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"Vampires - Miscellaneous Notes" Copyright (c) 1997 Simon E. Phipp
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The Cult of Vivamort
Vampires
Miscellaneous Information
Famous Vampires

# Vampires - Miscellaneous Notes

## Contents

  The Councils of Vivamort
  Vivamort Temples
  Non-Vivamorti Vampires
  Neverdead
  Delecti the Necromancer
  The Wounded God
  The Vampire Legion
  The Emperor's Bodyguard

## The Councils of Vivamort

The rumours of a Grand Council of Vivamort are true. In fact, the cult tends to form itself into councils ruling particular areas. Thus, there is the Council of Neverdead, the Council of the Tower of Lead and the High Council of Dorastor, all in Dorastor, the Council of Dragon Pass, the Pelorian Council and so on.

These councils are made up of the most powerful Vampires in the area. Thus the Council of Neverdead has the most powerful Vampires of that city, whereas the Council of Dorastor has the most powerful Vampires from the Councils of Neverdead and the Tower of Lead in addition to the few lone Vampires of Dorastor.

The cult of Vivamort is truly democratic - each Vampire has one vote on the Council. Having said that, some Vampires can wield more power if they have a large following, so the Giant King of Neverdead has taken over that Council because of his personal force.

Their aim is twofold. Firstly, to protect and organise the Vivamort temples in the area. Secondly, to spread the power of Vivamort to other areas, by conquest, infiltration or guile. Their plots and plans are generally far-sighted, perhaps taking many generations to complete, and are convoluted and intricate. Most Vampires are incapable of producing a simple, straightforward plan - those that are must truly be feared.

Occasionally, a Council will plot against another. This is the case in my campaign, where the Council of the tower of Lead has been trying to destroy the Giant King of Neverdead. In this case, they are being helped by the Council of Neverdead. Although Vampires may not directly oppose each other, there is nothing to stop them hiring third party assassins or sending armies of undead to slay other Vampires.

## Vivamort Temples

These are usually well-fortified complexes. They often have underground crypts and many escape routes. A long-standing, well-established temple will have many enchantments defending it and will have the benefit of a number of very skilled Vampires and mages for defence.

Depending on the area, a temple will have the local peasantry organised to repulse any attack. In this case, the attacking force will see a crowd of peasants holding blazing torches coming to attack them, not the Vampires.

## Non-Vivamorti Vampires

These are created by non-Vivamorti sorcerers with the Create Vampire spell. They have no allegiance to Vivamort, his councils or his temples. They tend to be rogues, either travelling the countryside, preying on peasants, or solitary horrors in isolated castles.

Vivamort Vampires tend to ignore them, unless they pose a threat to the cult, in which case they will send hired assassins against them. As they are still Vampires, no Vampire will attack them personally.

A non-Vivamorti Vampire can call on any member of the cult of Vivamort for aid, with refusal meriting death. They may not have been created within the folds of the cult, but they are still Vampires.

## Neverdead

This city in Dorastor has arguably the greatest concentration of Vampires anywhere in Dorastor. It is ruled by a Great Council, headed by a Vampire Giant of great strength. Here, undead farmers tend the fields and harvest a rich supply of grain for their Vampire masters to store and sell to customers throughout Dorastor. Zombie and Mummy soldiers stand eternal guard over the roads and walls, waiting for the inevitable attacks, while the Vampires stay within their temples, plotting a take-over of Dorastor.

## Delecti the Necromancer

Although many people think of Delecti as a Vampire, this is not so. He is actually a Hero-Mage of Vivamort, although not a Vampire. Because of his esteemed status, he presides over the Vivamort Council of Dragon Pass. Amongst his abilities is the power to create Vampires by expending Magic Points, not POW. Since vampires can only be made on the Holy Days of the cult, he can make 5 per year by this method. These Vampires are normally loyal to him, since he chooses who is to be exalted in this fashion.

For those who are interested, Delecti is a Hero of both Vivamort and Gark the Calm. He is an immortal spirit which inhabits a series of rotting corpses. When a corpse has rotted away, he must posses a fresh one. It is in this way, an undead parallel to the Pharaoh, that he gains his eternal life.

## The Wounded God

On the far borders of Carmania in the West of the Lunar Empire is a small region ruled by Vampires. They worship the cult of the Wounded God and claim that this is Vivamort healed by the Red Goddess.

The noble families in this region rule from their fortified Cassirs and have a reputation as mighty warriors and stern rulers. When they have reached a certain level of competence, they undergo the rite of rebirth and are created as Vampires. They then remain in their castles, ruling the region as overlords.

The local peoples have varying views on the situation. The serfs believe that all overlords are the same, whether they are vampires, Lunars or Carmanian Sorcerers. The knights feel that they may be able to attain the status of Overlord if they work hard and, unless they are die-hard humakti, see nothing wrong with Vampires. The Wizards have the power to create the Vampires and see this as another of their routes to power, especially as many of them will be reborn as Overlords when the time is right. Those of the Nobility see their birthright as being part of the cult of the Wounded God and fully expect to join their ancestors as Overlords.

As the Carmanian culture accepts Humakt as its wargod, this could cause a problem for these Vampires. However, most sane Humakti would prefer to travel to other areas of Peloria and make a name for themselves slaying Vampires than attempt to breach the well defended Cassirs of the Overlords and face an army of Vampire Sorcerer-Knights. It is even rumoured that a few Humakti Knights or Nobles have been reborn and live as Vampire Swords, although Humakti would claim that this is impossible.

## The Vampire Legion

This is an arm of the Lunar Army. It consists of Yanafal Tarnils cultists, the elite of the Empire, who have volunteered to join this most terrible of corps.

The Legion is made up of around a hundred Vampires, each of whom were once Priests of the cult of Yanafal Tarnils, and their loyal Henchmen, also Rune Levels in the Yanafal Tarnils cult. A number of initiates of Yanafal Tarnils are also attached to the Legion, to provide a cover from prying eyes, and to provide a ready blood pool.

The Legion is currently on manoeuvres in the mountains of the Empire, training for a future campaign. It is rumoured amongst the regular army that the Vampire Legion is experiencing trouble in finding enough sentients to feed it. Unless it is moved into a more populous region, the Legion will rebel and go its own way, after all even the most loyal servant of the Empire may have his head turned once he has gained immortality.

## The Emperor's Bodyguard

Few realise it, but the Red Emperor is guarded by a Vampire bodyguard. These are made up of the best warriors in the Lunar Army made into Vampires and at least one is known to wield a Moonsword. All are equipped with powerful magic items before they undergoing the sacred rites, and are very well equipped. Most are sorcerers, all have Divine Magic from many Lunar Wargods and all are fanatically loyal to the Red Emperor.