European Vampire Bloodline: The First

Bloodline Values: Discretion, Determination, Privacy, Individualism, Autonomy

Bloodline Traits:
Euphoric bite/venom, hypnotic gaze, telepathy, mesmerizing voice, glamour/illusions, greatly enhanced strength and speed, solitary hunters, territorial.

Bloodline Description:
As the name would suggest, The First are the original vampiric bloodline -- having existed since the loss of Primordial Night. There are, as far as anyone knows, no living vampires in existence who were present for that event but the First haven't mutated much since then and are hardest hit by the curse. The First are also the rarest of all vampiric bloodlines with only a few dozen still in existence.

The First are solitary hunters who compulsively avoid both other First and members of other bloodlines and even go so far as to try to avoid humans whenever possible... Members of this bloodline are some of the least human in appearance out of all the vampiric bloodlines as they never recover from the signs of decay that begin to manifest when they've gone too long without feeding (see "The Hunger" for more information) and, without regularly consuming blood, will actively decay. This means that the First rely on The Veil far more than any other species and also use glamour/illusions to hide their true existence from the mortals they feed on.

Whether the First are the rarest bloodline due to their reluctance to Change others or because the Nightingale hunted them to near existence is impossible to know.

Bloodline Culture:
The First don't have much of a bloodline culture as they avoid contact with one another as much as possible. The First almost exclusively live either far from human society in isolated mountain ruins, deep within forests or in abandoned human necropolises... For example, it is well known in vampire culture that there is a member of the First dwelling within the unmapped parts of the Paris Catacombs.

Each member of the First is a unique entity with their own ideals and social beliefs. The only thing that's consistent among them is hesitation to Change others into vampires and spread their particular iteration of the Curse... Often, when someone is Changed it is as a form of punishment for some great crime, whether that be against humans or some percieved slight against the individual vampire.

Bloodline Appearance:
Members of this bloodline vary greatly in appearance due to progression of decay in each individual. They can be as varied in appearance as any rotting corpse. Some members of this bloodline look almost "fresh" but most, due to age and self-isolation, look quite decayed... The view things they have in common are large fangs that cannot be retracted and long, razor sharp claws. The eyes tend to be pale in color -- pink, pale blue or pale violet with a collapsed pupil -- though they may also be covered with thick, milky cataracts... Which don't generally seem to interfere with the vampire's sense of sight, for whatever reason.

Hunting Methods:
Highly varied. Some choose to wait for travelers to become lost in their domain, some seek out sleeping humans in isolated villages, some use their mesmerizing voice to tempt people to them and some rely on strength and speed to attack humans without being seen. The youngest members of this bloodline may hunt in a manner very similar to Nightingales, using copious amounts of perfume and their ability to create illusions to hide their decaying bodies.

Bloodline Abilities:
The bloodline of the First possesses all the "basic" vampire abilities in addition to access to incredibly powerful illusion magic -- allowing them to appear in any shape they desire. However, unlike the Stryzga bloodline, they are incapable of changing their physical form. The First also have the strongest mental powers of any of the vampiric bloodlines, being more capable of controlling the actions/altering the perceptions of others than even the Nightingale line.

Bloodline Weaknesses:
As mentioned before, the First have bodies that do not recover from the progression of hunger and are all at various stages of decomposition. In addition, the First are incredibly sensitive to sunlight and highly prone to "corruption" by the Myriad.

The Bloodlines:
The Nightingale
The Revenant
The Siren
The Stryzga
The First [You Are Here]
The Felis
The Lamia
The Feral

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