A Dozen Vampires and One Vampire

[Lord Tyger]

So, I decided to come up with a couple different options, since there are so many types of vampire that no one could complain about a few more. Especially since many of the extant options seem boil down to “Immortal aristocrat,” or “Bloodthirsty animal,” with the main differences inside these two categories being exact powers and weaknesses.
First I had to decide, what constitutes being a vampire? There are many possible answers to this question, and it could be debated for years, but for the sake of expediency I decided on a fairly basic definition. Vampire: A supernatural predator which sustains itself through the drinking of blood.
With that in mind, first up-

The Heliofuges:

Once a nomadic tribe of proud warriors known as the Bright Eyed People, the Heliofuges fell into the worship of Old Night. Eventually, in a horrific ritual known only as the Remaking, they sacrificed their souls and their very humanity in exchange for power.
The average Heliofuge stands seven feet tall. Their gray skin is pulled tight over extremely angular faces, although the planes of these faces shift disturbingly as the Heliofuge speaks, feeds, or smiles. The Heliofuges’ hands are tipped by nails that have become akin to talons. The eyes and nose are gone, replaced with blank expanses of skin, as the Heliofuges have been given older and stranger senses by their patron. Perhaps most disturbing, though, is the change to their mouths. Their teeth have been replaced with a series of barbs around the lips, and their tongue with an extensible proboscis, which can protrude up to six inches from the lips. The changes to their mouths making normal human language impossible, the Heliofuges communicate by various calls below the spectrum of human hearing.
The Heliofuges do not seem to age, and are extremely hard to kill, regenerating even from apparently fatal wounds in a matter of moments. Upon decapitation or certain extreme traumas they crumble into dust, but given the difficulty of identifying specific Heliofuges, it is uncertain whether this constitutes a true death. Certainly it is different in effect from the one certain way of killing Heliofuges.
Heliofuges are entirely creatures of Old Night, and cannot exist outside its protection. Any Heliofuge caught in direct sunlight dies, the skin peeling back from it as, in death, it returns to its previous form.
The Heliofuges once ruled a great empire, slaughtering or enslaving all the races that stood before them. At the peak of their power, their ruler, who had presided over the Remaking, allegedly blotted out the sun with clouds of dust and ash, for a full three years. Famine and revolt followed, and the power of the Heliofuges was broken by the legendary Orc hero, Brings-Noon-to-Midnight. Most of the Heliofuges died and the rest fled.
Nowadays, the remaining Heliofuges are scattered. Unable to reproduce or create more of their kind with willing participants in another great Remaking ceremony, they lurk in caves or deep forests where the sun rarely penetrates, feeding on what prey they can find. Eventually one will emerge to seize control of a town or city or nomadic band, working the strange and terrible magics of Old Night to rule in fear and blood until they can be dragged, tricked, or otherwise brought into the light.

[Lord Tyger]

First, let me apologize for this taking so long, especially to you, the loyal followers whose anxiety for this update is only matched by your nonexistence.

As penance, two more forms of vampire.

The Sanguine Mania:

Strangely for a vampire, the Sanguine Mania is itself unable to feed on blood, due to having no physical form. For this reason, it is known to influence or ‘ride’ humanoids. The process takes place over the course of several nights, and the victim gradually grows pale and week. Once the influence is firmly established, the victim returns overnight to full health.

The victim then finds themselves with obsessive thoughts of drinking the blood of those around them. A Sanguine Mania does not fully possess the victim, and those of strong will are capable of overcoming this urge, though to do so for too long poses ever greater risks of madness.

Those who give in to the urges and drink human blood find themselves rewarded with euphoria and a respite from their dreams of hematophagy. However, these urges soon return stronger than ever, and each time the victim feeds, he or she grows less likely to resist.

After a dozen feedings, the Sanguine Mania is sated, and departs the victim, leaving them to live as normal a life as they can after their experiences. Interestingly, it is only as it departs from a victim and floats into the sky that a Sanguine Mania is visible, manifesting as a hazy translucent figure mimicking the appearance of its erstwhile host.

While outside of a host’s body, a Sanguine Mania is vulnerable to various forms of healing magic. While inside a host’s body, the Mania is invulnerable to harm, but healing magic cast on the host may allow the host a chance to forcibly expel the Mania.

A Sanguine Mania is unable to enter or leave a host while that host is wearing significant amounts of gold. If sated but unable to leave the host, a Sanguine Mania will generally increase the frequency and strength of the host’s bloodthirst.

Since it is hard to prove the presence of a Sanguine Mania without skilled divination or actually witnessing its departure, and since the exact measure of their influence on the victim is under debate, they prove a tricky question in jurisprudence. This is further complicated by the common, though as yet unsubstantiated belief that a Sanguine Mania is only able to afflict those who have already shed the blood of an innocent victim.
 
 
Danaus Vampyris

These shockingly vibrant blue colored butterflies are beautiful to look at, and given that and their small size, it’s hard to believe they pose a significant threat. Indeed, they lack any sort of conventionally offensive natural weapons- which makes their preferred diet of blood more difficult to obtain.

Fortunately, for the diminutive insects, they have other methods. They are primarily scavengers, often seen in the aftermath of battles, or simply feasting on the remains of animals killed by more capable predators. However, every thirteen years, huge numbers of these butterflies congregate in elaborate mating rituals. In these cases, when large scale bloodshed is not conveniently already present, the butterflies are forced to produce their own.

Thousands of them take to the sky, weaving in and out of complex geometrical patterns. Humanoids who view these patterns become fascinated, unable to look away. Finally, at the climax of the aerial display, the observers go berserk, turning on friend and family alike, with whatever weapon comes to hand.

The carnage lasts for ten to fifteen minutes, after which the butterflies descend to lap up the blood of the dead and dying. In order to prevent these aerial displays, many villages near the sites of these congregations have taken to letting the blood of livestock, prisoners, and any convenient travelers, to provide an alternate food source for the butterflies.