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"Prey on the weak and you may survive. Prey on the strong and you will truly live~"
Vycan
A precursor of famine, the ravager of beauty and the usurper of wealth. The are beast composed of debilitating darkness, the cavalier of decay wrapped gallantly in genteel robes. A curved beak gilded, glimmering in its satiating garnishments of mannerly offence, acerbic syllables sure to scorch (the salt in a weeping wound) and appall, though bandage with liquid honey. There is a predatory charisma which exudes from every encrusted aperture; a miasmic allure, a tyrannous magnetism which alike moth to flame, only fascinates to burn.
To scald the skin, and fester the flesh. Classic, dapper debonair, they extrude the more roughened persuasion of masculine refinement, the hard boned stature absent of soft and fleshy distinction to define a more a lacking caliber, but there is nothing upon him that manifests the slightest provoking thought of subtlety within the hardened expanse of powerful, rippling sinew, and delving, calloused features of creatures who had to mature far beyond their due.
Of considerable frame, these beast stand of herculean derive, toned and edged in the sharpened raze of a driving blade, primal and coiled bearing of silent wait of a crusade vindicator, an artisan of both impassioned affair and war as its contrive lines the thickened proportion of virile eminence. Laden deep in the thickened raze of wildened obsidian, lavished in the profound hue of obscurity and penumbra, They are a creature of dusk and shade that looms in the contour of evoking the memory of midnight, of searing torridity, and the listless chime of carillon warning in the distance beneath the tracing intimacy of fevered fingertips as burnished, bedroom eyes of avid gold eclipse in the smoldering veil of carnality.
Look to the skies oh quivering prey...let the stars light the only path left for you~
BLOODLINE OVERVIEW
Additionally, all Vycan have pale skin colors, commonly of ghostly white, darkish grey, or even as dark as obsidian in some rare cases. Even species that are ‘turned’ end up losing the color in their skin and adopt many of the physical traits of the Vycan that turned them. Below are the separate ‘races’ of the species which have varying strengths and weaknesses of different intensities. Unlike most species, the race of a Vycan is often decided by how much an individual feeds and how old they grow with age as well as a number of mental factors.
Royalbloods: Royals are considered to be the superior Vycan race. Born as full blooded originals and inheriting the most potent strengths of the species the Royals have overwhelming mental domination of the lesser sub-races and are seen as the ‘Alphas’ of the bloodline. While they inherit all of the strengths of the species due to the purity of their line it comes with the weaknesses being that much more severe. Their senses are hypersensitive and they are much easier to exploit despite the overwhelming physical dominance they possess. But despite all this, Royals are the only one of the races that possess the ‘infectious’ trait and can turn other species into one of their own. A Vycan royal can only be created when two Royalbloods reproduce together. But given the mass extinction of the species Royals are thought to no longer exist.
Elderbloods: This sub-race of Vycan are the diluted spawn of Royals, often conceived when a Vycan reproduces with another species which results in the potency of their bloodline being ‘corrupted’ and thus creating a child that only possesses half the power that Royals possess but also gaining less severe weaknesses. Their need to feed on others is less overwhelming, sunlight does not ‘hurt’ them nearly as much as it does a Royal, their senses are more muddled and while acute, is nowhere near as hypersensitive as a royal, and they are the only one of the sub races with the distinct ability to not become frenzied when overfeeding or starving themselves. While the thirst can sway them greatly and make them irrational, they don’t become ‘feral’ like the other races. Elderbloods also blend in better with humanoids as they tend to keep the color in their skin.
Direbloods: Dires are the successfully changed individuals that were born another species. Those who survive the initial transformation become ‘enhanced’ and gain many of the traits Vycan possess. However, due to them being ‘turned’ Dires only gain a few of the blessings a Royal or Elder have but also inherit all the weaknesses. Dires, when turned, become mentally linked to the Royal that turned them and very easily succumb to the will of their masters even against their will. A small price to pay for the power of the Allfathers. Dires also have a reliance on the master who turned them, often thirsting for the blood of their Royal to keep them from going mad, creating a cycle of power that keeps Dires under control and loyal to their superiors.
Blackbloods: Infected souls that fail to fully survive the transformation become ‘Blackbloods’. Thrall that lose all sense of self and become corrupted into mindless slaves who obey the will of the Vycan that infected them. They have none of the strengths of the species and ALL of the weaknesses in their most potent forms. Their skin burns away in the sunlight, they are hyper vulnerable to fire, and are highly sensitive and frail, Almost sickly. Blackbloods are used as pawns and little else and given the ease of which a blackblood can be made they make for excellent fodder considering most who are bitten don’t have the mental or physical fortitude to survive the full transformation. Blackbloods have many physical traits that make them easy to pick out in a crowd. They are extremely pale, deathly so. Incredibly skinny, slow, exhausted, and unhealthy looking as the Vycan blood introduced into their systems eats away at them slowly. They can feed on others to keep themselves alive but it is a painful existence to do so.
Vilebloods: For the souls who fall to the dark impulses all Vycan must fight against in life. Vilebloods are the Vycan who fall into the ‘frenzied’ state far too often and end up becoming uncontrollable feral monsters whose only desire is to hunt and kill needlessly. Devouring any sentient lifeform that moves like a rabid animal with no impulse control and no logical thought. Vilebloods often make up the Dires that can’t control themselves, Blackbloods that feed too often, and even Royals that fail to keep themselves fed. Viles are the easiest to distinguish as their skin becomes wrinkled and deformed, their eyes dark and gruesome and their bodies completely corrupted and warped. Hair falling out, teeth becoming mangled and their bones contracting. Becoming full fledged predators whose only desire is to kill and eat~
BLESSINGS & CURSES
Thrill of the Hunt
The Vycan were often considered the ‘apex predators’ of the land back when they were in their prime before the genocide committed against them which nearly wiped them out completely. The reasoning for this was their enhanced senses which allowed them to hunt their prey with such efficiency that it made it incredibly difficult for them to be shaken off someone or somethings trail. Their eyes are keen, capable of spotting movement from miles away and even visually dilating their eyes to ‘zoom’ their vision and get a closer look at something over a great distance although this causes severe stress on their eyes if constantly used. As predators that thrive during the night as nocturnal hunters Vycans also possess excellent night vision and are even capable of seeing the world in the thermal spectrum. Furthermore their sense of smell is also rather impressive and akin to that of a Bloodhound dialed to eleven. Because of their keen sense of smell a Vycan track prey over long, vast distances. They can smell individuals based on scent alone and select which scent they wish to follow, they can also smell sickness or illness on sentient beings when up close, allowing them to identify healthy prey for them to hunt. Their sense of hearing is also rather heightened, allowing her to hear the rapid heartbeat of their prey even behind obstructions. With these three senses and their instinctual ability to track and locate their prey made them one of the most fearsome and deadliest predators to ever walk the earth.
Devour
Vycans all possess the base need to feed from the lifeforce of other sentient beings. Driven by a thirst that is never quite quenched which is what pushes a Vycan to hunt as viciously as they do. With blood as their primary sustenance they have gained the unique ability to feed from the blood of other beings and gain physical strength from the substance as if directly taking shots of Adrenaline. Draining the life force of others to replenish their own which can be used to heal severe wounds, and even fuel the potency of their senses at the risk of becoming frenzied. One of the more complex traits that requires balancing. Feeding to much and to often as well as to little for to long can lead to devastating consequences.
Infectious
A trait shared by every race of the Vycan is the biological ability to produce an extremely toxic venom inside unique sacs within the mouth that they can push through very small holes within their fangs. This venom however must be constantly replenished as the holes that inject the venom can also be used to pull in blood that they are stealing from their victims which refills the ‘vial’ and mixes with the special substance which creates the venom. Once injected into a sentient beings bloodstream the venom causing extremely agonizing pain and completely muddled the mind as the body slowly begins to grow heavy and stumble. The eyes glaze over and vision becomes incredibly blurry, ringing deafens the ears, effectively subduing most opponents who possess a weak immune system of a strong will which could allow them to fight through the symptoms of the venom. A Royalbloods bite however has a slightly different effect. If bitten by a Royal their fangs can not only inject the venom, but a small portion of their own blood as well which is naturally mixed with the Venom. But when a royal injects a humanoid with said substance it triggers a mysterious, biological breakdown of the victims DNA and restructures it after the new DNA introduced into the bloodstream. This is how Direbloods and other lesser Vycans are created. This process is extremely painful and very few survive the process of a full change, but to the few that survive they come out the other side as either a Direblood or a Blackblood. Royals can inject other species and rewrite their DNA to become a fellow Vycan. The more humanoid the species, the more likely the success of the transformation.
Blood of the Beast
Vycans possess highly enhanced physical strengths to aid in their hunts. Most Vycan are physically superior to other humanoid races, their raw strength surpassing that of Orcs when they are healthy and well fed. Ripping people apart with their bare hands and completely dismembering their prey with nothing else but their physical might as Apex Predators. The greatest benefit they have however is their enhanced speed, fully capable of outrunning horses when at full sprint, although running at such high speeds drains them rather quickly especially if exposed to direct sunlight. Resulting in burnout and fatigue after only a couple of minutes of running at their fastest.
The First Curse
Due to the origin of their creation Vycans possess a cursed genetic bloodline that goes far beyond the evolved disease variants of Lycanthropy and Vampirism, changing them both in such a fundamental way while simply merging the two and creating a completely new form of sentient life. Monster or not mattered little, the deed was done and as a result these Night Hunters have inherited severe genetic flaws within their very blood that effects all Vycans. Saturating their blood with so much dark magic that they became byproducts of a curse turned flesh. As a result Vycans have a severe vulnerability to Holy and Divine magic. Upon being struck with such an ability or weapon the pain felt is so extreme it can often kill a Vycan outright or at the very least completely cripple them. So Paladins, Holy Knights, Priests, and even simple spiritual individuals could pose a great level of threat to a Vycan.
Radiant Dawn
Vycan are severely sensitive to sunlight and solar energy. A couple of the subraces react to its rays differently, for example, a Royalblood and Direblood will not actually burn when under the watchful gaze of the sun. Instead they become increasingly exhausted in the daylight and fatigue extremely quickly. Their minds are dazed, senses foggy, bodies sluggish and overall suffering incredible discomfort and disadvantages when active during the day. And while their bodies don’t react too severely to sunlight their skin is highly sensitive to highly concentrated radiant light which can burn their skin in the same way fire burns a human's flesh. Vilebloods and Blackbloods however are completely vulnerable to any kind of light, their flesh burning painfully the second they are exposed to the light and Vildbloods going as far as to nearly become incinerated with maintained contact longer than a minute. One thing common among all Vycan races though is the fact their eyes are all extremely sensitive to any form of light be it from a candle or from a spark.
Lust for Blood
These creatures of the night are completely driven by their desire to hunt and feed from sentient beings due to their corrupted biology which forces them to drink the blood of others. This lust however causes them more trouble than it's worth in the long run for If a Vycan fails to feed for longer than three days (depending on the race) they go into a ravenous hunger that consumes them. This overrides all logical thought and is the second reason a Vycan might be pushed into their wolfskin forcibly. Unable to distinguish friend from foe, this feral state can also be reached if a Vycan feeds too often and too quickly which makes them frenzied as well. Not only that, but drinking from the blood of someone who is ill or perhaps infected with a sickness will make a Vycan deathly ill in return, their bodies unable to properly fight off the effects that the ‘dirty blood’ has on their immune systems. Drinking ‘dirty blood’ causes a number of effects such as nausea, causing the body to become weak and frail, dizziness, coughing, and occasional blackouts.
Silver Lance
Vycans possess a mysterious vulnerability to the metal silver for reasons that are largely unknown even among their own kind. And although quite understand why but it is suspected that there is a mineral within the substance that causes a Vycan to have a severe allergic reaction which hinders their enhanced senses and put them into complete shutdown. Their eyesight becomes about as good as a bats and their hearing becomes so muffled that they can barely hear their own footsteps yet alone someone talking to them. Their sense of smell is completely lost as well, essentially making even the strongest of Vycans blind, deaf, and dumb. There are antidotes to this allergy but it is not commonly found in the world. It comes from a flower that grows naturally atop mountains and only blooming during a full moon. It is aptly named 'Lunar Flowers'.
Corrupt Senses
Probably the greatest gift a Vycan possesses can also be used by their enemies as a powerful weapon to those cunning enough to exploit them. Their sense of smell is so high that anything with an overwhelmingly foul scent can be used to throw a Vycan off a trail or daze them, making them nauseous and unwilling to breathe in. For their eyesight any kind of extremely bright light can blind them and their sense of hearing is vulnerable to severely loud high pitch noises which can cripple a Vycan and force them to retreat and regroup. The usage of garlic seems to be an especially potent repellent to a Vycan as it stings their scent receptors rather painfully.
Beast Born
The Vycan are an extremely exotic species in the world and as a result there have been those who have ‘attempted’ to create hybrids and copies of a Vycan. All recorded attempts have failed miserably for largely unknown reasons. It is suspected that Vycan have a defect in their blood which prevents their blood from being ‘altered into anything not born purely from another Vycan. Additionally, hybridization is impossible. A Vycans blood is so potent and devouring that even if a simple human and a Vycan were to reproduce together the child will always, one hundred percent come out as a Vycan.
Religion
BLOODMOTHER: Akasha, the first ‘Royalblood’ and the mother of all future Vycans. She is often considered the ‘maternal’ figure in Vycan religion. While the Allfathers are prayed to during a hunt which is the main focus of Vycan society, Akasha is prayed to for almost every other facet of life. Prayer before meals, thanking her for a bountiful feast. Before bed, thanking her for the blessings she has passed to them, and even praying to her when baring children so that one's offspring may be blessed with the might of a true hunter.
THE OLD HUNTERS: Written into the very blood of every Vycan is the code in which The Old Hunters perfected and passed onto future generations. The Old Hunters were some of the original Royalbloods who practically wrote the guidelines that every Vycan follows to this very day. The original clan were known only as ‘The Valentines’ and are thought to still linger in the world as ghostly wraiths, still hungering for a proper hunt and quench a thirst that can never be satisfied. The Old Ones are told to younger Vycan as horror stories to scare children into being proper hunters and not to dishonor the legacy left behind. Otherwise, The Old Ones will steal the spirit of said offender and lock it within a dark cage, which to a Vycan is a fate worse than death.
Vycan society is founded by the sacred aspect known as ‘The Great Hunt’. It is this wide practice that the species was not only known for...but feared for, and it is also the reason they were pushed to near complete extinction at the hands of other races hundreds of years ago. Essentially, The Vycan were known to specifically target what they considered ‘Worthy Game’ to hunt, But not for sustenance or the elimination of threats. But purely for the sport and glory of doing so. To test ones might before the eyes of The Allfathers, to solidify ones name among the proud pantheon of apex predators as they took to the corners of the globe to find their perfect prey! And while favored prey tends to vary between Vycan, they do tend to be physically powerful, highly intelligent and extremely cunning. Most however seek out powerful mages or even monstrous beasts and supernatural creatures who could provide the Vycan with a true challenge and bless them with a glorious hunt. The more dangerous the individual or group, the more satisfying they are to a hunter.
With their entire society based around this ritualistic hunting of the worlds most dangerous creatures the Vycan then created guidelines and honor codes, weapons, and even specific forms of magic dedicated to The Great Hunt. Courting itself is based entirely on a Vycans ability to hunt and how many high value kills they have under their belt. There is no gender discrimination in Vycan culture but any individual with a pitiful amount of kills or lacking the skills or honor of a true hunter aren’t even considered for mating. Females have no interest in a male without weight to his name and males are rarely interested in soft females without any rep of their own. This tends to thin out the herd and create a culture where only the strong carry the bloodline, letting natural selection takes it course.
The Vycan even have ranks dedicated to the titles and reputation other Vycan might gain in the course of their life. Un-blooded Vycan are young ‘children’ in the eyes of experienced Vycan. Those who have yet to even complete basic training and have their first hunt and devour their very first kill. Un-blooded are commonly avoided by other Vycan and aren’t even glanced at as candidates for potential mates.
After Unblooded there are the ‘Young Bloods’ which are mature hunters who have proven their worth but have still yet to take on truly challenging prey. While they are true hunters and thus ‘adults’ in society's eyes they are still small fish in the vast pool of older, far more dangerous Vycan. These tend to be 'apprentices' or an elder hunters 'squire'. Young Bloods do a lot of following and observing, putting their skills to the test in the field and slowly finding their own independence.
The top of the food chain are known only as ‘Blooded’, elite hunters who have been known to not only kill vicious and powerful prey, but relish he chance to do so again and again. Blooded Vycans are the cream of the crop and embodiment of what it means to be an Apex Predator dedicated to The Great Hunt. Blooded, in Vycan culture always get first mating rights and are permitted to choose who they wish to bare children with. Young Bloods and even Un-blooded Vycans aspire to become a true Vycan like these individuals.
Additionally, despite the savagery in which a Vycan goes about their everyday lives they do adhere to a rather simple code of honor and morality laid down by the Valentine Family. For example, Vycans who consider themselves ‘True Hunters’ should never seek prey that is physically or mentally impaired, terminally ill, elderly, or weak to hunt as it is considered incredibly rude and ‘bad manners’. Vycan are taught to even spare mothers as to not doom the children they have, so unless they are physically threatened rarely will a Vycan ever bring unprovoked harm to someone who does not deserve it. Those who do are often banished from their Clan or executed by the Royalbloods as to not bring shame to the Allfathers.
Vycans also possess a sense of honor. Even if going against worthy prey they would never make the final blow against prey that has been unfairly attacked by someone else. Believing it to be ‘unfair’ to the prey and sometimes calling the hunt off entirely if someone else interferes. And while on that note, Vycan are taught never to meddle in the hunt of another Vycan. Doing so can result in severe punishment if a Vycan steals the kill of another hunter. And while Vycans have been known to hunt in groups or entire clans, most opt to hunt solo and keep the glory of a good hunt for themselves.
On another note however, Survivors of the hunt are shown great respect by Vycans. Individuals who fight back and kill a Vycan or escape the hunt are considered truly exceptional and are sometimes given a gift or trophy from either the Vycan they defeated or a relative/clan member that they were close to (if the Vycan is killed by the prey). Survivors are often the ideal candidates for being turned into Vycans by the Royalbloods as a ‘Rite of Passage’ from outside species. They are put through a blood ritual, made into Vycan, and start out as Un-blooded hunters being taught the culture of their people.
Historic Overview
Chapter I | The Crimson Coven: A faction of witches specializing in Blood Magic and Dark Rituals form as a direct result of other covens casting out their unwanted witches and warlocks. After the outsiders gathered they founded their own coven created for the sole purpose of using their dark magic to destroy those who cast them out, this Coven, in order to fit in with the rest of society disguised themselves as a noble family and inserted themselves into civilization as well mannered, high class nobility. This is when the Valentine Family was founded and their legacy truly began.
Chapter II | Red Moon Ritual: After many years of inserting themselves into society The Valentine Family began to plant the seeds that would secure their future, securing alliances, developing powerful weapons and armor to help aid them in the annihilation of the dark forces around them. After building the foundation for what they where the Elder Witches of the Valentine Family prepared for a ritual during the Blood Moon that appeared once every hundred years. During the ritual the Valentines made a pact with demons from another realm, bonding themselves to a contract and in the process altering their own blood which corrupted the Valentines with bloodline and cursed them with both great power and great burden. This pact granted them increased performance in their magic, allowing them to use their familiars to amplify the potency of their black magic.
Chapter III | Bloodborn: After completing the ritual the Valentine Family began to study different methods of magic in attempts to find a way to create the perfect hunters. The Valentine Family were famed beast hunters, slayers of witches, demons, spirits, undead, cryptids, and other supernatural or malevolent creatures of the night. Eventually they managed to get a hold of blood a potent strain of Vampire blood as well as Lycan blood and dedicated time to combining the curses within a single host via blood magic. After many failures and botched attempts they managed to successfully infect their already cursed bloodline with the strain, creating a hybrid between the two illnesses which mutated and evolved into something much more powerful. Gaining both the perks and flaws of both sicknesses along with added abilities unique to their specific strain which became embedded into the family bloodline which became passed down from generation to generation, making the original 'illness' that infected innocents around the world into a valuable asset that allowed the Valentine Family used to their advantage in their hunting of the creatures of the night, including their own kind.
Chapter IV | The Blood Hunters: After the success of the blood ritual the Valentine Family created a new order of hunters that were originally known as 'Prowlers' by the family itself. Learning control over their newfound gifts and utilizing everything they had previous learned and mixing their blood magic, arcane knowledge, and the traits of their enhanced bloodline to fully dedicate their lives to what they came to call 'The Great Hunt'. For centuries the Valentine Family become infamous for their work, gaining skepticism and fear from the general populace who suspected them of Black Magic and dealing with the devil, but due to their contributions to society most turned a blind eye to the Blood Hunters and their work. But as time went on and people began to understand just what their accursed blood was capable of Prowlers then gained a number of nicknames from humans. Blackbloods, Nightstalkers, Darkspawn, and a collection of titles that humans used to dehumanize the Valentine Family and discriminate against them. Despite their work they do eventually humans began to despise and fear them just as much as they did the beast they dedicated themselves to hunting. Most nations ex communicated the Valentine Family and were sentenced to exile and while they happily shouldered the hate it is this sense of fear and mistrust that lead to the downfall of the Valentine Family.
Chapter V | The Valentine Massacre: It is still unclear to this day what led to the Valentine Family Genocide, some suspect that the supernatural creatures they had preyed on for centuries returned to reap vengeance of the family. Others think that The Templar Order had something to do with it, others think the Valentines simply destroyed themselves. Whatever the case my be what followed that tragic day was an act of murder so foul that it left the land scarred and the rivers poisoned red. The Valentines slaughtered like cattle, women crucified, children decapitated, and entire families blood hunter or not dismembered and their heads put on spikes around the countryside they occupied. It was believed that after that day the Prowlers were no more, and seeing as those who did escape were hunted and killed as well left most believing that was the end of the Valentine Family. And they were right...until recently a mysterious young huntress appeared dawning the mark of the Blood Hunter, the last Valentine~
The Wild Hunt
This section is to keep track of all the PC Vycans running around site. Starting with the original Vanya Valentine and going down to the new Vycans she sires, or survivors from the old houses and families.
References