Dhampires � The Children of the Blood Curse

A more detailed look at the Vampiric hybrids

by Gavin Bennett (Vampire: The Masquerade | Resources)

When she awoke, her roommate was standing over her, concern and worry on her face. Lisa looked up at her and smiled. Her roommate smiled back. Lisa looked at her, noted how beautiful she was, saw, for the first time the light haloed around her. That’s her life, Lisa thought. She stared at the light, entranced, then, at last, she identified the strange sensation inside herself. It was lust. It was hunger.

Dhampire.

Children of a dark union of damned and mortal, these half demon children have been around for a long time indeed, despite what the Camarilla claims. The Romani have many, many myths of these children. They have never been common, but there are more around than you can imagine. The young ones are completely human, the old ones, indistinguishable from their dark vampiric heritage.

There are three main "races" of Dhampires, as noted by Tremere scholars in these, the dying days.

The Eastern Dhampires: These are the children of the mysterious Cathayans.

The Children of the Thin Blood: These are the children of the Last Generations of Caine.

Lampijerovic: The others, born in the bloodied lands of Eastern Europe.

The Eastern Dhampires and the Children of the Thin Blood have been discussed in other sources, the Kindred of the East Companion and the Time of Thin Blood. This essay will discuss, primarily, the Lampijerovic, and their relationship with their Kindred Sires and other groups, such as the Rom and the practitioners of sorcery.

Eastern Europe:

They are the bloodstained lands. The dark cauldron of Europe, the place which has never known peace. Take a map of Europe, from the brackish marshes of Southern Finland, to the Northern Hills of Greece; from the Black Forest of Germany to the outskirts of Moscow. That is the place. The haunted lands echo with broken empires, and the trees bleed at night. The land is cursed, poisoned forever from the blood of millions; from the charnel houses of Auschwitz to the killing fields of Bosnia. From the remains of the forests of impaled Turks in Transylvania, to the haunts of the Tzimisce, these lands belong to the night. From the filthy polluted downs of Romania to the scarred Croatian coastline, the land haunts itself, forever and forever.

The Saxons, the Mongols, the Celts, the Slavs, the Ugric, the Vikings, the Turks, have all torn through these lands, the crossroads of the world. They have raped and pillaged and killed and maimed and destroyed, and they have done little, but to feed the dark roots of the twisted trees and keep the black soil fertile.

The soil is forever stained with blood. Farmers know this, but they keep it secret. The land is their master; they are merely servants there. They stay silent. Trees grow deep roots into the warm, damp earth, drinking deep of the reservoirs of blood beneath.

Experts, sent from Germany and France, walk these places, noting water-table corruptions, and vile seepage into the rivers, shake their heads and mutter about inefficient and polluting industries. But it is not just the industry. The Garou say the Wyrm haunts these lands, owns these lands. The Rom are more correct. These lands belong to Hell, they say, and Heaven has long turned away.

On St. George’s Eve, Walpurgisnacht, the gates from Below open, and things walk across the land, and the people stay inside, clutching their useless crucifixes.

And in this dark land, some vampires can lay down with mortal women and sometimes, only sometimes, dark children will be born to them.

The mother rarely survives.

It is said the Revenants are a product of the curse on the lands of Central and Eastern Europe as much as that of dark magic and Ghouling. It is most likely that the Lampijerovic are similarly a product of the curse, rather than any biological means. Certainly, the act of producing mortal seed for a vampire is impossible. Certainly, even the most adept Cainite Thaumaturges have never succeeded in creating a ritual that allows the dead wombs or dead testicles of the Kindred to ever live again.

No, the birth of the Dhampires is almost purely an external creation. But what?

Most disturbingly, Lampijerovic Dhampires have been recorded being born to women outside of the bounds of the bloodied lands. Lampijerovic-type Dhampires have been recorded in Britain, France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, and most commonly, in the United States.

No reason for this has been forthcoming, but the Tremere that know of such things speculate that one or both of the parents may have Eastern European blood, and that the curse has followed them across the world. Others say that the spread of the curse on the tainted lands is a sign of that Gehenna is close.

Obertus scholars, however, have followed such development closely. It concerns them deeply, because they know just as well, that they are the products of that self-same taint. They have stolen information from the Camarilla, information recorded by Dr. Netchurch, which marks the "Thin Blooded" progeny as being similar to Revenants. The Lampijerovic are also similar, in many ways, to revenants, but there are differences.

Procreation:

The Tremere and Obertuses have recorded many, many variants of the procreation, from a woman taking blood from Kindred during pregnancy, to a male vampire "miraculously" producing sperm. They have even, on occasion, noted certain female vampires giving birth. Such occurrences have only occurred twice, and in one case, the female vampire was a known Infernalist.

Pregnancy:

Pregnancy for the mother is rather normal, although depressions and anxiety are said to be common.

Birth:

The Dhampire child almost certainly will kill the mother in one way or another. Some talk about exceptionally sick occurrences at parturition. Sometimes, the mother simply haemorrhages and dies. Other women suffer terrible post-natal depressions and die. Others are never quite right, after this. Some go on to become noted infernal sorcerers. The darkness has claimed them.

Childhood:

The Dhampire usually has a normal a childhood as possible, but they are almost certainly orphans. The state orphanages in Romania had a special institution where the Tzimisce scientists could experiment on the blasphemous children. The child’s dreams are exceptionally strong and even prophetic, and have been known to speak in tongues, and see past the veil of shadows into the land of the dead.

Adolescence:

When the child reaches the age of 11 or 12, the changes begin. They manifest some strange, uncontrolled, powers. They experience lusts that far exceed anything human. They touch madness, and typically manic-depressive. They are not normal. They are not human, they are Other. Other children either ignore and isolate the strange child with the dark eyes, or they become drawn to the child’s odd beauty. The adolescent Dhampire is human, in almost every means. There are a few differences. Their irises are uniformly black, and they have a strange, and compelling charisma and beauty. Their skin is cool and flawless, and they are thin and androgynous.

Adulthood:

As young adults, the Dhampire begins to change. His aging arrests itself at around age 25, or the appearance of age 25. Their powers grow still. The Rom report that this is the true dhampiric stage, the true place between natures. If the child is not aware of his nature by now, he will discover it. Some traumatic event will occur, typically, and the child will realise his nature. They will start seeing straight into the Shadowlands; or they will start hungering for blood. The adult Dhampire is suspended at that middle point. They become almost ageless. They retain their beauty, but have a very adult grace. As they get older, sunlight starts hurting them, until they pass into "old age" and sunlight starts killing them. Their skin gets subtly paler as they get older.

Middle Age:

The dhampiric middle age can last centuries, but it does come. The Dhampire does not grow older, he grows more alien. He sees things in a cold, predatory manner. He is on the road to becoming a reflection of his Cainite parent.

Old Age:

The transformation is complete. The dhampire’s young skin dries out, and he becomes like a desiccated corpse, hanging in eternity in the shape of death. Unless, that is, he drinks blood, like his father. The old Dhampire is essentially a Cainite now, in all but name. Sunlight hurts him, the blood calls to him, he is dying inside. The old Dhampire essentially becomes a Cainite, at one generation less than his or her father, and of the same clan. The clan in question tends to be Brujah, Giovanni, Tzimisce or Tremere, because they are most populous in the cursed lands. It is said that Dhampire children of the Nosferatu become beautiful, with an unearthly beauty rivalling that of the Sidhe Changelings. Dhampires of all clans have no fangs, however. Strangely, their heart still beats. But they are dead inside. Many die at this age, perhaps three centuries after birth, and others have been known to enter torpor, or even fade away, bodily, into the Shadowlands. Oddly, the Lampijerovic still consumes in the manner it is accustomed to. Other Cainites know better than to delve into this issue too much.

The change is a traumatic event, a coming of age into the World of Darkness. They suddenly realise their childhood dreams and visions were true, that they can see ghosts and the strange lights around some people. They start falling victims to cravings, cravings for something beyond sex and food and water, but for the essence of people. They suddenly can see into the Shadowlands, as if they were real.

The day they stop being human and "become" a dhampyr is usually marked by terrible pain and illness. Common visions include seeing the moment of their birth, or seeing the layout of hell, or dreaming of the horrors of the Balkan wars. Some dhampyrs awakened to their true natures during the so-called Week of Nightmares. They vomit blood, sweat profusely, or suffer awful visions of the world. They have stopped being human and are on their way to becoming a demon.

It is not a lust for blood, the Obertuse scholars record, but rather a lust for the soul, for life itself. The Dhampires, like the mysterious Lilin and Kuei-Jin, consume soul energy, either as blood, or sex, or even drinking their breath. It is noted that many Dhampires seek to rid the world of the evil of their father’s race. They do not know that they are doomed to become like him, but still, they fight. Those who fight against the night usually die long before the night claims them in their old age.

Thirsts of the Lampijerovic:

Once the Dhampyr exhausts its "Blood Pool" the first time, she can do either one of two things. She may wait until the Blood regenerates (see Time of Thin Blood) at a rate of one point per day, using Willpower in lieu of Blood if powers are needed, or she may be a little more proactive, and steal it, as her father would. Lampijerovics take sustenance in the same manner as a Cainite would, but the way in which it is taken can be different.

The Lampijerovic can take sustenance from mortals by the following methods. Most Lampijerovic choose one method and stay with it. If a Lampijerovic gets "fixated" on one method, and for some reason must use another method of consuming, she must spend a Willpower point to force herself to consume by this new fashion. Whether it is blood or life or heat, the same stuff, what the Kuei-Jin would call Chi, is coming out of the victim.

* Blood: The Dhampire drinks blood as her father would. She has no fangs, but some Dhampires file their teeth for ripping the skin, or carry a straight razor or similar implement for bleeding the victim.

* Soul: The Dhampire essentially steals the victim’s life energy, in the form of Willpower. This is done by kissing the victim, draining the life energy out of the victim’s mouth. When the victim runs out of Willpower, the victim collapses, and may die.

*Heat: The Dhampire touches a victim, or embraces him, and steals his warmth. Assume the victim has a "heat pool" equivalent to his blood pool. When it is gone, the victim dies.

*Sex: The Dhampire can steal the victim’s life energy by having sex with the victim.

*Mind: The Dhampire can touch the forehead of her victim and steal energy straight from the victim’s mind. It is reported that such dhampires can also read the victim’s mind during this act.

See Time of Thin Blood for the rules of Dhampire frenzies. This is true until the Dhampire reaches his final change, and becomes, to all intents and purposes, a Kindred. Then normal frenzy rules apply.

When the Blood Pool is depleted: The Dhampire becomes very tired, very sick and very anaemic, and will be noticeably weaker. He won’t die, but gets very tired, and fatigued.

Dhampires cannot be Embraced or drunk from by Vampires. Their blood tastes awful. It causes damage to Vampires (one health level per blood point) dumb enough to ignore this rule. That means no Blood Bonds and no Amaranth, either. It is suspected that the Lampijerovic are still gonna be toast on Gehenna though.

The Obertuses have recorded many, many strange things about the Lampijerovic. Some are said to develop Numina. Others learn hedge magic. Others, most disturbingly seem to be able to use the so-called "Magick" of the mages. It is noted however, as they grow older, and grow closer to their father’s nature, they concentrate their studies on Cainite disciplines, although they have been known, on occasion, to create new disciplines, or redefine old ones, in a manner akin to the Thin Blooded Vampires.

The Dhampire usually starts with 10 points of Blood Pool, which increases by one per fifty years of life. The Blood Pool may be regenerated in a manner akin to the Time of Thin Blood Dhampires, or by consuming others’ life force.

The Dhampire also reaches early adulthood with the potential for three points of disciplines, as well as some inborn abilities.

Dhampiric Sight: The Lampijerovic can see into the Shadowlands as if she had Shroudsight (see Vampire: The Masquerade 3^rd Ed. Page 164). The Lampijerovic also has the equivalent of 2 points of Auspex. This sometimes (storyteller’s discretion) allows the Lampijerovic to see short, horrific, visions of the future.

Strength: The Lampijerovic starts with one point of Potence.

Vampiric Sight: The Dhampire can spot Vampires. Blood calls to blood, and the Dhampire can tell a vampire from ordinary mortals with ease. This does not apply to Kindred using Obfuscate or any magical means of hiding. It’s just that they know a bloodsucker when they see one.

Normally Dhampires may learn their father’s Clan Discipline only. The power is said to be within their blood. They learn the father’s Clan discipline as if the Lampijerovic was a Caitiff. Storytellers can rule that the father will hang around, and act as a Sire to the Dhampire as it reaches adult hood, in which case the Lampijerovic can learn whatever her father knows, but the experience cost is always DOUBLED. When they reach old age and the final change, they learn disciplines normally. They are, by that stage, Cainites.

For the sake of argument:

There are six clans who are exceptionally common in Eastern Europe. The rulers are, obviously, the Tzimisce. The Brujah used to rule Russia. The Nosferatu are to be found everywhere, and the dank dark, ancient tunnels beneath Eastern cities appeal to them. The Ravnos made their home there once. The Tremere were "born" there. The Giovanni are expanding their influence into the cursed lands. It would appear the land is tainting them, too.

If the father does stay around, which is not common, for the sake of this essay, the following are the Clan Disciplines that Lampijerovic can learn.

Brujah - Potence.

Giovanni- Necromancy (ala 2^nd Ed rules)

Nosferatu- Obfuscate.

Ravnos- Chimerstry

Tremere- Auspex

Tzimisce- Fleshcrafting (OR Dominate, if Daddy was Old Clan)

Giving powers to Dhampires:

I do not like lists of Kewl Powerz. I want, however, the give Storytellers something to make life easier for them. Essentially, Dhampires are mortal, and should be created as such. I personally prefer using the Hedge Magic rules in A World of Darkness: Sorcerer and Hunters Hunted, or other Numina (see Hunters Hunted and the other Year of the Hunter Supplements). Create your character depending on what the Chronicle is to be. A group of Dhampires who are inspired by contact with Hunters to battle with the night, all the while doomed to become what they fight, perhaps? Give the characters Numina. Even very mild True Faith might work. A Dhampire who allies with other types of Dhampires against the Prince’s sheriff? A few more points in Disciplines. A Lampijerovic who allies with magicians against the Cainites? Allow the player to create a Sorcerer with certain other talents.

Interested in having your characters interact with the Shadowlands now that the Empire has fallen? Make the character based on the Quick and the Dead, but with some other traits. The Lampijerovic are designed as mid level characters, on the level of Cainite neonates or magical adepts.

Dhampires and True Magic.

This is a subject of huge debate amongst the occultists who follow such concerns. General wisdom has that other awakened beings cannot learn True Magic, because of some concern with a Mage’s "avatar" or some such. However, Obertuse scholars, who correspond with certain Hermetic Mages provide an alternate theory. They say that True Magic is unavailable to normal humans, in agreement with typical Mage lore. However, the magical gift that allows the True Magic is NOT a shard of some primordial being, but rather something else. It’s a genetic quirk, a gene that such scholars trace back to the Watchers of Enoch. Kindred Lore points to Noah as a Mage. Gnostic and rabbinical lore points to Noah as one of the Nephilim, the offspring of angel and mortal. Further investigation shows that certain Mages of House Merinita of the Order of Hermes have Faerie blood. Hermetic sources indicate that some mages suffer from a strange flaw that turns them into Psychic Vampires (see Book of Shadows: Mage Player’s Guide). Such reports lead Obertuse scholars to theorize that True Magic, rather than being the domain of humanity, is rather only available to mortals with something wrong with their genes, for example, Fae or Nephilim or Changing Breed ancestry. Rumours persist of certain Mages with Lampijerovic qualities, especially amongst the Phuri Dae of the Rom. Such data has never been substantiated. Obertuse scholars also have information that suggests that the eldest Tremere still use the Bonisagian system of magic, and keep such information from their Childer. If this is the case, the laws of magic and "magic" need to be revised. But the truth, as ever, is a hidden thing, far from any solution.

The Final Change:

The moment the Dhampire stops being remotely human is referred to as the second change. His vampiric nature finally wins, and this occasion can be as traumatic as the first change, or a subtle progression, little things building up over the years. But it will happen. The occasion is typically marked by a frenzy. The long fight is over. They now belong, forever, to the night.

The attitude of the Cainites.

The dhampires spend lifetimes becoming Cainites. But they do become Cainites, although the exact mechanism is unknown. What makes them human dies, leaving only what made them monsters. The vampiric part of their nature takes over, and they become vampires, demons of the night. They are a little different from standard vampires, but only a little. The Camarilla chooses to ignore these differences and there are quite a few Cainites in existence who was not created via the Embrace, but rather have a different heritage. Sabbat scholars remain fascinated by such creatures, and they also ignore the distinct taint of infernalism that surrounds these Dhampire-kindred.

Such dhampires typically debut into kindred society as ancillae. They know far more than neonates, and are far more powerful. They have a new and, indeed, dynamic perception of Kindred society. There are two princes amongst the Kindred who were dhampires. One of the Tremere Council is rumoured to be such. Several Sabbat Bishops are also said to have been dhampires.

The Lampijerovic are heirs to the curse of Caine. They live as humans, but in the end, they die inside, only to become Vampires. They cannot be embraced, and they cannot be diablerised, nor can they be Blood Bound. They may, as Kindred, take sustenance from other sources, but they are still predators. The Lampijerovic are also products of the vile curse on the lands of Central Europe, and, as such, are exceptionally rare elsewhere. Rare, but not unheard of.

Those aware of the true nature of their condition will struggle against their fading humanity, trying to forestall the dark night the cease being human. Suicide and psychoses are common ways out of the horror.

Yes, this may smack of twinkishness. But, wait. The best foil against twinkery is the strict control of experience points. Without any other rule additions, you need experience points to get better at anything, be it a discipline or a trait, or a skill. A Dhampire who somehow learns the spheres of Magic is going to have to get experience points to learn their spheres. And if she does so, she cannot be increasing her Disciplines at the same time. Awakened characters with a few other powers beyond the norm can be quite interesting, as long as they do not disrupt the game. Make sure you are measly about giving out experience points, and twins simply will not have the dice pools to mess others around. What’s more, surely some experience rewards are only allowable for good role-playing??

Secondly, perceptive players may notice a huge correlation between this and two other sources. One is the works of Poppy Z. Brite (in particular, Lost Souls and His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood) and Nancy Collins’ cool little graphic novel: Dhampire Stillborn. DC/Vertigo some years back, and was meant to be the pilot for a new comics series, which never happened, which is a huge pity, published this beautifully written and painted piece of morbidity. I hereby acknowledge the blatant theft and give full credit to these fine authors of vampiric literature. However, it is my contention that in many ways, the World of Darkness is not sick enough, so…