Blood Mages
Levels: 1-12 d6, 4-7 d6 checks
Somewhere in a castle, cavern, or fortress, an arch Vitaen Lich keeps a retinue of vampire mages which they instruct in their magic through rites and rituals which are often painful and test the strengths of their retinue. The members of this retinue are Blood Mages, a unique type of vampire which is created, not sired, through practices of their arcane magic.
Over time, they go through changes, which result in corruption of their bodies, through their strict, ritual practices. At first, they grow pale, and later have the appearance of gaunt humans or elves (their race). Through this metamorphasis, they become a unique kind of vampire, which have none of a vampire's weaknesses, and only a very few of their inborn advantages. The sun does not harm them, they can still eat food, they attain haste, and Kahiran Presence. They do not decline any further than the gaunt stage. These Mages have ranks, and each rank is identified by the robes which they wear. They have a strict limit to how many members can join their order and fill a rank, and like it or not, they remain at that rank of power until a brother in the next rank needs to be replaced, usually because they are slain, or leave the order (in what case their memory is altered and all secrets of their society are erased from their knowledge).
Rank | Robes | Number of Disciples
Apprentice (gray-Levels 1-6) 6
Priest (brown-Levels 7-13) 9
Blood Templar (white-Levels 14-19) 5
High Priest (indigo-Levels 20-26) 6
Bishop (red-Levels 27-32) 1
Arch Regent (black-Levels 33-38) 1
Arch Lich (red and black 39-40) 1
These mages practice a great deal of their magic in a temple called Tirhas Suil (shrine of blood), which is usually a great tower or keep, and below this shrine, is a large pool of blood. This blood remains fresh by ancient powers which flow through the lake's deep basin of rock and the shrine above it. These lakes are many thousands of years old, and are filled with the blood of countless thousands of enemies (and sometimes unfortunate curiosity seekers) who were sacrificed over the ages to their God, Kahir. This pool is called Anun Morsuil (lake of life), and is used for many of their most pivotal and life altering rituals, and they are made immortal through these rites of passage, while their physical forms become a sort of vessel for power.
The source of their power and life comes from the pool and empowers them with a vital flame phylactory they all share in common, their 'Heart of Fire,' which is well protected by layered shields called layers of life (1 shield per level, 100-HP per layer). These mages are difficult to kill, and if someone attempts to slay them, and succeeds in the wrong way, the mage is reborn through their heart, and are more powerful when they remanifest than before they were killed. An added 'layer of life' forms around their phylactory heart, and they gain power (+1 level), and a more normal appearance (less gaunt or pale).
There are four Blood Mage orders, each with an Arch Regent Lich. The order of Kahir (by far the oldest) led by Rafael Hadrian, The order of Doom Mages (the second oldest) led by Agminon Torll, the order of Lasmoas, led by Diegva Lasmoas, and the order of Vahseva (the only female order) led by Moraela Velgosa. If these mages attempt suicide, or arrange their own death in an attempt to gain more power, the power of the Anun Morsuil soaks all of their power, and their heart is left protected by only one layer of life. The mage's order may then decide to sacrifice the power grubber to Kahir.
Ritual of Ascension: At level 25. all Blood Mages who wish to remain with their order undergo a ritual which changes them into a Kahiran Vampire, at what time they become a Malfezian (Blood Sorcerer) as a race. These sorcerers are vampiric but unique as vampires in that they can have children, eat normal foods and do not suffer torpor effects. If deprived of blood they simply lose the ability to command their paths by -3 stamina per day without blood until they pass out with exhaustion. They can be revived with only two pints of blood and regain stamina by +3 per pint of blood consumed. Blood Sorcerers can also gorge on blood to build up their stamina above its normal range by +3 stamina per pint. Mages are bled out as they are gradually submersed in the Lake of Blood until a complete blood transfusion occurs and the lake's blood infuses them with its power and raises them as a Malfezian. This process is extremely painful. This change only works on Blood Mages because they have been sacrificing their blood to the lake, and drawing power from the lake, since the beginning of their apprenticeship.
Disadvantage: destruction of their vital flame destroys them. A specific rite must be performed to snuff the Heart of Fire. A weapon must be dipped in the Anun Morsuil of the mage's order, and the command, "Sacrifice of the many fell the one," must be spoken while the wielder adds his own blood to the weapon by cutting their palm. The shields protecting the heart must then be broken down until none remain, and the blood imbued part of the weapon must be thrust into the mage's heart. Unearthing this secret is difficult and dangerous in and of itself.
Advantages:
Kahiran Presence
Range; at up to +1 mile per ace, anywhere on same land mass with a crit, or called range with 5+ aces.
Magic: Path of Blood (often using a blood staff)