, it is not unheard of. Now, Lohengrin’s disgraced Cataphractos heir; a proud Draculesti crimeboss (and scion of the line who traditionally reigned in this area before Lohengrin); and an upstart, rabble-rousing Weirdwolf are all engaged in a quiet contest to gather the acclaim of the local packs and estates, enough to seize the title and make it stick.

In a month and a half, the first free election in Sarmatia’s tumultuous history will be decided. But between now and then, its traditions of war, magic, and assassination may take their own modern turns...

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THE LORDS
Vampires are undead. Their bodies do not grow or decay except through magic and use of blood. They are weakened by the sun. They are immortal, and do not die except under special circumstances. They are stronger than humans, pale, and use fangs to drink the blood of the living, animal or human. But beyond that, there are distinct differences - and even within the clans, certain of their talents and powers may be developed or neglected, exaggerated or understated.

Draculesti - Line of the Dragon
The predatory and animalistic Draculesti bloodline can dead-lift and throw about two thousand kg, can use venom as a caustic, paralytic, soporific, or to convert the bitten; can grow claws, climb walls, or pass through soil; can call or speak with animals, and can exercise a hypnotic gaze and commanding voice. However, they are pallid, gaunt, wild-haired, have protuberant eyes, twisted teeth and nails, and smell of blood. Despite being the least human-like of vampires, some can pass for human - but they’re not attractive. They are more at the mercy of bloodlust than Cataphractoi, but less than Balteus. Their conversion, if performed carefully, with gradually increasing doses of venom, is the most reliable of the bloodlines. Fire and sunlight destroy them, and other wounds cause no pain, although they still cause structural damage, and blood is needed to heal. The Draculesti trace their lineage to Vlad Dracul and the Order of the Dragon, and their emblem is a dragon.

Cataphractoi - Line of the Lancer
Cataphractoi can maintain speeds of seventy kilometers per hour, or one hundred kph in brief sprints. They can lift five hundred kilograms. Their skin is pale and polished-looking, and can be made as hard as granite, turning blades and bullets with little injury. Their senses are supernaturally sharp, enough that some can hear lies and smell emotions. They tend to be obsessive, and they have the power to inflict those obsessions on others with their voice. Every Cataphractos is trained as a warrior, and also a contemplative. They are powerless in sunlight, but not actively harmed by it. Prayers, holy symbols, and consecrated objects hurt or repel them, and while weakened by them, or during the daytime, they may be slain by beheading or paralyzed by staking. Like other vampires, they cannot heal their wounds without drinking blood. To convert corvigers, or pass powers onto them, they require a meditative ritual in which blood is willingly shared between both parties. While they experience the predatory urges and bloodlust of other vampires, they are more disciplined in controlling it. They trace their lineage to Longinus of Rome and Sir Percival, and their emblem is a bleeding lance raised behind a blood-filled chalice.

Balteus - Line of the Girdle
The Balteus have a response time sufficient to dodge bullets or catch arrows, but doing so quickly builds their thirst. They can lift as much as a thousand kilograms, although their strength is also variable dependent upon that thirst. If sated, they can use stored blood to heal themselves, rather than relying on a fresh feeding as others must. They can fly unassisted at speeds of up to thirty kilometers per hour, and glide rather than fall. Their touch can rob heat, strength, energy, or feeling from others, and they can only turn those enervated by their grip. Their voices and motions can evoke fear, rage, or desire in others, but the effects are variable and unpredictable, and often cause their own comparable emotions to wax and wane, almost randomly. They can wrap themselves or the area around them in concealing shadows, giving them supernatural powers of stealth. Finally, their appearance is somewhat malleable - the more sated they are, the more human they look; whereas a hungry Balteus is a shivering, red-eyed, frenetic creature. A sated Balteus is no threat; a starving Balteus has less control than any other vampire. Balteus are comatose during the day but undamaged by sunlight. Ritual circles, garlic, hawthorn wood or blossoms, and running water all rob them of power, and they are vulnerable to magic. A Balteus robbed of its power must be bound, suspended, and staked to be killed. Traditionally matriarchal, the Balteus trace their lineage back to Scythian Amazons, and their emblem is a bundle of arrows wrapped in a girdle.