Blood instability
If you have the Aspect: Blood Instability, roll 1d4 to determine how many odd traits you get. In the case of progeny, rolling a 1 means roll again; a 4 on the 2nd roll means the blood's stabilized. Also in the case of progeny, rolling a 4 (first roll only) means lethal mutation. Then roll that many d100s on the Blood Instability chart to see what traits you get.
Basically, progeny have a 1 in 4 chance of dying due to blood instability, and a 1 in 8 chance of restabilizing the blood, potentially forming a new bloodline by creating successful progeny.
The rules of Vampire heredity are still poorly understood, but one thing is known; some vampires are more prone to producing progeny with abnormal characteristics than others. Vulhund are notorious for this, but any vampire may have unstable blood. Those who these mutations harm are called skals. Those who these mutations benefit are called Vulkod.
Causes
Blood instability is a genetic disease that crops up randomly in vampires.
Symptoms
The most common birth defects are abnormal healing; the body tends to either not heal at all, or routinely heals too much and develops tumor-like growths. Hyperdontia is another super common birth defect. Teeth may also (rarely) grow in places they shouldn't. Skin diseases or disorders such as eczema or abnormal texture, thickness, or color can also occur.
Treatment
The treatment of skals is highly individualized; it's rare that 2 vampires share the exact same condition unless they share the same maker.
Cultural Reception
Many suffering from birth defects have trouble feeding regularly, and may even be otherwise damaged by their condition, making them particularly weak. These vampires are called 'skals.' The term is said to mean 'slave', and originated as a derogatory term, although it's been embraced by the community and some consider it neutral. Some vampires consider skals to be an inferior mirror of themselves, to be used or discarded.
Vulkod are also technically a result of blood instability, but their mutations are less of a hindrance to them. However, there is still a stigma attached to the abnormal appearance of vulkod.
The mutations of vampires can be inherited, and if successful, will result in a new bloodline forming. A bloodline can restabilize, meaning the progeny will have few to no new noticeable mutations from their maker.
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