Vallahism

[Greater Vallah require Non-Standard Character Applications-Vallah Lord is Event Exclusive]

Vallahism is the original sin, the original curse. Vallah were some of the first blighted creatures to truly manifest on the realm, hiding shadows and filling their lust for blood. This Crimson Curse finds its way into homes of the innocent and the damned alike, tainting their bloodlines and seeks to avenge those who dared defile the shrines of the gods. The term Vallah means in an ancient tongue 'To swear in Holy Name,' derived from their tainted and nefarious origins.

Races that can Contract Vallahism

Note, Polymorphing into races not listed while having the curse is not possible.

• Humans
• Elves
• Orcs
• Halfbreeds [Not Half Mer]
• Danakov
• Dwarves
• Goblins
• Satyr
• Dryads
• Skralyn

Origin of Trait

The Vallah curse traces its origins back to some of the earliest instances in the history of the divine. Thousands of years ago, when man was still fledgling, the mortals were in conflict much as how they remain today. These orders of Light and Shadow, ones who followed the Mother of Night or Father of Radiance, found themselves at odds due to philosophical and moral differences. Generations of war followed until one day the followers of Ombra finally did something which appalled Sol too greatly. They stained his shrine in the blood of his faithful during a peaceful sermon on his nameday, which broke the holy treaty the two had established on already tenuous terms. It was on this day Sol sought his Sister, and convinced her into complying through sheer will, and force of arms. These once blessed and powerful Ombrites were now cursed, as their skin paled and their fangs grew long, while their eyes began to glow a crimson red during the night. Ombra however, ever the wiser and more tricky than her brother, had laid a deceptive trap. While her weaker followers would perhaps remain cursed and weakened in the sun eternally, her stronger followers would ascend past their previous powers, bringing the Night into the day forever more with their faithful vigil. While Sol may have charred their blood black with the curse, Ombra kept her followers stealthy, strong, and protected during both the time of her moonlit gaze, and her radiant, boisterous brothers.

Acquisition

Vallahism is transmitted through the blood as a fledgling curse, usually intentionally from the sycophant to the victim. Once there the curse manifests on their soul, attaching like a leech before over the coming of 7 septs manifests into something more symbiotic. It is over this period that the victim first begins to experience changes. They feel sickly, weak, and on the seventh day their curse manifests in full. In this time, their entire body is wracked in horrible pain as they vomit up an amount of blood before collapsing to the ground. During this time, the victim loses consciousness, their heart stops, and they inevitably… die before the curse manifests itself and revitalizes the person back to life.

Vallah who ascend to Greater Vallahism have surpassed the reaches of the curse, turning it into something that is more than just a malignance on their body. Greater Vallahism manifests throughout their whole body, turning their blood black and giving them heightened strength and agility. It is at this point where their curse becomes visible constantly, as Greater Vallah are unafraid of those who are beneath them. Greater Vallahism also comes with three different paths achievable.

The Original Greater Vallah, those under the Path of Savagery, and those under the Path of Essence. Each is achieved through different feats.

Original Greater Vallah tend to be those who pursue ambitions in a selfish, self-centered manner, caring little of those beneath them.

Those of the Path of Savagery have accomplished this by taking a more feral and barbaric path with it, feeding in excess of blood and flesh recklessly and with little care of those they harm.

Finally, those of the Path of Essence are those who follow their ambitions through subterfuge, manipulation, and using less barbaric ways of getting what they want. They seem more passive and almost friendly, but all for the guise of luring unsuspecting prey.

Races that can contract Vallahism: (Note: Polymorphing into races not listed while having the curse is not possible.)

• Humans
• Elves
• Orcs
• Halfbreeds (Not Half Mer)
• Danakov
• Dwarves
• Goblins
• Satyr
• Dryads
• Skrayln

Transformation

Vallahism Acquisition cycle: (Note: The following occurs over the first seven OOC days after becoming infected before the person fully turns.)

Sept 1

The victim feels more tired than usual, skin paling a little as if sick. They start getting symptoms much like the common cold such as a runny nose, congestion, chills, a fever, red, itchy or watery eyes, etc.

Sept 2

The victim starts feeling greater fatigue, muscle soreness, and all the above symptoms but mildly worsened. They start losing their appetite as well, but not enough to stop eating entirely.

Sept 3

The victim starts feeling pain in their gums at the roots of their teeth and all previous effects but worse. Their skin pales further and their lack of an appetite progresses.

Sept 4

The victim starts feeling more muscle soreness, previous effects, and also starts growing an aversion to sunlight. Their teeth also start sharpening a little, particularly at the canines. They also get a minor irritation to gold as if allergic.

Sept 5

The victim’s eyes start to grow reddened but their loss of appetite lessens to more of an aversion to regular foods, the person now desiring meat, generally on the rarer side when cooked. They grow uncomfortable in sunlight as well.

Sept 6

The victim’s canines continue to grow, the whites of the eyes look less irritated and instead the iris itself begins reddening around the edges. They feel weaker in sunlight and the nails of the cursed grow discolored and the nails become tougher.

Sept 7

The victim’s skin is unhealthily pale and the redness takes over the entirety of the victim’s iris during the night. The nails start becoming blackened and more discolored overtime and become too tough to be cut by regular tools. The extension skill of the fingernails may be discovered.

Sept 8

All the symptoms for a Vallah have emerged and the transition is completed in its entirety. On this day, the cursed temporarily dies after coughing up a black ichorous liquid. They remain ‘dead’ for only a few moments before awakening again as a full-fledged Vallah.

Physical Changes

Vallah have many effects and physical changes at various points, the specifications of these being detailed in the Mechanics section below. Some general assertions can be made however at the population of them at large. Vallah are creatures which prefer the night, possess large talons and fangs which they use to hunt their prey and to secure themselves blood. Many Vallah are either innocents turned in these raids or sycophants who hail from royal bloodlines, having used the curse to try and maintain a long, but cursed life.

Holy objects, gold, and other weaknesses plague their daily lives, making using coinage a tedious task. With this in mind, most Vallah societies have forsaken these metals and tools for other more worthy items. Ombra as their patron deity protects them in her shadows, making the curse feel muted within it.

Turning into a Vallah is not a pleasant experience, but rather a painful one. It feels when one begins to turn as if their eyes are burning and their bones are stretching. Their bodies break into feverish pitches, leaving them battered and wounded. It is during this time they also begin to learn to use their incisors to feed and to properly drink the blood of their prey.

The soul of the vallah which has turned is a curious anomaly. Unlike their Lycan counterparts, the Vallah curse has manifested itself as apart of the soul, becoming one with it and corrupting it into something more permanent to some degree. The soul of the Lesser Vallah is Crimson, while the Greater Vallah's is black, giving them a very distinct appearance.

Mental Changes

Vallah have very few mental changes, and the ones they have are minimal barring one or two more notable changes. They tend to no longer find interest in eating normal food and most of them do not like sunlight, taking to becoming nocturnal. Most notably, when around blood, they grow more aware of it and lose a modicum of focus on what they are doing to instead find or look at the source of the blood. This will not break concentration. Greater Vallahs find this same effect around Lesser Vallah blood, but Lesser Vallah are not drawn to other Lesser Vallah’s blood.

Blood Starvation

Vallah's curse is to feed on those they can draw blood from, whether it be willingly or unwillingly. Every sort of Vallah has to feed. Greater Vallah are also known to feed on flesh, while both must draw blood. Should they find no prey, Vallah will enter into an animalistic and feral state where they only have one goal: Feed. For the next 24 OOC hours, the Vallah will do all that they can to satiate their hunger, attacking the first sentient being they see. Their nails also extend into talons, no matter if it's day or night while their teeth grow sharper, particularly the fangs, and their skin grows parchment white. If they have fed, they will go unconscious for the next hour or so before awakening with a tunnel vision recollection of what occurred and soreness to their gums, fingertips, and muscles.

Greater Vallah going down the Path of Essence do not suffer from Blood Starvation as other Greater Vallah do. Instead of starving for blood, they starve of the life force and energy of other creatures, becoming desperate to grapple another sentient being to begin draining them. Oftentimes they will act irrational in this attempt and will go after anyone nearby. If they do not gather the necessary essence from another person, they will grow weaker and weaker over the course of 24 OOC hours starting at the time they began to starve until they are so weak and fatigued they can barely get up and stumble around.

Should the Vallah not feed or consume essence within the 24 OOC hours they are starving, they will begin aging rapidly to their true age and grow far more vicious or desperate. If they are 50 years older than their race’s original age, they will crumple and die within the next 10 emotes without sustenance. If they feed during this time, they will revert back to how they were before except 5 years older.

General Mechanics & Lesser Vallahism

General

• Vallah do not require food, water, etc. But they can still partake in the consummation of such.
• Vallah nails are as tough as iron and can be extended at night. Blackened in color, these talons are able to cut through most cloths and gambeson with ease.
• Vallah have enhanced vision at night, able to see through it as if it was day.
• Vallah are weak to holy items and gold. When coming into contact with vallah, these cause more severe burns based on the longevity of the contact.
• Vallah are immune to most diseases and pathogens.
• Creatures of the Night [wolves, bats, rats, bears, snakes, and other vermin], take no interest in Vallah unless provoked to do so.
• Vallah must drink fresh blood from sentient creatures to fulfill their hunger. Blood from animals or stale blood does not work.
  • Lesser vallah cannot feed on other vallah to sustain the curse, but greater vallah can sustain off of lesser.
• The spawn of Vallah have the potential of being Lesser Vallah too.
• Vallah cannot sleep.
  • They can still be affected by outside sources (spells, injuries, etc) and be rendered unconscious/in a sleep state.
• Vallah have a coagulant and pain-reliever stored in their incisors and used when feeding. It is possible for the Vallah to feed on the sleeping or willing, leaving the only sign of their presence being two red pin pricks on the user when they look.
• When around blood, Vallah tend to become less focused on anything but the scent and sight of the blood. They are drawn to it, but won’t necessarily go after the source of it.
  • Their fangs grow, their eyes darken at the sclera, and the black of their nails crawl up their fingers, giving a more cruel appearance to the Vallah when in the presence of blood. They can also smell it easily if it's fresh and within twenty meters.

Lesser Vallahism

• Have an extended lifespan of five times their base life. Vallah age normally until adulthood (18).
• Have canines which grow 1.5 times their usual length. They are constant unless at night, at which they can extend and retract at will.
• Lesser Vallah have sanguine blood which is able to turn other viable persons. This turning requires OOC consent.
• While in the sunlight, Vallah are utterly crippled, and are only able to walk and lift small objects, such as to drink or read a book. Their strength and speed are reduced by two stages. This does not come into play if in the shadows or at night. Most armor and clothing does not protect from this, but moonstones do. Sunstones count as sunlight for these purposes.
• Lesser Vallah require blood every two OOC weeks or suffer the effects of blood exhaustion. If a vallah feeds, the above effect of crippling in the sunlight is reduced to one stage lower, however their eyes remain blood red even during the day. They must feed on a player character.
• Lesser Vallah eyes turn crimson at night, during the day their maintain their normal eye color unless they have fed on a player recently

Path of the Originals

Greater Vallahism

• Are immortal and do not age past the point of adulthood.
• Have canines which grow two times their usual length at will.
• Greater Vallah have black blood.
• Greater Vallah suffer harsh effects in the sun, increased compared to Lesser Vallah. During the day, their strength and speed is reduced by three stages, to a minimum of two.
• Greater Vallah require blood and/or flesh feeding once every two OOC weeks. If a vallah feeds, the above effect of crippling sunlight is reduced to one during the day. They must feed on a player character.
• Greater Vallah have the ability to climb surfaces and stick to them. This grants them greater upwards mobility on usually unclimbable surfaces.
• During the night, Greater Vallah are no longer as weak to gold and holy items, etc. Instead they are treated as a normal person would. This can be circumvented by lighting an area with *Sunstones, but this will not inflict the sunlight debuff, merely disable their nighttime abilities.
• Greater Vallah can heal major limbs by drinking 3 pints per severe injury. It takes 1 round to drink half a pint. These wounds will heal over a period of a day per severe injury.
• Greater Vallah are stronger and more agile ONLY during the night, in caves with no surface light or if within the radius of a moonstone.
• All Standard Greater Vallah have Tier Six Strength and Tier Six Speed.
• Greater Vallah have reptilian, amber colored eyes at all hours.

Path of Essence

Greater Vallahism

• Have all the mechanics of an Original Greater Vallah unless stated otherwise.
• Essence Greater Vallah appear much like a standard Greater Vallah but they do not have fangs or claws.
• Essence Greater Vallah do not feed as other Vallah do. Instead, they set their hand on a target and begin draining them of their energy or in other words, their ‘essence’. Every person has essence and as it’s drained, it has similar symptoms to as if being drained of blood. An Essence Vallah must feed once every two OOC weeks.
  • Every Essence Vallah has an ‘essence well’. This well determines how many times they might use their abilities and how much ‘essence’ is in their well is determined by how much they’ve fed.
    • Each Essence Vallah requires a minimum of 5 essence, but they have an essence well maximum of 15 that completely drains by the end of the 2 OOC weeks. Should they use all 15 before the 2 OOC weeks are up, they will suffer from the effects of essence starvation.
• Essence Greater Vallah cannot feed to heal injuries or limbs as they do not partake of flesh or blood.
• Essence Greater Vallah are stronger and more agile during the night, in dark houses, caves, or within the radius of a moonstone.
  • All Essence Greater Vallah have Tier Five Strength and Tier Seven Speed.
• Essence Greater Vallah have reptilian, white colored eyes with black sclera at all hours.
• Given Essence Greater Vallah are weaker in stature to other Greater Vallah, they make up for this with three special and unnatural abilities. These abilities each cost essence from their essence well to use and can only be used at night or in caves.
  • Claws of Essence | 2 Points of Essence
    • Over the course of two turns, the Greater Vallah can summon incorporeal talons to their fingertips. These claws do not do any physical damage but can harm incorporeals. They go through armor, and if they hit a corporeal being, it drains the target of 2 points of essence and gives it to the Greater Vallah. This can only be used once on a target and lasts 10 turns.
  • Memory Lapse | 3 Points of Essence
    • At low concentration, the Greater Vallah can alter and remove the memories of an individual up to ten turns prior. Removing memories does not give them to the Greater Vallah. This takes two turns to do and requires the Greater Vallah to be touching the target.
  • Nightly Control | 4 Points of Essence
    • The Greater Vallah can link with two nearby nocturnal creatures that are awake or asleep up to Dangerous. For ten turns, these creatures will regard the Vallah as tamers and be non-aggressive following combat pet standards. Once the duration is up, these animals will continue to be passive to the vallah unless attacked. They take three turns to summon.

Path of Savagery

Greater Vallahism

• Have all the mechanics of an Original Greater Vallah unless stated otherwise.
• Savage Greater Vallah have nails as tough as steel that can be extended.
• Savage Greater Vallah have more intense features that prove their Greater Vallahism, that being ashen skin, pointed ears, sharp features, and other bat like facial features.
  • They also tend to be more savage or barbaric, desiring blood and flesh more often than the standard Greater Vallah.
  • Savage Greater Vallah do not have a coagulant or pain-reliever in their incisors as other Vallah, all of their teeth sharper, particularly the teeth on either side of the fangs.
  • They also have their fangs out at all times and cannot retract them at any time.
• Savage Greater Vallah suffer extreme effects in the sunlight to the point their skin and flesh begin to burn under its direct rays. After ten emotes of being in direct sunlight consecutively, they will be rendered to ash.
  • Turn 1: First degree in the area affected.
  • Turn 5: Second degree burns in the area affected.
  • Turn 8: Third degree burns in the area affected.
  • Turn 10: Reduced to ash.
    • This can be circumvented using Moonstones or being in thick shade such as in dense jungles or inside a house. Moonstones do not give them their nightly boons.
• Savage Greater Vallah require blood and/or flesh feeding once every one OOC week. If a vallah feeds, they do not turn to ash in the sun, but they will gain up to second degree burns and continued irritation and pain as long as in sunlight.
• Savage Greater Vallah can heal major limbs by drinking 2 pints of blood per severe injury. It takes 1 round to drink one pint of blood. These wounds will heal over a period of 12 OOC hours per severe injury.
  • Greater Vallah are stronger and more agile ONLY during the night, in caves with no surface light.
  • Savage Greater Vallah have Tier Seven Strength and Tier Five Speed.
• Savage Greater Vallah have reptilian, crimson colored eyes and black sclera at all hours.

Vallah Lords

Vallah Lord [Event Exclusive]

• Vallah Lords have black iris.
• Vallah Lords have all the traits otherwise that their Greater Vallah path have, unless they conflict with the ones listed here.
• Vallah Lords when exposed to the moonlight appear as vicious creatures. Their skin turns grey and shrinks to their face and skin as their vampiric features become more prominent.
• Vallah Lords do not need to feed, the curse having become utterly soul-based.
• Vallah Lords are not affected by the Sun.
• Vallah Lords each have a suite of 3 special effects that have mutated from their ascended form unique to them and only them. This varies wildly between each Vallah Lord, but its effects are quite powerful.

Races Blood & Essence

• Small Races: Eight Pints / Twelve Essence
  • Dwarves
  • Halflings
  • Draxgar (Small)
  • Skrayln
  • Goblins
• Medium Races: Ten Pints / Fifteen Essence
  • Humans
  • Elves
  • Half-Elves
  • Half-Mer
  • Danakov
  • Satyr
  • Aervan
  • Leonin
  • Syrien
  • Dryads
  • Shifters
  • Fey
• Large Races: Twelve Pints / Twenty Essence
  • Orcs
  • Centaurs
  • Draxgar (Large)
  • Half-Orcs

Vallah drink around 1 pint of the total blood (10 pints) of an average adult human. How much a Vallah drinks from an individual will have varying degrees of effect. It takes two weeks IC (2 days OOC) to regenerate a single pint of blood. It takes 1 round to drink half a pint of blood. It also takes 1 round to drain 3 point of essence from a person. Varying degrees of effects occur depending on how much blood is drained, and can be found in the Races Blood & Essence Chart.

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