Vampire

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A powerful Vampire lord

Vampires are one of the most powerful types of Undead existing in the Warhammer world.

Origins

The origins of the vampires can be traced all the way back to ancient Nehekhara, to the evil priest-king Nagash. Nagash was the first and most powerful necromancer to have ever lived. Eventually, the other priest-kings joined forces in order to crush Nagash and rid the land of his evil; they succeeded, though only temporarily.

However, Neferata, the queen of Lahmia, in her thirst for immortality and eternal life, stole some of Nagash's books instead of destroying them as the kings had agreed, and took them back to Lahmia. Once safe within the walls of her own city, the queen began trying to replicate the Elixir of Life which had given Nagash eternal life. She succeeded to a certain degree, her heart stopped beating and she stopped breathing, yet she did not die; she had become the first vampire.

Realizing that she would need powerful lieutenants she shared the elixir with an unknown number of individuals.

These ancient beings discovered that they could produce new vampires through a process known as the "Blood Kiss", and before long, the entire court of Lahmia had become blood-drinking creatures of the night. However, their new-found powers also served to make the vampires arrogant. When the vampires discovered that Nagash still existed, they sent envoys to meet him at Cripple Peak. Some of these messengers, however, were captured by neighboring kingdoms. Realizing that the threat of Nagash was not yet ended, the priest-kings once again banded together, and marched against Lahmia.

During the ensuing war with the other kingdoms Lahmia was sacked, and most of the vampires were slain. Fleeing Lahmia, the vampires made their way north, where they regrouped upon meeting up with Nagash and were made generals of his armies. Nagash intended to turn the entire world into a kingdom of death, were no action would be taken except when he willed it. However, Nagash was unprepared for the might shown which his former homeland could muster. Ruled by Alcadizaar, the armies of a unified Nehekara rode out to meet Nagash's undead horde. When Alcadizaar defeated them all of the vampires, except the line of W'soran fled. For their cowardice, Nagash cursed the Vampires to be burnt by the rays of the sun.

After this event the vampires fled and spread across the known world founding their own Bloodlines.

See also

Sources