Lore

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Background
''There was a way of things, a cycle. The men and women of the realms of humankind went about their way, learning, trading, building their great kingdoms and tall castles. Such grand things cast long shadows. In those shadows lived the other half of the cycle, the vampire. The puppeteers of humanity. In exchange for illusions of independence and unwitting protection from the many predators of the night, the vampires fed on mankind’s wealth and blood, living in delicate, decadent harmony with them.'' So it was for millennia.

… But no such balance can last forever.

''There is always ambition, and what is more natural to the vampire than hunger? To mankind today the truth has long since been forgotten, existing only in tales that have been twisted by memory and time. The truth, however, lives on in the memories of every vampire alive to remember the Great War. The creature that reached beyond the familiar bounds of blood magic, past our material realm, and into untouched worlds. The man who shattered order and brought chaos: Dracula.''

''Dracula was a pioneer, the first to pierce the planes and concord with the mysterious powers that inhabit those other worlds. A dark throne manifested in Dracula’s castle, a conduit between the planes. The seat of power, and with it, the key to world domination.''

''The other clans would not submit easily, and so came the Great War. Wielding blade, bow, and blood magic they fought to wrest control of Dracula’s newfound power. They expended every last resource they had in savage resistance to his control, their lust for power causing them to sacrifice everything in its pursuit. The cities of humankind were decimated in the struggle, drowning in rivers of blood for the sake of their hopeless ends.'' Dracula had become unstoppable. Or so they thought.

''Born not of lust for power, but pure desperation, the last remnant vestiges of mankind prostrated themselves before all of creation. They begged to anything, anyone that might hear them for salvation from their impending extinction.''

Something answered.

''Humankind was blessed with the power of holy light, and what few could wield it formed the vanguard for humanity, the Church of Luminance. Their order gathered under the united banner of the Paladins of Light, riding forth and casting the light into those long shadows to illuminate the dark. A surge of holy light obliterated Dracula and scattered the vampire legions. They pushed back the great clans and sent them into a full bore retreat. Soon, they knew, there would be no shadows left in which to hide. The age of the vampire had come to a close.''

''Now it was the vampires who knew desperation and called on the last of their power to form a Dark Barrier to protect them during their last stand. This Barrier left them alive but trapped in seclusion and cut off from their source of food and power. They began to waste away. In their time of need, just as their bodies began to fail them and they began to fall into their dreamless sleep, they called out to the void that had once aided Dracula in hopes that it could save them.'' No one answered, and so they slept.

''The world continued without the vampires, and like any world, it would not survive any time of victory or peace without succumbing to new troubles—an enemy born from within. The Church of Luminance and the power they had acquired would not fade as the threat passed. As it is with all power, it craved to be wielded, and without an enemy to turn it upon, they would instead turn it upon themselves. The hand of light became an iron gauntlet, and with it, they would wring their subjects of wealth and worth. Dracula’s throne was one of otherworldly power, but the church would forge their own throne of worldly greed in his absence.''

''Centuries would turn over one another, rolling onward. Hundreds of years of overgrowth would go on to swallow the last remnants of vampire civilization, their tombs far-flung and forgotten to the wilderness along with their legends. The Dark Barrier would come to fade with time, opening these forgotten lands up to human exploration. Campfire tales of the horrors that lay within would not be enough to deter outlaws and other hardened undesirables from delving in, unaware of what lurks beneath. A new beginning for them, they believe… and in a way, they are dreadfully correct.''

''A dark herald’s cry rings out from the depths of the abyss, reaching into the mortal world and bringing with it an answer to that now ancient plea for help. With the distant call of this unseen benefactor, the vampires begin to stir once more, awakening from their centuries-long slumber to a world that has all but forgotten them.''

'They are withered and weakened. Thirsty and cunning. Dangerous and furious.'

They will build.

They will hunt.

… They will rise.

Source
https://blog.stunlock.com/v-rising-dev-update-5-fall-of-the-dark-empire/

TL;DR

 * 1) Mankind and vampires lived together in balance and tolerance for a time
 * 2) Dracula rose in prominence and established a throne of power in the land.
 * 3) The vampire clans rose up to resist Dracula's control, devastating human settlements in the process.
 * 4) The people cried out desperately for any kind of hope or help. They were blessed with the power of holy light and formed the Church of Luminance.
 * 5) The church destroyed Dracula and scattered the vampire clans. They protected their lands with magical barriers that kept the vampires at bay.
 * 6) Eventually, the church became corrupt and fell into lusting after power and greed. The potency of the barriers eventually faded.
 * 7) Now it was the vampires' turn to call out, this time to dark powers. The dark powers answered them. The vampires awakened and are ready to reclaim their lands.

V Blood
As stated in some V Blood Carriers descriptions, bloody rains followed Dracula's death for seven days and seven nights, granting new abilities to random creatures, monsters and humans, and enhancing the ones they already had. This explains why vampires obtain new abilities and knowledge after drinking their blood.

Farbane Woods
As stated by the Nightmarshal Styx the Sunderer description and dev blogs, the vampires put up some kind of barrier over Farbane Woods after the war and went to sleep. Seems to have stopped people from coming in for a while, but its weakened over time, hence the bandits and the like.

Cursed Forest
It is said that the last of Dracula’s loyalists, fanatical to the point of worship, attempted to revive their emperor through dangerous and wretched rituals in the aftermath of his death. Whatever happened, no intelligent being survives to tell the tale, and what’s left in the aftermath is the horrible curse that inhabits this place.

Source
https://blog.stunlock.com/v-rising-dev-update-11-the-world-of-vardoran/

Cult of the Damned
An obscure faction of necromancers mentioned in some V Blood Carriers descriptions, they are related to the undead that roam Vardoran. Acording to the description of Bane the Shadowblade, they are the ones behind the corruption of the Iron Mine in Dunley Farmlands.

Gloomrot
Gloomrot is a biome themed around science gone mad, the old and familiar ideas of unchecked ambition and arrogance in the face of the natural order. The group responsible for organizing these erudite efforts is called The Trancendum, a collection of psychopathically obsessive technologists on a mission to create the next stage of human evolution. This pathology dates back to the times of Dracula, when their still-living, seemingly ageless head-scientist Doctor Henry Blackbrew, originally founded this pursuit in an attempt to fight back against Dracula’s armies.

Trancendum
A collection of psychopathically obsessive technologists on a mission to create the next stage of human evolution. This pathology dates back to the times of Dracula, when their still-living, seemingly ageless head-scientist Doctor Henry Blackbrew, originally founded this pursuit in an attempt to fight back against Dracula’s armies.

Over hundreds of years, the Trancendum has studied and advanced its studies through electrical and chemical engineering, inventing incredible technology and jealously hoarding their secrets for themselves. Their efforts are single-minded, sacrificing morality, their land, and even their very lives in an attempt to discover the next big breakthrough.

''“Dr. Henry Blackbrew was once heralded as a savior of man.''

''When the hungry fangs of the great conqueror Dracula hung over the throat of man, poised to sink in, the scientific luminary was celebrated. Beloved. The last hope for humankind.''

Then came the Light.

''Suddenly, Dr. Blackbrew was a heretic, a madman with… ‘twisted, abominable methods.’ Yet, what is petty morality in the pursuit of human perfection? Of evolution? Of knowledge? Even as they came for him, torch and pitchfork in hand, he stood by his philosophies. Even as he was exiled in disgrace to the dangerous and hellish lands of Gloomrot, he KNEW he was correct.''

… hundreds of years of a prolonged, unnatural life led to this moment.

This birth of something perfect.

The Monster.”

From the notes of Callista Alchemica, Senior Electrostatician of the Trancendum

Source
https://blog.stunlock.com/dev-update-19-mood-of-gloomrot/