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Maxsaeli — Vampirology, part 1/2
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#monster #chart #lore #description #fantasy #infection #mutant #parasite #parasitic #sciencefiction #scififantasy #speculative #vampire #worldbuilding #speculativebiology
Published: 2023-01-27 19:36:39 +0000 UTC; Views: 10318; Favourites: 116; Downloads: 5
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Description
Vampirids (or simply vampires) were some of the most insidious Hyperboreans’ creations – engendered not for any practical purpose, but for the pure sadistic satisfaction mixed with scientific inquiry. And whereas many of the other genetic aberrations from that era had either perished or remained in the remote, isolated areas after the Human-Hyperborean war, vampires continued to persist for millennia, tormenting mankind for the most of the written history.
At its core, vampirism is a parasitic infection.
It is caused by the small wormlike creatures (vampirids proper) with long and complex life cycle involving human hosts. Once the host’s body is entered, the parasite begins progressive behavioral and anatomical changes in the organism, gradually turning the host into a mindless, violent and voracious beast. The infection is bloodborne, and requires vampirid spores to enter the host’s bloodstream through the open wound – once it’s happened, the vampiric disease would develop in the 5 distinct stages:
Stage 1
Starting after incubation period of roughly 3 days, this stage is characterized by the unspecific, flu-like symptoms as the host’s immune system reacts to the parasite’s spores. The severity of the symptoms varies between individuals, and there were cases of people not surviving past this stage due to septic shock. It typically lasts for about a week and by its end, all the spores in the bloodstream transform into the microscopic larvae and move to their main target – the host’s stomach. Though the infection rate is incredibly high, there were anecdotal reports of certain people surviving this stage without progressing further – but causes of such phenomenon remained a mystery.
Stage 2
During this stage, the larvae make their way to the stomach and starts cannibalizing each other, until only one remains. Once it happens, this remaining larva starts to grow, as well as to produce certain chemicals influencing this host’s physiology. The most prominent changes include:
- Rapid loss of hair, body fat and skin melanin, resulting in pale and gaunt appearance, as well as heightened light sensitivity.
- Suppression of the host’s immune system, as its functions are being slowly overtaken by that of a parasite. Thus, not only host’s organism stops rejecting the invader, but also gains the extra resistance to most infections.
- As the parasite grows in size, its body eventually fills the stomach entirely, making host unable to consume regular food. From this point, they can only subsist on liquids – and parasite’s high demand for proteins and iron leaves them with no choice but to drink blood.
- While the hosts still fully retain their mind and memories during this stage, they often become more easily irritated and prone to violent outbursts.
Stage 3
This stage starts after 2-3 month of the infection, and characterized by the visible changes of the host’s external anatomy. The face becomes more skeletal, the arms and fingers grow longer, the nails and teeth sharpen, the muscle fibers strengthen, and mind becomes blurred and dominated by the instinctual desire to infect others – which they can now do though bites, as the parasite starts to produce the spore-containing fluid that can be ejected from the mouth at any point. They also gain the heightened resistance to injuries, as all major wound would be quickly patched up with the fast-growing parasite flesh. This doesn’t allow them to regrow lost body parts, though.
The other significant adaptation that develops at this stage is the pheromones. Thanks to them, the infected can find each other and unite in the packs – and once it happens, they start to specialize into distinct castes, each with its own set of morphological changes:
- Ghouls are the most common caste in the vampire nests. They appear as emaciated, hunched creatures, and their minds completely succumb to the bestial instincts. They do not speak, but can communicate with each other through the pheromones to hunt more effectively.
- Alphas are taller and stronger version of ghouls, possessing the appearance that can be described as "orc-like". They are also smarter, with more advanced planning and problem-solving skills, and tend to lead the packs – but their behavior, at its core, is still largely animalistic.
- Spies are the caste that mostly retains the appearance of the third stage infected – and can use it to blend among humans when necessary. Due to this quirk, they tend to at least partially retain the memories of their human life, as well as the capacity to speech, although they are still instinctively drawn to the pack. There actually were instances of the spy vampires breaking away from the nests to ally with humans, but they were vanishingly rare.
- Breeders are the special caste that plays a crucial role in the vampirid life cycle. They constitute roughly from 1 to 5% of all infected, and of all the castes, this and only this one progresses to the next stage.
Stage 4
Only select few of the pack would be chosen to enter this stage – to become the vessels of the vampirid imago! The parasite in them grew larger, extending their stomach to an unnatural degree, whereas the other organs start to atrophy. Their bodies withers and shrivels, and the tendrils of parasitic flesh start to grow throughout them, occasionally bursting from under the skin. This transformation takes a few months, and during the last days of their life cycle, they became largely immobile, requiring worker ghouls to feed them with the blood they collect in their stomachs.
Stage 5
The metamorphosis is complete, and the host is no longer needed.
The adult vampirid is ready to hatch.
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