Vampyre Houses

The eight vampyre houses form the aristocracy of the Sanguinesti region. Their history can be traced back to Vampyrium, where the current houses were formed as a result of a civil war. Previously having a tribal culture, the vampyres were introduced to the concept of civilised society by Zaros. This drastic change of society divided the vampyres which threw the tribes into a civil war. Eight tribes emerged victorious which eventually reformed into the current houses.

On Vampyrium, each house had their personal preference in blood taste and hunting methods. Before the vampyre migration to Gielinor, The burgeoning House Drakan managed to increase in power and eventually subjugate the other houses and became the most powerful house on Vampyrium.

As the houses originated from Vampyrium, it is presumed house members are true-born vampyres. It is unknown if human-born vampyres, the majority of vampyres in the Sanguinesti region, have any affiliations with the houses.

House Alzeph

The Alzeph are described as contemptible vyres, they tended to prey on vyres from other tribes. The other tribes feared House Alzeph until the birth of the aristocracy. They preferred spicy blood with a grainy texture. The Alzeph have been on the decline since the start of the new aristocracy and are in a state of near-extinction if they haven't been wiped out already.

House Drakan

House Drakan is the leading House of the vampyric society with Lowerniel Drakan being the supreme leader of Morytania and Darkmeyer. House Drakan also consist of Vanescula Drakan, Ranis Drakan and Draynor Drakan (before his banishment). The Drakan prefer blood with optimism and hope. They would usually allow their prey to escape and feel safe again before bringing it down.

House Ghrazi

The Ghrazi were the most vicious of the tribes, priding themselves on their ability to fight rather than stalk, they would not capture their prey so much as to bait it into combat. They would only hunt the most fearsome and territorial beasts of Vampyrium, not the myriad of docile creatures. Lord Drakan had the House Ghrazi members' wings clipped and kept them alive to be used as pack animals for his hunts, stating that were it not for their ferocity, he'd have put them all down. The Ghrazi rapier was a weapon of the vampyres of this house.

House Jovkai

Prior the aristocratic reformation, the Jovkai were one of the more powerful tribes of Vampyrium in the pre-Zarosian age. Lord Jovkai was a beloved leader, and this love was transposed on to their prey. They would treat their food with care and tenderness, allowing it to live among them feeling safe and cared for before mercilessly slaughtering it behind closed doors.

The House is currently led by Lord Alexei Jovkai, and also consists of Nakasa Jovkai.

House Myrmel

The Myrmel would stalk entire families or social groups, quickly striking down one of their number, yet not feeding from that first kill. Instead, they would hunt down the remaining family members as the cries of their wounded rang in their ears, who were either forced to fight or flee, the latter causing them to regret leaving a loved one behind. Blood consumed this way had an effervescent fizz, making it very aromatic. Lowerniel saw this as wasteful and decreed that this process only be used for special occasions, which the House complied with to avoid being wiped out.

The House is currently led by Lord Mischa Myrmel.

House Pyrah

The Pyrah were a loathsome tribe of carrion-eaters, they would capture whole families of creatures at a time, keeping them in appalling conditions until death took the weakest of them. Any survivors would be mournful of such losses, their grief heightened by being left with the corpses of their families in tight confines. Once entire families had died off, the Pyrah would harvest their congealed blood for later consumption. This congealed blood was surprisingly rich and complex, but Lowerniel found the practice as abhorrent and had the entire House wiped out.

House Shadum

Their main source of food was from a race of creatures they had enslaved, a subjugation these creatures had willingly entered into, submitting to another so they would not have to make choices on their own. Perhaps they held a symbiotic need to attach themselves to our kind for survival. The Shadum were sadistic in their dealings with these beings, breeding them as both subservient and food. Vampyres of this House preferred blood that was salty and sweet.

The House is currently led by Lady Nadezhda Shadum, it also consists of Misdrievus Shadum and Natalidae Shadum.

House Vitur

The Vitur were in thrall to their long-dead founder, whom they considered a god. He was a figure of awe and wonder to the Vitur, and there were volumes of histories dedicated to him. Indeed, he was not only worshipped by his vyres, but a number of sapient races sacrificed themselves willingly out of respect for him and House Vitur's opulent culture. These creatures are now scarce on Vampyrium.

The House is currently led by Lady Verzik Vitur, who resides at the Ver Sinhaza hosting the Theatre of Blood. However, none of the vampyres appear to be aware that the actual Verzik is dead, with a doppelganger impersonating her.

Trivia

• The emotion preferences of the eight houses are based on the eight primary dyads (feelings composed of two emotions) described in Plutchik's wheel of emotions: Optimism (Drakan), love (Jovkai), submission (Shadum), awe (Vitur), disapproval (Pyrah), remorse (Myrmel), contempt (Alzeph) and aggression (Ghrazi).