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Scientific Classification
| Domain | Eukaryota |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Homunculi |
VAMPIRES_
"I'd advise you stay away from [trail name]. Those fuckin' vampires gorge themselves swollen on unfortunate hikers like you. Swoops in and carries you off to eat you whole, they don't even leave a body for us to clean up." —— site officer in NECROPHANTASMAGORIA (20XX)
Vampires, for a lack of a better term, are almost-fully-humanoid homunculi. They’re blood-sucking, man-eating, shapeshifting creatures that have a “skin” that looks almost completely human, used historically for integrating into human civilizations. They have high cognitive capabilities from having brains that are more “elastic” in percieving and learning, which makes them more intelligent than humans. However, they are greatly limited in emotional intelligence related to social cohesion which includes stunted empathetic, and romantic inclinations. They have a much stronger tendancy for violence. They are generally accepted to not have personhood.
There are several key features that can be used to distinguish a vampire from a human. The most obvious one is their height. Vampires, while in their skin, are generally around the same height as an elevator (7-9 feet) though some can grow up to 15 feet. A pseudo-tapetum lucidum allows their eyes to reflect light in a way that humans cannot. Additionally, vampires will always have trochanteric depressions to aid digestion.
They’re able to freely contort their bodies to fit into smaller spaces since they are made of undense biomatter. This means that they are extremely light despite their size which allows them to climb and balance on surfaces that normally would not hold their weight.
Outside of their skin (in other words, in their original form), vampires have multiple mouths that span along their entire bodies. They have extremely long limbs and can be either bipedal (digitigrade) or multi-pedal like a centaur-like creature. They can dynamically manipulate their form, creating tubular, or tendril-like prehensile branches.
Vampires don’t form cooperative societies with their own kind. This is both due to their aggressive infighting-causing nature and also because of the scarcity of their species. They will sometimes live in small family (until their children grow up) or partner units as they mate for life. Vampires, male or female, lay eggs inside a host which can either be a human or another vampire. The offspring will always be pure vampire.
Otherwise, they're observed to behave pretty similar to humans (man-eating and cannibalism aside).
Vampires first appeared in modern Dao County, Hunan, following the migration of H. sapiens. They are a product of the Tumor like all other homunculi.