Strains of Vampirism

Vampires come in many shapes. From the bat-like "sanguine warriors" to the horrifying Lampreyellan vampires, the appearance and long-term effects of one's condition depends on several factors: the means in which vampirism was contracted, the strain of vampirism, and the vampire's original race.

Lampreyellan vampirism is believed to be the oldest strain in existence, originating among the merfolk. These primordial vampires resemble lamprey eels and leeches, and are often born, not made. It's incredibly rare for anyone to contract this strain.

These vampires have no eyes, their faces are more mouth and teeth than anything else, and are commonly found floating around fire nest steam geysers, latching onto passing lava eels for sustenance. Being blind and almost completely deaf, it is almost hard to believe that these ancient creatures are still sentient. But a handful of records have been found of successful attempts to communicate with them. They have quite pleasant singing voices, even if they don't have the correct equipment to form words.