Vampires

"I say you can find out the servants of Death by their marks. No man is born so unnatural that his body does not revolt at the foul pollution of Undead blood. And by these marks you can tell them: by the fangs of the predator, for their thirst for blood is like that of a foul beast; by their porcelain white skin, cold to the touch and unnatural to the eye; the glow of their eyes, behind which lives the terrible Hunger. These are the marks of the blackest evil. These are the marks of the Vampire..." - Professed to Vampire Hunters upon their initiation.   Vampires are immortal beings that have spread the loathsome curse of Undeath across the realms of Men for centuries. Though many lineages of this foul race now live in the rain-swept forests of the far north, their true origins lie within the once great civilisation of Nehekhara. The true masters of Undeath, they retain much of their original intelligence and capabilities despite their curse, and hence retain their ambition and desire. This makes them very dangerous indeed, for Vampires, due to their immortality, have an extensive period of time in which to hone their skills and refine their schemes to utter perfection.   Since the downfall of Nagash, the only remaining power-faction of Vampires still currently dwelling within the world is that of the Vampire Counts, which is supposedly led by Nero von Blutenstein, last of the Hofenstadt's royal blood-line. The Vampire, for all its power and cunning, is ultimately a base, selfish creature driven by the same motivations of the mortals they deem themselves superior to.   Vampires share no uniform physical appearance, aside from the fact that most of them have basically humanoid dimensions - most can pass as human at a distance, and hide their ungodly natures behind charm and magical glamour - but for all their refinement, they are but rotting corpses held together by Dark Magic, and only those who feed well can maintain the illusion of beauty. Some Vampires do not even care to do that, and cast aside anything that disguises their true natures, appearing as rotting cadavers that glory in their inhumanity.   The greatest curse of their legacy is that they cannot subsist on normal food and drink; in order to survive, the Vampire must feast upon the very lifeblood of mortal creatures, and it is only through this imbibing of fresh blood that they are able to preserve their power and their very unlife. For the youngest Vampires, this is a terrible affliction that consumes their every thought and drives their actions, smothering all sense of rationality and reasoning, causing them to become rash, animalistic creatures that are easily caught and destroyed by Witch Hunters and other dedicated foes of the Night.    However, most older Vampires are far more subtle, and have learned to subsist on less and less fresh blood, until finally only needing to feed once every number of years. Regardless, none can totally outrun the primal instincts that now govern their evil existence. Due to their unholy nature, and Borinth's Witch Hunters, Vampires are fewer in numbers then they were during the time of Nagash or the first few Vampire Wars.    Indeed, since the downfall of Balthazar and Nero von Blutenstein, the Vampire race as a whole is divided and often hides amongst the human population. Some Vampires, such as Countess Cassandra, are trying their best to prevent the start of another Vampire War, knowing full well that it would only lead to the unveiling and possible deaths of the last few Vampires in existence.