Hematic Court
The Hematic Court is a heretical version of the Alwatian faith. Believing vampires to be blessed by the gods, they see them as elevated beings thanls to their near-immortality and near-invincibility. The Hematic Court believes that all knowledge comes at a cost, and that the afflictions of vampire-kind are in order to remind them of this fact. The Hematic Court also differs from the Alwatian faith in that they worship all the gods instead of one in particular, placing no one god as higher than any other. This is because they believe that vampiricism was something created as a collaboration between the gods, and was done to create creatures who are able to rule for longer timeframes, instead of succumbing to age.
Non-vampires who follow the court are mainly present in the country of Aḫīalbu, where the vampiric rulers put on a facade of civilization and rarely openly kill and eat innocent lives. However, in most other nations, the only practitioners of the Hematic Court are those who revere vampires as gods. This practice is especially prevalent in the nation of Binašru-ku, where the Touchaol majority is heavily oppressed by the Ursumar majority. With vampires present in both of these groups, this has led to heightened destabilization in the past few decades. The Ursumar vampires, typically preying exclusively on the Touchaol populace, have their crimes ignored by the state as they provide an excellent way to keep the populace under control. However, they must deal with the Touchaol vampires, who have formed guerilla networks and fight for their people, even though the Touchaol despise vampires. Of course, they often eat their own people as well, but they consider it a sacrifice worth making.
Aḫīalbu is a special case, because it is ruled by a core groups of vampires who follow extremely strict, Macchiavellian principles. Essentially, everything they do is in service to the state, and the state alone. This meritocratic attitude has led to the ways of the Hematic Court being popularized across the country, with the people seeing the vampires as capable leaders rather than hedonistic. Of course, this is a fine line to ride, as going too far into the Macchiavellian attitude risks the country- the vampires are seen as tyrants, but capable ones- for now. This attitude is reinforced by the meritocratic attitude of the nation, as all are theoretically welcome to join the leadership class. However, to do so, applicants must pass a rigorous series of tests on both their mind and body (though primarily the mind). Only a small percentage pass. Becoming a vampire is also restricted to those without children, and to further ensure they have no ties to anyone, those who after passing the exams must be castrated. Those who choose to not undergo this final step can become bureacrats, but not the elites leadership. It should also be noted that those who are inducted are kept in seclusion and must study until the last of their family they knew before joining has died, as it is hoped this will totally eliminate their ties to the outside world. This does not prevent factions from forming among the leadership, but it does help to minimize struggles for power. The Aḫīalbu vampires are so focused on the state that they would give up their immortality for it, fighting to death in battle if they believe it to be best for the state. Convinced of their righteousness, they make fearsome soldiers and those who survive such missions are often on a fast track to leadership.
For many years, the Aḫīalban vampires served the Divinity of Bēlqūašdu, but during the loss of the southern regions, they too chose to abandon them, seizing control of the Aḫīalbu region, their home territory. The current leadership class has had to transform them from a class of eunuch bureacrats who occasionally fight in battle to powerful statesmen, opposing the mercentile republics also present in the region, especially Annišāḫūtu, the most powerful of these states.
[Jackson's note: yes, I accidentally made another anti-women state. oops] [note 2: now that there are some elves in this region the conflict between elves & vampires should be interesting]
Non-vampires who follow the court are mainly present in the country of Aḫīalbu, where the vampiric rulers put on a facade of civilization and rarely openly kill and eat innocent lives. However, in most other nations, the only practitioners of the Hematic Court are those who revere vampires as gods. This practice is especially prevalent in the nation of Binašru-ku, where the Touchaol majority is heavily oppressed by the Ursumar majority. With vampires present in both of these groups, this has led to heightened destabilization in the past few decades. The Ursumar vampires, typically preying exclusively on the Touchaol populace, have their crimes ignored by the state as they provide an excellent way to keep the populace under control. However, they must deal with the Touchaol vampires, who have formed guerilla networks and fight for their people, even though the Touchaol despise vampires. Of course, they often eat their own people as well, but they consider it a sacrifice worth making.
Aḫīalbu is a special case, because it is ruled by a core groups of vampires who follow extremely strict, Macchiavellian principles. Essentially, everything they do is in service to the state, and the state alone. This meritocratic attitude has led to the ways of the Hematic Court being popularized across the country, with the people seeing the vampires as capable leaders rather than hedonistic. Of course, this is a fine line to ride, as going too far into the Macchiavellian attitude risks the country- the vampires are seen as tyrants, but capable ones- for now. This attitude is reinforced by the meritocratic attitude of the nation, as all are theoretically welcome to join the leadership class. However, to do so, applicants must pass a rigorous series of tests on both their mind and body (though primarily the mind). Only a small percentage pass. Becoming a vampire is also restricted to those without children, and to further ensure they have no ties to anyone, those who after passing the exams must be castrated. Those who choose to not undergo this final step can become bureacrats, but not the elites leadership. It should also be noted that those who are inducted are kept in seclusion and must study until the last of their family they knew before joining has died, as it is hoped this will totally eliminate their ties to the outside world. This does not prevent factions from forming among the leadership, but it does help to minimize struggles for power. The Aḫīalbu vampires are so focused on the state that they would give up their immortality for it, fighting to death in battle if they believe it to be best for the state. Convinced of their righteousness, they make fearsome soldiers and those who survive such missions are often on a fast track to leadership.
For many years, the Aḫīalban vampires served the Divinity of Bēlqūašdu, but during the loss of the southern regions, they too chose to abandon them, seizing control of the Aḫīalbu region, their home territory. The current leadership class has had to transform them from a class of eunuch bureacrats who occasionally fight in battle to powerful statesmen, opposing the mercentile republics also present in the region, especially Annišāḫūtu, the most powerful of these states.
[Jackson's note: yes, I accidentally made another anti-women state. oops] [note 2: now that there are some elves in this region the conflict between elves & vampires should be interesting]
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