The Praenomen of Aetolia
The Consanguine, as many call themselves, are sentient with some faint similarities to their mortal selves, but as different from mortals as night from day. Neither mortal nor truly immortal, vampires exist in a supernatural state somewhere between life and death. A race unto themselves, Consanguine vampires may choose to join a Guild that permits undeath, the focal point of the Consanguine being the Dominion.
The Embrace is the process by which a new vampire is sired, or created. Whether viewed as a precious gift or a terrible curse, it is never given lightly; after all, one more predator means more competition for resources. During the Embrace, the body reworks itself, sloughing off the imperfections present in every mortal form and becoming more beautiful, with the grace of a predatory animal. The new suckling reawakens, but his heart does not beat nor do his lungs exchange air. He is now one of the living dead. He wakes suffering a ravenous hunger for blood, his first acquaintance with the monster that has been spawned within him.
All vampires come with three shared sets of knowledge - Corpus, Mentis, and Sanguis. The enhanced physical prowess is embodied in the skill Corpus, with which their bodies are imbued with supernatural efficacy through the use of Blood. The Mentis skill gives a vampire the power to influence the minds of mortals with his awesome and terrible undead presence. Sanguis grants them mastery over their own blood and the means to wield it as a tool. This also allows them to Sire and Embrace others into their bloodline.
Praenomen Skills
The vampiric art of Corpus reflects one's mastery over the Body. Within this discipline, a vampire learns to hone their predatory senses to incredible sharpness, improve their speed and reflexes to supernatural proportions, make their body resilient against all manner of damage as well as learn uncanny abilities in deception and stealth, among other things. For a vampire, Corpus embodies the art of physical combat. A vampire that has fully developed this skill is a terror to behold and you would do well to run in fear when faced with one who has mastered this art.
Corpus
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Earthmeld
DescriptionSyntax: EARTHMELD and RISE
You may merge with the soil underfoot and enter a sleeping state in which you will recover health at an increased rate. The earth will keep you protected from the sun and from roaming monsters while you heal. You must rise once you are ready to return above ground.
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Feed
DescriptionSyntax: FEED <target or corpse>
Fresh blood of the living is a delectable resource for one of the Sanguine. Providing they aren't protected against your fangs, you can feed upon a hapless victim as long as they are either prone or suffering from paresis. This will regenerate your blood reserves, but also drain them of theirs.
Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a physical affliction.
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Frenzy
DescriptionSyntax: FRENZY <target>
The basic attack of the Sanguine - batter your victim in a series of frenzied blows and briefly stun them. The more you learn in Corpus, the greater strength your frenzy will possess against another player.
This ability may be used with the TARGET ability in Weaponry to attack any part of the opponent's body.
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Chill
DescriptionSyntax: CHILL <target>
Blood cost: 10Use the cold of undeath to great affect and chill your opponent to the bone, freezing them by one stage.
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Nightsight
DescriptionSyntax: NIGHTSIGHT
Sharpen your vampiric sight and pierce the night with your keen eyes.
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Elusion
DescriptionSyntax: ELUSION [OFF]
The vampire is a powerful force in hand-to-hand combat. At cost of your endurance, you can increase your ability to dodge attacks directed at you. You can read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information.
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Hide
DescriptionSyntax: HIDE and EMERGE
Conceal yourself from view, hiding yourself from the eyes of others within the room. You may emerge if you wish to reveal yourself and cease to hide.
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Masquerade
DescriptionSyntax: MASQUERADE [OFF]
Blood cost: 100Additional syntax: DESCRIBE MASQUERADED SELF <description>
This will flush blood into your capillaries and make you appear as one of the living, concealing the outward signs of your vampiric nature. You may describe how you appear in this state as an alternate to your general description.
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WolfForm
DescriptionSyntax: BECOME WOLF and REVERT
Blood cost: 400Additional syntax: DASH <direction>
The Consanguine have the ability to morph themselves into a simple wolf. Your actions are limited in this form, but you will be able to DASH in a direction and will be protected from the sun.
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Stalking
DescriptionSyntax: STALK
Blood cost: 300During the night, you may stalk the shadows and become unseen when you move about. At dawn, the shadows will fade and you will no longer be able to stalk.
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Deadbreath
DescriptionSyntax: BREATHE <target>
Summon the tainted remains within your withered lungs, and direct a poisoned stream of air at your target. This will rot the fang barrier defence and leave them with slick skin.
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Clotting
DescriptionSyntax: CLOT [#]
This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default.
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Catching
DescriptionSyntax: CATCHING [OFF]
With this ability active, you have a chance to snatch arrows from the air before they strike you. There is an endurance upkeep associated with this ability in order to maintain your focus.
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Clawing
DescriptionSyntax: CLAW <target>
Slash across their chest with powerful claws opening a bleeding wound and rending the flesh. If the flesh is already rended, then you will cause additional bleeding.
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Fortify
DescriptionSyntax: FORTIFY
Blood cost: 200Your supernatural nature allows you to fortify your body against physical attacks, reducing the damage you take from both cutting and blunt damage types as though you are wearing additional armour.
This bonus armour will become weaker the less blood you have.
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BatForm
DescriptionSyntax: BECOME BAT and REVERT
Blood cost: 400Additional syntax: FLY and LAND
You can now reform your body into that of a bat. Your actions will be limited in this form, but you will be immune to the sun and will be able to FLY if you so choose.
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Celerity
DescriptionSyntax: CELERITY
Blood cost: 150This will half the time it takes for your movement limit to be reset, allowing you to move about the land considerably faster.
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Blocking
DescriptionSyntax: BLOCK <direction> and UNBLOCK
Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location should they attempt to leave, providing you are not incapacited. Should you move, you will cease to block.
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Sunder
DescriptionThis ability is passive.
Should you use FRENZY against a target who is protected by a magical shield, your frenzied assault will shatter their shield in a single blow.
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Mistform
DescriptionSyntax: MISTFORM
Normally only obtainable through death, you can now shed your corporeal body and assume your ethereal form. While in this form you will be immune to most attacks and the effects of sunlight, but your actions will be limited. To return to your corporeal form, you must either return to your coffin or merge with the soil where you may slowly reassemble a physical form.
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Mending
DescriptionSyntax: MEND
Blood cost: 300At the cost of some of your blood, this ability lets you repair a large quantity of damage done to your body.
The amount of health this skill will heal will increase with the less blood you have.
Cooldown: 25 seconds
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Lifescent
DescriptionSyntax: LIFESCENT [OFF]
Blood cost: 200Your keen scent of smell allows you to detect when potential prey are nearby. This ability will only last a limited amount of time before the effects will fade.
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Warding
DescriptionSyntax: WARD
Blood cost: 200Your mind is enhanced to the point that it can erect a powerful ward against magical attacks that would harm you, reducing the damage you take. This skill will grow in potency the more you learn in Corpus.
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Veil
DescriptionSyntax: VEIL
Blood cost: 50Beckon the shadows to cover you, allowing you to become hidden even when in sight of others.
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Envenom
DescriptionSyntax: ENVENOM <weapon|LEFT|RIGHT> WITH <venom>
WIPE <weapon>
With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon.
Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon.
In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE <weapon>. -
Gash
DescriptionSyntax: GASH <target> [LIGHTLY]
While wielding a two-handed blade, you can strike at another and gouge them open with the cold taste of metal. This will poison them if there is any venom upon the blade, and will deal more damage than a normal weapon slash.
You can also choose to gash them lightly if you wish. This will reduce the damage you deal, but it will be quicker and can be performed while one of your arms is crippled.
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Fling
DescriptionSyntax: FLING <target>
While mounted, you may ride up to someone and use the momentum of your steed with your own supernatural strength to fling them into the air. This will either slam them into the ceiling above or send them sailing into the sky.
Gravity will become a natural ally when making use of this skill, assuming they cannot fly.
Cooldown: 30 seconds
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Entomb
DescriptionSyntax: BURY COFFIN, ENTOMB, and RISE
In order to make yourself a comfy home beneath the ground, you must first purchase or obtain a coffin. Then, you must bury it somewhere with soft soil, preferably somewhere that is unlikely to be disturbed or dug up. You may only have one coffin at a time.
Once you have buried your coffin, you can then entomb yourself within it, providing you stand within the same local area as your coffin. This will allow you to heal yourself or regenerate a new body much faster than earthmelding does. When you are ready to return to the land above, you can then rise.
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Deathlink
DescriptionSyntax: DEATHLINK
Blood cost: 1000To be able to use this ability, you must first have a buried coffin. Once you are standing atop it, you can link yourself to your coffin using your own blood. This will allow you to entomb from anywhere on the continent rather than being limited to the local area. The strengthened bond that you form will break should you entomb from a distant location.
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Potence
DescriptionSyntax: POTENCE <STRENGTH|INTELLIGENCE|CONSTITUTION|DEXTERITY|WISDOM>
Blood cost: 250Your control over your body is such that you can use the potent force of your blood to empower your physical form, granting you an additional point in a stat of your choice.
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Eminence
DescriptionSyntax: EMINENCE <BALANCE|EQUILIBRIUM|DAMAGE>
Blood cost: 500Only those who have reached the peak of the vampiric form can call forth their eminence. This ability will allow you to switch your body enhancement between equilibrium, balance, and damage at will, providing you have selected one for enhancement already.
For more information on enhancements, please see AB HUNTING ENHANCEMENT.
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Fade
DescriptionSyntax: FADE <direction>
You now possess the ability to fade away from your location, evading certain triggers and traps and bypassing those that might prevent you from leaving. Anyone following you will be lost, and those that see you fade will not know what direction you left in.
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Reconstruct
DescriptionSyntax: RECONSTRUCT <body part>
Blood cost: 200Reconstruct a broken body part through force of will and blood, healing 6% trauma and restoring it toward its original form. You may heal the head, torso, left/right arm, or left/right leg.
This will only work while the limb is either broken or mangled.
Cooldown: 50 seconds
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Purify
DescriptionSyntax: PURIFY BLOOD
Blood cost: 250An incredibly powerful ability, this will allow you to purge your body and blood of one random affliction, then another will be cured after 2 seconds. There is no prevention to this ability other than the initial mana cost and requiring balance and equilibrium to perform.
Cooldown: 20 seconds
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Roleplaying a Praenomen
Born in the covetous clasp of night, Praenomen are ruthless vampires who crave two things: Blood and Domination. Donning the armaments of savage nobility, these individuals bring to bear their immense physical strength, their unparalleled will, and their mastery over the blood to take what they desire without mercy or compassion.
What is vampirism?
Centuries ago a new race arose from the ambition of an Ankyrean conclavist by the name of Yrtez. With the aid of Chakrasul and Severn, Yrtez enacted a ritual of incredible ambition: to harness the Immortality of the Gods Themselves. A long time goal of the Conclave of Magic, through trial and error, and with many failures and setbacks, Yrtez eventually attained some measure of success. In blood and shadow she was reborn, rechristening herself as Queen Belladona. In the modern era, we have come to understand that an imbalance - an excess - of elemental shadow is what allows for undeath and, consequently, vampirism, the dark element stifling - but not erasing - the spark of life essence derived from spirit.
In the years after, the Queen embraced her first Childer, a man from Shallam named Abhorash Nehekhara. Abhorash alone possessed the qualities that Belladona deemed vital for the transformation. Above all he was a ruthless predator, an uncompromising hunter who refused to negotiate with the cattle on which he slaked his hunger. The first Primus Abhorash, founder of Bloodloch, took four Childer of his own, forming the original noble Houses of the Consanguine.
Through him, the Bloodline flourished, and the Consanguine Legacy was secured. In the 446th year of the Midnight Age, a new era of Consanguine domination began. With the Progenitor of the Blood ceding all control over the Imperial Dominion, the Consanguine of Sapience found themselves unified under one banner, to be governed in their own way. They continue to strip their path from the hide of Sapience, casting off all mortal ties once embraced and sacrificing these weaknesses upon the altar of ambition.
How are the powers of the class accessed?
With the raw potential of Sanguis, they gain mastery over their own blood, wielding it as an unholy weapon to split the artery of the world wide open. Through the honing of Mentis they prevail over the weak mortal wills, breaking them in twain with ruthless efficiency. Finally, with the depraved skills of Corpus at their command, they imbue their bodies with preternatural speed, strength, and agility.
Visual style of the class
As creatures of shadow and blood, a Praenomen is oft a dramatic, intimidating sight both on and off the field of battle. Their physical prowess is unmatched, having shed the imperfections and fragilities of mortal life, and this is represented through the brutality and savage discipline that is Corpus. Fangs and forked tongues distinguish them from lesser beings, most notable when feeding or invoking the whispers of Mentis.
Lesser undead are easily brought under their thrall and typically accompany them as shambling, mindless beings, their will subsumed by the Praenomen's greater mind. Sanguis manifests in similarly decisive, conspicuous ways, a crimson haze tinging the air when the vampire works their feats of terrible blood magic. Yet, for all that a Praenomen is a force to behold, there is a distinct regality in their ways, a subtlety too-often overlooked by the terror they are wont to inspire.
Side effects of use
All who enjoy the gift of Yrtez come to know two defining characteristics of vampirism: the tyranny of the sun, and the compulsive thirst. The former, though it may be abated by satiety, remains a source of hate and loathing for a vampire. Habitually dwelling underground and stalking the land largely at night leads to a pallid and pale appearance. Hunger, likewise, conspires to produce the same; a well-fed vampire may mimic the warmth and vitality of the living, but theirs is a mockery of life, a facsimile maintained only through slaking the sanguine thirst.
In particular, while vampires can imitate most bodily functions either via conscious or subconscious control of their blood, the ability to procreate - to birth new life - lies beyond them, their legacies instead expanded via the embrace of progeny.
Roleplaying the class
While one Praenomen might revel in slaughter and carnage to claim what is theirs, the next might manipulate and coerce those beneath them into doing what they wish. There are many ways to be a formidable vampire, so long as the path chosen leads to success or greatness in some form. So long as it brings power to the Blood.
The Consanguine are incredibly particular of those they allow to become part of their Bloodline, and rightly so, for a foolish Childer reflects poorly on an established Sire. While there are many who stalk the Night without a Sire or connection to the Primus' ancient Bloodline, those who are accepted into its ranks are considered superior to those who chose to walk alone. This superiority tends to be reflected in a Praenomen's demeanour and attitude, considering outsiders - even amongst allies - beneath them.
As the once mortal, now God of Tyranny, Abhorash, strove ever for greatness and power, seizing it with His Own fangs, so too do the Praenomen left by His Blood legacy seek it, through blood rituals, slaughter and domination. In short, a vampire is a force to be reckoned with, a creature of the night brooking neither timidity nor weakness - especially amongst their own.
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