Pretty Words
- Intent: A new spin on the old Space Vampire concept.
- Image Credit: Lost Girls by Klaus Wittmann & various pieces (1, 2, 3, 4) by Robert Chew.
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Energy Vampires & Ravna's Species ("Close Cousins") | Anzati ("Distant Cousins")
- Name: Sangnir
- Designation: Sentient
- Origins: Unknown World
- Average Lifespan: Immortal in the broad sense, these beings will only ever expire from external force or a lack of sustenance.
- Estimated Population: Rare
- Description: The blood-drinking remnants of a long-forgotten civilisation, the Sangnir are shrouded in myth, their relationship with similar species being a mystery even to the scholars among them. They typically appear more or less "normal" at a glance, though Highbloods are known for their intense eyes and unearthly grace born of centuries of practice. Any individual Sangnir may be part of a coven or other social structure, alone or in small groups, or even completely unaware of what they are - though most Sires will seek to teach those they Embrace.
- Breathes: Type I & II, many can survive Type III, some Type IV.
- Average Height of Adults: Variable.
- Average Length of Adults: Variable.
- Skin Colour: Variable, often pales.
- Hair Colour: Variable.
- Distinctions: Strange vampiric beings born from the Embracing of other species, most commonly humans, the Sangnir are a diverse lot, but as a general rule their skin often pales; many Highbloods have strangely intense or even luminescent eyes. Gender roles tend to bleed away with age as a Sangnir is further removed from the being it was, with most Highbloods barely considering such minor differences. Well-fed Sangnir will tend to remain their age at the time of the Embrace, though with effort they can make themselves "younger" or "older"; starvation will do strange things to them, including shrivelling up, turning monstrous, and/or going Feral.
- Races:
- Highbloods: The apex of the Sangnir social structure and the only ones among them able to assume a ferocious Warform (although some Ghouls are mutated enough to be confused for a Warform), the Highbloods are arrogant, powerful, and seemingly immortal; even the greatest among them is aware that a single mistake could cut short their eternity, leading many to deep-seated paranoia and some to bravery that can only be described as self-deceptive. They often sit at the centre of a great web of influence.
- Lowbloods: The bulk of the Sangnir populace is made up of the Lowbloods, who have the potential to metamorphose into their greater cousins with sufficient time, experience, and sustenance; most inevitably perish from external threats, are lost to accidents, or regress to a feral state before their ascension can come to pass. While the overwhelming majority of newly-turned Sangnir become Lowbloods, it is possible for a particularly potent individual turned by a powerful Highblood to become one themselves.
- Ghouls: The Sangnir often promise their Thralls the Embrace and the eternity that follows in exchange for their loyal service, though actually living up to their word is much less common. Most simply die or are abandoned, but unluckiest of the bunch are those who are given a bastardisation of that promise: the Ghouls. Not truly Sangnir but not truly what they were, these accursed beings range from the more or less normal-looking to the hideously mutated, but all are reliant on their Sangnir masters for Anima and bound to their will.
- Thralls: Thralls, also known as Blood Thralls, are the mortal retainers of the Sangnir, semi-regularly fed a slight dose of Anima to build loyalty and make them more effective servants; so long as they continue to be granted Anima by their Sangnir masters, Thralls enjoy longevity (a human might live twice as long, long-lived species gain less, relatively speaking, and short-lived species more), better than average recuperation (negligible in-combat), reflexes, and speed. Unsurprisingly, withdrawal is hell, especially for long-serving Thralls.
- Husks: Much like their Energy Vampires cousins, the Sangnir are able to transform those they've drained dry into "zombies", in their case by re-imbuing some of the stolen Anima. Those created from small amounts are slow and feeble, while those granted more significant amounts are surprisingly quick and devilishly strong, if still simple-minded and quite flammable. They do not eat brains but do become gaunter and gaunter as their body digests itself to keep itself going, though Anima donations can delay this indefinitely.
- Ferals: Least of the Sangnir are the Ferals - loathed by Lowbloods and Highbloods alike for the weakness they represent, these accursed beings have succumbed to the Red Hunger, being hopelessly addicted at best or downright monstrous at worst. The worst of them are fallen Highbloods, some of which are permanently stuck in their Warforms - ravenous monsters beyond all but the boldest of hunters.
- Force Sensitivity: N/A; Sangnir are not born, they are made, as such their odds of Force Sensitivity will depend upon their original species, most commonly but by no means limited to human, with the odds tilted towards Sensitivity as they prefer turning exceptional individuals.
- Lords of Blood: Sangnir have the ability to drain the life force of others through their bite, using the victim's blood as the medium. Known as Anima, this strange substance has a wide range of uses, including sustaining their immortality and mending wounds, fuelling brief surges of supernatural power, or even powering the esoteric technologies of their long-dead civilisation.
- Apex Predator: Much like their Energy Vampire cousins, the Sangnir have superior strength, senses, speed, and reflexes, even without drawing on their Maw and the Anima within. While not necessarily stronger (though their Maw is invariably "deeper"), Highbloods can transform into a Warform whose exact advantages depend on the individual, but which typically includes enhanced strength and durability. Equally useful during the modern hunt, they tend to possess an unearthly charisma, easily mesmerising the weak-willed with their gaze.
- Onto Eternity: By nibbling at or devouring the life of others, the Sangnir can perpetuate their existence forevermore - they can still be slain and indeed are no harder to injure than their appearance would indicate. That said, Anima can be "burnt" to accelerate their regeneration, with most being able to heal cuts and bruises easily and the greatest of them being able to recreate entire body parts - if well-fed.
- By Fire Be Purged: As their regeneration relies on Anima, which is carried through their blood, fire is anathema to the Sangnir, as is heat-based weapons such as lightsabers and, indeed, the common blaster. They are not necessarily more easily damaged by it, but cauterization makes the process of regeneration much more difficult - a Lowblood is unlikely to be able to heal even a grazing blaster burn in the midst of battle and even the mightiest, most ancient of Highbloods will perish from a blaster bolt through the heart as surely as any human.
- The Red Hunger: To the Sangnir, the thirst for blood, the Red Hunger, is no mere addiction - it is a need that shines above all others and if unfulfilled or overindulged it can drive them into madness, rendering the proud beings "mere Ferals". A fate worse than death, to some.
- Diet: Omnivorous Hemovore; contrary to their mythologised counterparts, Sangnir require sustenance like anyone else. They are able to digest just about anything but tend to favour a carnivorous diet as a matter of preference. In addition to common nutrition, they must semi-regularly feed on others (preferably sentients, though animals will do in a pinch), absorbing some or all of their life force through their blood, which is then converted to the substance the Sangnir know as Anima; the amount of actual blood consumed is usually fairly modest.
- Communication: The ancient language of the Sangnir, known simply as the Elder Tongue, is a harshly complex thing reserved primarily for rituals and secret communication; many among the new guard, especially Lowbloods, do not even speak it. While hardly on par with proper telepathic species, the Sangnir seem able to communicate silently with their kind as well as enthral the weak-willed with their gaze.
- Technology Level: Unremarkable with a few exceptions, notably esoteric technologies dealing with Anima in various forms.
- Religion/Beliefs: Little remains of the ancient civilisation of the Sangnir but myth and long-buried ruins - some few still practice the Elder Faith, however, congregating in weathered ruins or modern hideouts to practice rituals of blood and power or shedding the trappings of civilisation and hunting lesser beings with nought but fist and fang, blood-soaked bodies adorned with ashen body paint.
- General Behaviour: As different as the manifold species and cultures from which they are plucked, the Sangnir nonetheless have certain traits common to them, among them strongly valuing self-control, a fondness for the finer things, and a tendency towards eccentricity with age.
- Family and the Embrace: As Sangnir are made, not born, they lack the family structures of most species - Sires may be close to those they have Embraced (i.e., turned) and vice versa, but this is not necessarily the case. Should two Sangnir wish to establish a more solid bond they may exchange Anima briefly, become Blood-Brothers/Sisters and forming the equivalent of a weak Force Bond; a prolonged exchange produces Companions, which may be comparable to an especially committed marriage or entirely platonic in nature.
- Anima and the Maw: The existence and society of the Sangnir revolve around Anima - and for good reason, for without it they are destined to wither and die. Created from blood and distilled life force, this strange substance flows through a Sangnir's veins, and originates from their "Maw", the reservoir of life-force strongly associated with their hearts, the only organ even the most inhumanly potent of ancient Sangnir are unable to survive without.
- The Subtle Hunt: Most modern Sangnir are, knowingly or not, adherents of the Subtle Hunt, a practice favouring nonlethal feedings and stealth/social manipulation over more primal pursuits. They often gravitate towards positions of political, social, and economical power, which they use for personal benefit or benevolent pursuits, depending on their inclination.
- The Primal Hunt: More traditional (or borderline Feral) Sangnir adhere to the Primal Hunt, favouring mighty prey such as Jedi above the common folk and generally feeding to kill. They are often itinerant, though some have enough influence to disappear any victims. That said, Sangnir need not follow a path completely - even the most civilised of the Subtle will, at times, feel the urge to spill the blood of their prey, though whether they indulge, suppress such desires, or set up elaborate Blood Hunts varies.
- Cultural Taboos: Culture is a fleeting thing, for a species as old as the Sangnir, but some things remain all-but unchanged - Embracing the unwilling (making Ghouls doesn't count) is perhaps the strongest of such taboos and if done in large numbers other Sangnir will often feel obligated to "extinguish" such an individual. Other taboos include exposing fellow Sangnir to outsiders or hunting them oneself, though by ancient tradition the Anima of a defeated enemy may be consumed by a righteous victor.
- Blood Thralls: The favoured servants of the Sangnir and the bulk of their military during the time of their long-dead civilisation, Blood Thralls are longer-lived, less susceptible to disease, heal better, and are gifted with enhanced speed and reflexes, so long as they retain access to Anima, almost always through a Sangnir master. Some few are indeed Embraced, but most die, are abandoned, or are turned into Ghouls - more potent but far more addicted servants whose withdrawal would be less hellish, more hellish then lethal.
- Warforms: In many ways the defining feature of the Highbloods, these Sangnir in their peak can shapeshift into a form better suited for the harshness of battle - its exact characteristics vary from individual to individual, but many are bat-like monstrosities and most tend to grow stronger and more durable. Even Lowbloods can achieve more minor feats of shapeshifting, such as growing claws, though this is less useful in the modern day than it was when the Sangnir were young and mundane swords were viable weapons.
- The Force: In millennia past most Sangnir Force Users belonged to a tradition of their own, that of the Bloodcallers, also known as the Lifeweavers. Some of their teachings yet remain in the traditions of the Sangnir, but much has been forgotten but for time-worn tablets in ancient ruins and the slumbering minds of ancient Sangnir. They appear to have favoured something resembling Alchemy (with a focus on biological manipulation) and the manipulation of Anima in various ways.
Long ago, on a planet whose original name has long since been lost to the mists of time, a civilisation rose and fell. Stories conflict as to whether they evolved concurrently with a subsequently enslaved breed of humanoids (now long-since extinct) or whether they evolved on their own, only later realising their potential as the overlords of an ill-fated colony of early human settlers. What is known is that they never truly grasped the potential of Hyperspace and that they, by rise of the Republic, had faded away without ever coming into contact with the Rakata and their ilk.
The Sangnir were not, however, content to perish with their civilisation, instead weathering the eons hidden away amongst the peoples of the galaxy or hibernating in long-forgotten tombs and ill-fated expansion efforts whose generational crews of Thralls perished in the void as their lords slept.
In the millennia since the Sangnir have waxed and waned, sometimes involving themselves in galactic affairs, notably the occasional ill-fated attempt at rebuilding their civilisation, but for the most part remaining in the shadows, blending together with the mythos of other vampiric species in the minds of the greater public. With most active Highbloods having perished over the long years, the truth of their origins is likely only found in the ruins of their homeworld, wherever it is, and in the minds of those ancients who still slumber in ruins and drifting starships.
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